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.
Sporting Kansas City (13-7-6, 45 points) continues their playoff push Saturday when the club hosts Orlando City SC (7-16-3, 24 points) at world-class Children's Mercy Park. The interconference clash will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT, and tickets remain available via SeatGeek.com. FOX Sports Kansas City Plus, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, FOX Sports GO, Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM will air the game live as Manager Peter Vermes' men look to move within a point of first place in the West.
Let’s jump straight into five things you need to know about Saturday’s matchup.
1. Closing the Gap
Sporting KC currently occupies third place in the Western Conference standings, four points behind leaders FC Dallas and a point behind LAFC. Manager Peter Vermes’ men have a game in hand on both teams, and with FC Dallas and LAFC on byes this weekend, Sporting KC could jump to second with a victory over Orlando.
Quick refresher: the top two finishers in each conference will get a Knockout Round bye and host the second leg of the conference semifinals on Sunday, Nov. 11. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds will host a Knockout Round fixture against the No. 6 and No. 5 seeds, respectively.
2. Depth on Display
Vermes will flex his squad’s depth on Saturday. Forwards Diego Rubio, Johnny Russell and Daniel Salloi have all joined their respective national teams for international duty, while center back Ike Opara is suspended due to caution accumulation. Consequently, the likes of Krisztian Nemeth, Yohan Croizet and newly acquired defender Andreu Fontas are in the running to start against Orlando. Striker Khiry Shelton could also feature, having worked his way back from a knee injury.
On the opposite sideline, Orlando will be without influential winger Yoshi Yotun due to his commitments with the Peru national team. Yotun has a team-best 10 assists this season to go with three goals.
3. Familiar Faces
Saturday’s contest will see two familiar faces return to Children’s Mercy Park. At the forefront is Orlando forward Dom Dwyer, whose 67 goals in a Sporting KC uniform are second-most in club history. Dwyer led the Kansas City frontline from his breakout season in 2014 until he was traded to Orlando last summer for a hefty sum of allocation money. The Englishman has been one of the lone bright spots for Orlando in 2018, leading the side with 12 goals in 19 league appearances.
Another former Sporting KC player set to return in Orlando purple is midfielder Uri Rosell. The Spaniard played 57 games under Manager Peter Vermes from 2012-2014 before landing a transfer to Sporting Lisbon in Portugal. Rosell returned to MLS this year and has started 12 of 16 MLS matches for Orlando.
4. Leaky Lions
The Lions have missed the playoffs in each of their first three seasons as an MLS club, but a turbulent 2018 campaign has plunged Orlando to new lows. Things looked cheery when the side rattled off six straight wins from April to May, but a nine-game losing skid followed to mark the end of Jason Kreis’ tenure as head coach. Former Louisville City boss James O’Connor took the helm on June 29, but Orlando’s fortunes simply haven’t improved.
The Lions have conceded 61 goals and lost 16 matches, both the most in MLS. They are 1-14-2 since May 13 and have just one clean sheet to show from 26 league games. Their last nine road fixtures have yielded zero points, and they currently find themselves in the thick of a seven-game winless run. For a team that boasts a strong attacking corps with the likes of Dwyer, Kljestan and Yotun, it’s made for an awfully disappointing year in central Florida.
5. Salute to Ron
Sporting KC continues to celebrate the life and legacy of Ron Newman, the club’s original head coach who passed away Aug. 27 at age 84. Newman led Kansas City for over three seasons from 1996-1999, racking up 50 regular season wins at the helm.
To pay tribute to Newman, supporters at Children’s Mercy Park are encouraged to participate in a moment of applause in the 50th minute of Saturday’s match. This act will honor Newman’s 50 wins as Kansas City’s head coach and commemorate his profound impact on the sport of soccer in the United States.
Guy Newman, Ron’s son who served as an assistant coach during his father’s tenure in Kansas City, will be in attendance at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday. He will be recognized on the field during halftime as Sporting KC salutes the Newmans for their instrumental roles as soccer pioneers.
