SPORTING KANSAS CITY v. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. It’s time for a visit to the State Avenue ground and the second-worst team in MLS, Sporting Kansas City. I mean, I don’t know how much there is to recommend a trip to Kansas, but I understand Kansas City has some decent barbecue, and supposedly the most fountains of any city. Annnnd I’m fresh out of pithy remarks about the Wiz– I mean Wizards– I mean Sporting.

What: MLS league match, Sporting Kansas City v. Seattle Sounders FC.

Where: State Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas.

When: 5:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Saturday 8 June 2024 CE.

At Stake: There are no immediate high stakes. The main thing is that Kansas City are sitting 28th in the league table right now, and have lost their last seven matches in the league. Ergo, getting a win and three points isn’t going to be any easier than on Saturday night. If we should be defeated, we will have lost to the second-worst team in the league and failed a benchmark test. So there’s a need for points factor…kinda (let’s not kid ourselves, we’re not winning the league this season), and a pride factor. Sounders currently sit 20th in the league table on 18 points, 17 points adrift of leaders Miami. A victory could see us climb as high as 16th in the league. For this to happen, St. Louis (v.POR) must win…and that’s it. There’s only eight teams playing on Saturday.  Should we be defeated, in combination with St. Louis defeating Portland, we would drop one place to 21st. If you’re counting the points for MLS Cup qualification, we’re two points adrift of our close, personal friends from Portland for the last MLS Cup berth in the Western quasi-league. That’s it. Nothing earth-shattering - except for the questions asked if we are defeated by second-bottom Kansas City.

Where to Watch: MLS Season Pass via Apple TV. At least you get Keith Costigan and Maurice Edu for play-by-play and colour. That’s not so bad.

Where to Listen: 950 KJR AM and El Rey 1360 AM.

Not so much going on in MLS this Sat. Just four matches, with no more fixtures to be played until Saturday next. Hoping Heartland has a massive contingent at the State Avenue ground. We at home in The Evergreen must watch on telly. At home, at the pub, through the shop window of an electronics retailer, department store, you know…whatever gets you there.

It’s Sounders football…in Kansas City…under the lights? C’MON YOU SOUNDERS! GET IN!

Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”

On birthdays, or sometimes Christmas, you hit the pinata and candy comes out. In this instance, we hit Kansas City and three points come out. Of course…the pinata batsman in question is usually blindfolded,

which…somehow fits into this metaphor? Batter up!…and also…take cover.

The Good News

Kansas City are playing some terrible terrible football lately. They haven’t won a league match since 30 March. They currently sit 28th place out of 29 teams in the league. We should take advantage of this.

Kansas City have only won one match at home this season, and are conceding an average of 1.94 goals/match. In stark contrast, Sounders FC is tied for 5th place in defence, conceding an average of 1.19 goals/match.

Kansas City are averaging only one goal scored per match over the last seven matches.

Sounders FC and Kansas City couldn’t be more opposite in terms of recent form, with Kansas City dropping their last seven league matches, and the Sounders only having been defeated once since 30 April (in all competitions).

Sounders FC Reserves player Antino Lopez may find himself on the bench for this match, and may make his Sounders FC debut.

We have gotten some outstanding performances from our younger players and players in the Sounders FC Reserve team. We’ll be needing more of that until we get all our players back to fitness.

Kansas City lost two of their more important players when they let Roger Espinoza and Graham Zusi go. It doesn’t appear that they’ve found anyone to properly replace them.

The Bad News

Kansas City is the statistically more likely team to score two goals, averaging 1.50 goals/match.

Sometimes, a team that is playing poorly is the hardest to defeat. They’re under the cosh, with likely their jobs at stake. Fear can be a powerful motivator. Just look at every US election since 1980, for example.

The only team we’ve beaten that has also beaten Kansas City is Portland.

Our most expensive player, Argentine starlet Pedro de la Vega, has only played in two matches this season and is still injured.

With Bell and Nathan out and Nouhou off with Cameroon, we have only two senior centre-halves fit to play, Yeimar Gomez Andrade and Jackson Ragen. Sounders FC Reserves defender Antino Lopez has been signed on a temporary hardship contract to provide cover.

MLS has become a league where the teams who sign the most ringers from overseas are the most successful. We are not just being out-done in this race to sign big name players, we haven’t attempted to sign any at all. I feel like our people in management and scouting have failed to understand how the league has fundamentally changed.

The Side I Would Select

Selecting the first-choice players is the smart move, as we haven’t had a match since 29 May, and we won’t play again until 15 June. With Nouhou in camp with Cameroon, you’d imagine Cody Baker has the inside track to be in the team at left-back. I prefer the team with Cristian in a holding role.

GK     Frei

LB     Baker

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Gomez Andrade

RB      Alex

LDM    Joao Paulo

RDM   Cristian

LF     Morris

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Vargas

CF     Ruidiaz

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

It’ll be the team you’d expect, minus Nouhou, and with Cristian back to where the Gaffer favours him, at right-forward.

GK     Frei

LB     Baker

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Gomez Andrade

RB     Alex

LDM   Joao Paulo

RDM   Vargas

LF     Morris

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Cristian

CF     Ruidiaz

Intangibles

The referee for Saturday night’s match will be Guido Gonzales Jr. Gonzales has 84 matches of MLS experience.

Kansas City record with Gonzales as referee: 3-1-0

Sounders FC record with Gonzales as referee: 0-1-0

General notes on personnel

Kansas City transfers IN:

Bassong (FCV Varul) free

Vargas (Desamparados) undisclosed fee

Rodriguez (Austin FC) free

Schewe - draft

Kansas City transfers OUT:
Espinoza (Des Moines Menace) free

Ford (Sporting Kansas City Reserves)

Gutierrez (U. Concepcion) free

Zusi - released

Duke (Charlotte FC Reserves)

Kinda (Maccabi Haifa) free

McIntosh (San Antonio FC) free

Cisneros (Carolina Core FC) loan

Comparison against common opponents

SKC 1:1 PHI

PHI 2:3 SEA

(against PHI: SKC 0-1-0 0, SEA 1-0-0 +1) edge SEA

LAFC 0:0 SKC

LAFC 2:1 SEA

(against LAFC: SKC 0-1-0 0, SEA 0-0-1 -1) edge SKC

SKC 2:1 SJ

SJ 3:2 SEA

(against SJ: SKC 1-0-0 +1, SEA 0-0-1 -1) edge SKC

SKC 2:3 LAG

LAG 1:0 SEA

SEA 0:0 LAG

(against LAG: SKC 0-0-1 -1, SEA 0-1-1 -1) edge SEA

SKC 3:3 POR

POR 2:1 SKC

POR 1:2 SEA

(against POR: SKC 0-1-1 -1, SEA 1-0-0 +1) edge SEA

SKC 3:3 STL

STL 1:2 SEA

(against STL: SKC 0-1-0 0, SEA 1-0-0 +1) edge SEA

RSL 1:0 SKC

RSL 2:0 SEA

SEA 1:1 RSL

(against RSL: SKC 0-0-1 -1, SEA 0-1-1 -2) even

ATX 3:2 SKC

SEA 0:0 ATX

(against ATX: SKC 0-0-1 -1, SEA 0-1-0 0) edge SEA

SKC 1:2 VAN

SEA 0:2 VAN

SEA 1:1 VAN

(against VAN: SKC 0-0-1 -1, SEA 0-1-1 -2) even

Know Thine Enemy

Kansas City as they lined up against the Loons in their 3:1 defeat at St. Anthony Avenue on 1 June.

GOALKEEPER

Tim Melia, 38

United States

Notable Clubs: Charleston Battery (16/0), Chivas USA (6/0), Sporting Kansas City (246/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €150,000

Notes: Played his university football for Oneonta and Lynn. Won a USL2 league title and USL2 Cup double with Charleston Battery.  Won two US Open Cups with SKC. Named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2017. Named MLS Comeback Player of the Year 2015. Named Player of the Tournament 2017 US Open Cup. Named to MLS Best XI 2017.

DEFENCE

Zorhan Bassong, 25

Canada (2/0)

Notable Clubs: CF Montreal (36/0), Arges Pitesti (8/0), Farul Constanta (2/0), Sporting Kansas City (6/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €250,000

Notes: Developed by CS Longueuil, Mouscron, Anderlecht, and Lille. Won a Canadian Championship with CF Montreal, and a Supercupa Romaniei with Farul Constanta.

Robert Castellanos, 26

United States

Notable Clubs: Nashville SC (1/1), Tampa Bay Rowdies (10/1), Sporting Kansas City (15/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €200,000

Notes: Developed by Nomads SC and Atlas.

Daniel Rosero, 30

Colombia

Notable Clubs: Arsenal di Sarandi (16/0), Patriotas Boyaca (42/5), Deportivo Cali (130/9), Atletico Junior (121/6), Sporting Kansas City (39/4)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1M

Notes: Developed by Arsenal di Sarandi.

Jacob Davis, 22

United States

Notable Clubs: Sporting Kansas City (44/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1M

Notes: Developed by Sporting Kansas City.

MIDFIELD

Memo Rodriguez, 28

United States

Notable Clubs: Houston Dynamo (136/17), Charleston Battery (17/1), Los Angeles Galaxy (12/1), Austin FC (9/0), Sporting Kansas City (11/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.2M

Notes: Developed by Houstonians and Houston Dynamo. Won a US Open Cup with Houston Dynamo.

Nemanja Radoja, 31

Serbia (2/0)

Notable Clubs: Vojvodina (48/1), CSK Celarevo (11/0), Celta Vigo (115/1), Levante (66/1), Sporting Kansas City (40/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Developed by Vojvodina. Won a Serbian Cup with Vojvodina. Named to Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season 2013-14.

Felipe Hernandez, 25

Colombia

Notable Clubs: Sporting Kansas City (75/4)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Developed by Sporting Kansas City. Won a US Open Cup with Sporting Kansas City.

FORWARD

Marinos Tzionis, 22

Cyprus (24/2)

Notable Clubs: Omonia (65/12), Sporting Kansas City (54/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Developed by Omonia. Won a Cypriot league title and Super Cup with Omonia. Named Cypriot First Division Young Player of the Year 2021-22.

William Agada, 24

Nigeria

Notable Clubs: Hapoel Katamon (66/23), Hapoel Jerusalem (31/8), Hapoel Haifa (25/6), Sporting Kansas City (16/8)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Developed by Mighty Jets, Hapoel Katamon,  and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Alenis Vargas, 20

Honduras

Notable Clubs: Futbol Consultants Desamparados (appearances and goals totals unavailable), Sporting Kansas City (9/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €150,000

Notes: Developed by Olimpia.

Familiar Faces

None.

Squads

Kansas City from:

Melia, Pulskamp, Schewe, Bassong, Castellanos, Davis, Fontas, Leibold, Pierre, Rindov, Rosero, Voloder, Hernandez, Radoja, Rodriguez, Thommy, Afrifa, Agada, Cisneros, Pulido, Russell, Salloi, Shelton, Tzionis, Vargas.

Sounders FC from:

Frei, Thomas, Baker, Gomez Andrade, Lopez, Ragen, Alex, Atencio, Baker-Whiting, de la Vega, Joao Paulo, Kitahara, Leyva, Rusnak, Vargas, Morris, Cristian, Kossa-Rienzi, Minoungou, Musovski, Rodrigues, Rothrock, Ruidiaz, Teves.

Injury List

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Kansas City -

OUT: Flores (concussion), Ndenbe (knee), Walter (knee).

MATCHDAY DECISION: Rosero (hip), Thommy (hamstring).

Sounders FC -

OUT: Bell (hamstring), Nathan (quadriceps), Leo Chu (adductor).

MATCHDAY DECISION: de la Vega (hamstring), Rodrigues (hamstring).

Discipline

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Kansas City: No players suspended. Fontas and Radoja out next match if booked.

Sounders FC: No players suspended.

Fun Fact

Sounders FC Reserves will face San Jose Earthquakes Reserves on 11 June at the Coleman Avenue ground. Kick-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. PDT. Good luck lads!