Sports Medicine Report is SportingKC.com’s look at the latest medical news ahead of upcoming matches and is presented by The Sports Medicine Center at Children's Mercy. All medical issues listed are from the teams' official medical reports submitted prior to matchday.
Top seed Sporting Kansas City continues their hunt for the 2020 MLS Cup as the side takes on fourth seed Minnesota United FC in the Western Conference Semifinals tonight at Children’s Mercy Park. Sporting finished the regular season atop the West with a 12-6-3 record (39 pts.), resulting in 1.86 points per game – the best clip in club history. Minnesota went 9-5-7 (34 pts., 1.64 PPG), including an unbeaten 5-0-4 in their last nine games stretching back to late September.
Manager & Sporting Director Peter Vermes gave an update on the fitness of striker Alan Pulido when speaking to Soren Petro on Sports Radio 810 WHB on Wednesday. Pulido has been recovering from a knee sprain suffered in early November.
“It’s truly a day-to-day thing because whenever you increase the load on the player, it’s all about what the reaction is the next day,” Vermes said of Pulido. “His load has been increased each day, and each day we’re monitoring how he responds. The thing you have to consider is, as much as his knee is doing well and he’s ahead of schedule, he’s also been out four to five weeks. So there’s an overall fitness piece that I have to consider. What I don’t want to do is stick him into the game and then he hurts something else. That’s what we’re trying to manage in figuring out when to bring him back. That’s why it’s day-to-day.”
#SKCvMIN Sports Medicine Report
Kickoff is set for 7:31 p.m. CT on FOX and FOX Deportes, while Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM will carry the game locally on the radio.
