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 desperate for a win will renew their rivalry Saturday night as fifth-place Sporting Kansas City (9-6-6, 33 points) visits the Houston Dynamo (7-8-6, 27 points) in a crucial Western Conference clash at BBVA Compass Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City Plus, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, FOX Sports GO, Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.
Manager Peter Vermes' men are seeking their first victory since June 23, when they knocked off Houston in a 3-2 thriller at Children's Mercy Park. The Dynamo have exacted revenge since then, eliminating Sporting KC from the U.S. Open Cup with a 4-2 home win on July 18, but head coach Wilmer Cabrera's side has hit a rough patch of their own in MLS play. Without further ado, let's take a look at five prevailing narratives surrounding the rubber match.
1. Points at a Premium
Both teams have hit a mid-summer swoon, making Saturday’s fixture all the more important as the Western Conference playoff picture begins to take shape. Houston is winless in four straight, having dropped from sixth to ninth place since mid-July, while Sporting KC has taken a single point from a possible 15 over their last five matches to sink from first to fifth. This weekend gives Sporting KC and Houston a major opportunity to turn the tide ahead of a pivotal stretch run into the autumn months.
2. No Strangers
No, these teams aren’t meeting for the 100th time this season, but it certainly feels like it. Sporting KC and Houston are set to battle for the third time in a six-week span, with Manager Peter Vermes’ men prevailing in a 3-2 thriller on June 23 at Children’s Mercy Park before suffering a 4-2 defeat in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals on July 18 at BBVA Compass Stadium. Do the math, and that’s 11 combined goals over the first two matchups. Needless to say, Saturday could provide an entertaining spectacle of back-and-forth soccer.
Familiarity reigns supreme in this Midwestern rivalry, as Sporting KC and Houston have squared off 29 times across all competitions since the start of 2011. That’s just shy of four times per season, and the result of two relatively successful sides meeting not only in the regular season but in the MLS Cup Playoffs and the advanced stages of the U.S. Open Cup.
3. Goal Gluttony
Don’t be surprised if the goals keep flying in on Saturday. There are more than a few statistics that suggest we could be in for a shootout.
Let’s start with Sporting KC. Their last eight games across all competitions have produced a remarkable 38 goals — 16 scored and 22 conceded — for a rate of 4.75 per game. Sporting KC’s recent struggles haven’t stemmed from a misfiring offense, but from a leaky defensive record that popped up in mid-June.
Houston, on the other hand, has racked up 35 goals in 14 home games across all competitions, good for 2.5 per match. Few attacking trios in MLS are more devastating than that of Alberth Elis, Mauro Manotas and Romell Quioto. Manotas has particularly relished the occasion of facing Sporting KC, bagging seven goals in six career appearances against the club.
4. Squad Shuffle in Store?
Neither team played a midweek match, although Elis and Sporting KC duo Ilie Sanchez and Graham Zusi did log 45 minutes in Wednesday's MLS All-Star Game in Atlanta. Consequently, both sides figure to be well rested for Saturday's encounter.
That said, Houston has a U.S. Open Cup semifinal looming next Wednesday, Aug. 8, against LAFC. Will this prompt Cabrera to rest any of his normal starters this weekend? Elis, Quioto and Manotas have given Sporting KC plenty of trouble in earlier meetings this year, but don't be shocked if any of them are on the substitutes' bench Saturday night. As for Sporting KC, they have one match per week from now until mid-October. Expect Vermes to field his best possible starting XI.
5. No Other Watch Party
By now, you probably know where Sporting KC’s home away from home is. All supporters are welcome to the official watch party for Saturday's game at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District (1370 Grand Blvd.). From 7:30 p.m. CT until the final whistle, No Other Pub will offer $6 Till Vodka cocktails and an all-you-can-eat buffet with endless soda and domestic draft beers.
