The time of the year has come where every game carries colossal importance for Sporting Kansas City and the Swope Park Rangers. Peter Vermes' men are seeking their sixth straight appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs, while Marc Dos Santos' side has reached the USL Western Conference Finals in stunning fashion.
With Sporting KC traveling to Real Salt Lake on Sunday and the Rangers hosting Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 the day before at Swope Soccer Village, Tuesday's episode of the Sporting KC Show on Sports Radio 810 WHB packed an extra punch. Hosts Nate Bukaty previewed #RSLvSKC with Real Salt Lake and national soccer commentator Brian Dunseth, then welcomed Rangers defender Oumar Ballo to discuss the club's remarkable postseason run.
"It's all about form at the moment, and right now Real Salt Lake is struggling," Dunseth said of fourth-place Real Salt Lake, who are two points ahead of sixth-place Sporting KC in the Western Conference standings.
"They haven't necessarily been leaking defensively, but it's been a tough slog," Dunseth assessed, mentioning an array of recent injuries to Yura Movsisyan, Joao Plata, Javier Morales and Aaron Maund. "This is a game that could be undone or finalized by a referee's performance, because you always know things are going to be on edge when these two teams meet from the opening whistle to the final whistle."
Ballo then reflected on the Rangers' unlikely win that saw the club beat Orange County Blues FC in extra time despite playing the final half-hour down two men.
"When we were in the huddle before extra time, coach [Dos Santos] told us 'No matter what happens, we aren't losing this game,'" Ballo said. "What he said pumped us up and we all started saying the same thing on the field. We were all feeding off the energy of each other to keep pushing forward."
Listen to the full podcast below as Sporting KC and the Swope Park Rangers continue their preparations for all-important games this weekend. Sporting KC faces Real Salt Lake at 4 p.m. CT Sunday on 38 The Spot, SKCTV and Sports Radio 810 WHB, while the Rangers host Vancouver Whitecaps FC at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at Swope Soccer Village (tickets).
