From one strong Eastern Conference opponent to another.
Sporting Kansas City has turned the page to Week 2, preparing for a challenging road test at the Chicago Fire on Saturday after falling 2-0 in last weekend’s season opener to New York City FC at Children’s Mercy Park.
Captain Matt Besler joined The Border Patrol hosts Nate Bukaty and Steven St. John on Sports Radio 810 WHB this morning, rehashing Sunday’s curtain raiser before looking ahead to a matchup with Chicago, which finished third in the East last season behind Toronto FC and NYCFC.
The Fire wielded the third-best scoring offense in 2017, thanks in large part to the contribution of MLS Golden Boot Winner Nemanja Nikolic. The Hungarian bagged 24 goals during a campaign that saw Chicago return to the playoffs for the first time since 2012 and post a 12-2-3 record in the friendly confines of Toyota Park.
“He’s a guy who could not touch the ball for 85 minutes of the game, and then with five minutes left, all of the sudden he shows up unmarked at the back post and he pokes it in and he’s the hero,” Besler said of Nikolic. “It’s not just one guy’s job to mark him. It’s going to be up to four or five guys to know where he’s at.”
As challenging as Saturday’s fixture might appear — Chicago returns a formidable squad and did not play in Week 1 – Besler asserted that teams usually feel a degree of pressure to get a result in their first home match. Sporting KC felt that weight of expectation on Sunday, Besler said, and now that roles have reversed, the center back is confident of his side’s ability to bounce back.
“Chicago is going to have pressure to perform in front of their fans, so we’ve got to go in with that underdog role just as New York City did to us.”
Listen to the full podcast of today’s interview below and visit 810whb.com for more content on the official radio home of Sporting KC. Sports Radio 810 WHB and Sporting KC announced this week a new three-year local broadcast partnership through the 2020 season.
