Five Things is a weekly series on SportingKC.com that highlights the top storylines, players to watch and matchday programming ahead of each game throughout the season.
Two teams trending in opposite directions will lock horns Sunday when Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City (4-1-1, 13 points) host winless Seattle Sounders FC at Children's Mercy Park. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CT and tickets remain available via SeatGeek.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL to purchase the Coca-Cola Sunday Family Four Pack, consisting of four tickets, four Coke products, four hot dogs and four bags of chips. The game will also air live on ESPN, Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.
Compelling storylines surround Sunday despite the top-versus-bottom complexion of the fixture. For historical reference, the last time the Sounders started 0-3-0, they rallied late to lift their first MLS Cup title. With that in mind, here are five things to know about the matchup.
1. Faith and Family Day
Programming for Sporting KC's inaugural Faith and Family Day features discounted South Stand tickets for $30 apiece as well as pre-game speeches from Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley and former University of Kansas All-American and NBA champion Wayne Simien. Conley and Simien will speak on the Toyota Plaza at 2:30 p.m. CT prior to kickoff.
Rock band 7eventh Time Down will perform a concert on the Toyota Plaza immediately after the match before Simien takes the stage again for a postgame discussion and Q&A with Sporting KC defenders Matt Besler, Ike Opara and Seth Sinovic.
2. Sporting Streaking
Four wins and a draw over the last month? Now that's how you bounce back from a season-opening defeat. Sporting Kansas City has ascended to the Western Conference summit, scored goals at a steady rate and even allayed fears along the backline with a 262-minute shutout streak that dates back to March 24.
Sunday's 2-0 road win over the LA Galaxy was particularly eye-catching. Manager Peter Vermes' men received a vintage performance from eventual MLS Player of the Week Tim Melia — he made a career-high and club-record 10 saves, in case you missed it — while Daniel Salloi and Goal of the Week winner Johnny Russell maintained their fine form with strikes in the second half.
Sporting KC midfielder Felipe Gutierrez, Major League Soccer's Player of the Month for March, is tied for the league lead with five goals and has played a pivotal role on both sides of the ball this season. But if last Sunday proved anything, it's that Vermes' side is perfectly capable of coping without its best player. Seven different Sporting KC players have scored a goal in 2018, tied for the most in MLS, while five different players have provided assists.
This iteration of Sporting KC is balanced and deep, making it harder to predict where offensive production will come from. Russell (two goals, two assists) and Salloi (one goal, three assists) have played a part in four goals each, while Khiry Shelton (two assists) and Roger Espinoza (three assists) have shouldered valuable supporting roles. In other words, Sporting KC will be well positioned to extend their unbeaten run regardless of whether Gutierrez plays on Sunday.
4. Scoreless in Seattle
Three games, three losses, three red cards, zero goals. The two-time defending Western Conference champion Sounders aren't exactly off to a flying start this year. It's the first time in club history that Seattle has gone goalless in its first three matches of a regular season, adding frustration to a campaign that already includes a quarterfinal exit in the 2018 Concacaf Champions League.
Don't bet on Seattle hitting the panic button anytime soon, however. The 2016 MLS Cup champions began their championship season with three straight losses, and even last year stuttered early before finding their stride to capture a second straight conference crown. Sunday might be a mismatch on paper, but it's safe to say that the Sounders, who haven't played in two weeks, will come out flying as they search for their first result of the young campaign.
Seattle isn't in desperation mode just yet, but a pair of suspensions won't make things any easier for them on Sunday. Longtime U.S. international Clint Dempsey was suspended an extra game today for his red card offense in a 3-0 loss at FC Dallas on March 18, while defender Kelvin Leerdam will also be sidelined for his misbehavior on March 31 in a defeat to Monreal.
To complicate matters, head coach Brian Schmetzer will likely have to account for multiple injury absences. Forward Jordan Morris is out for the season with an ACL tear, while the status of midfielder Victor Rodriguez (knee sprain) is up in the air. The good news for Seattle is that 32-year-old captain Osvaldo Alonso could make his return on Sunday after missing the club's first three games with a quad strain.
