SportingKC.com's "Five Things" feature will highlight the top storylines, players to watch and more for upcoming matches.
Sporting Kansas City travels to face the Houston Dynamo in their penultimate road match of the regular season. The match was originally scheduled for Saturday, August 26 but was postponed due to Hurricane Harvey. Live coverage starts at 6:30 pm CT (kickoff at 7 pm) on FOX Sports KC, FOX Sports GO, 99.3 FM, and La Grande 1340 AM. Here's five things to know for #HOUvSKC.
Playoffs Within Reach
With the magic number down to one, a draw or win on Wednesday night will clinch a playoff spot for Sporting Kansas City. Five points from the final three matches would guarantee at least a home playoff match while six points will secure a bye to the Conference Semifinal round. This week will have a bit of a playoff feel with the midweek match at BBVA Compass Stadium and then both sides meeting again at Children's Mercy Park on Sunday.
Roster Depth
Both teams will be missing several players due to international duty and will need to utilize their roster depth. For Sporting Kansas City, this falls largely on the defensive side of the ball (Matt Besler, Graham Zusi) while the Dynamo will be without several key attacking players (Alberth Elis, Romell Quioto). Despite the absences, Houston still features two very dangerous forwards in Erick "Cubo" Torres and Mauro Manotas along with veterans Ricardo Clark and A.J. DeLaGarza.
Player To Watch
Andrew Dykstra/Adrian Zendejas: Whichever goalkeeper steps in the starting lineup for Tim Melia (unavailable due to injury) will be a player to watch for Wednesday's match. Dykstra is a veteran who has seven shutouts in 31 starts and a 11-11-9 career record. Zendejas was signed from Swope Park Rangers last December and has spent the majority of the season on loan, amassing eight shutouts in 22 starts.
Key To The Match
As shown in Sporting KC's last two matches, converting scoring chances are crucial to getting results. Following Saturday's frustrating 1-1 draw at Minnesota United FC, Manager Peter Vermes spoke about the importance of closing out matches and finishing chances. Sporting KC leads all MLS clubs with 33 chances created from set plays in away matches but will need to start converting those chances into goals.
