Sporting Kansas City suffered a 2-0 loss in the first leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Houston Dynamo. It was a tough loss but Sporting do have the second leg at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Wednesday night. Below are my thoughts on the match and looking ahead to Wednesday.
180 minutes, not 90
It was a disappointing result for Sporting KC but it's only the half-way point. There's still at least 90 minutes left (possibly more if its tied) in this matchup. Overcoming a 2-0 deficit will not be easy but is certainly within reach with a strong home crowd at LSP. It's not time to panic but instead look ahead to the second leg and learn from tonight's loss.
Credit to Houston
While Sporting was far from great, a lot of credit should be given to the Dynamo. They had a specific plan and executed it to get a solid result. Sporting struggled to find consistent rhythm in the attack and sustain consistent pressure against a solid Houston defense. Things should be different at LSP as its much easier for home teams to dictate the play of matches.
Chance for revenge
Many fans wanted a rematch with Houston and that's what KC has gotten. Unfortunately, the Dynamo have had the upper hand in the head to head and not lost in the postseason against KC. The second leg now sets up for Houston to defend their two goal lead and KC to attack from the start. The odds may seem tough but if KC were to find a way to overcome the 2-0 deficit, it would surely give them a lot of momentum for the rest of the playoffs.
