Ahead of Saturday's match against the Rapids, we caught up with Goal.com's Thomas Floyd to discuss Sporting KC's transition to the Western Conference, Colorado's form, and preview #COLvSKC. Live pregame coverage of Saturday's match starts at 7:30 p.m. CT on 38 The Spot (KMCI) and SKCTV.
Jonathon Feyerherm: What are your thoughts on Sporting KC's transition to the Western Conference this season?
Thomas Floyd: I think a lot of people underestimated Sporting KC to a degree because they were shifting back out to the Western Conference, where things are a lot more competitive. We've seen that this season. The West is absolutely loaded and the last place team (Colorado) would make the Eastern Conference playoffs right now. It kind of gives you a sense how tough things are right now in the West. Kansas City's been very good. They're in the conversation for the Supporters' Shield and showing they can compete with anyone in the Western Conference. They've also shown a lot of resilience. I thought the injury early in the year to Ike Opara was really going to be a devastating one for them but Kevin Ellis has stepped up and the back line has had a lot of interchange in the fullbacks, players going in and out of the lineup, and a lot of injuries. A lot of young players have stepped up whether it be Amadou Dia, Saad Abdul-Salaam, or Jimmy Medranda. You could make the argument this has been Peter Vermes' strongest job at coaching a team to keep Kansas City competitive in the Western Conference through all the difficulties he's had in terms of keeping a consistent lineup.
JF: Colorado earned a victory on Wednesday and despite being last place in the Western Conference have conceded the fewest goals in MLS. What are your thoughts on their season?
TF: Colorado's been an interesting team. There's been a lot of players going in and out of the lineup. It's been a lot of rotation; particularly in the attacking midfield slots. The back line has been consistent recently but that unit has undergone a lot of change. There's been some disappointment in American soccer circles because they've gotten away from the young core that was so exciting about this team under Oscar Pareja. They parted ways with Deshorn Brown and Shane O'Neill, who were two of the more exciting young players in MLS. A guy like Dillon Powers and Dillon Serna have both been in and out of the lineup. With that said, the Rapids recently have gotten a couple of results playing with the more veterans guys and an experienced back line adding Sean St Ledger and Maynor Figueroa to the mix. It's not the prettiest soccer lately and they're basically playing a lineup where the four defenders are four centerbacks. It's not like Figueroa is going to get forward from left back and make a lot of those dangerous overlapping runs but they keep things tidy in the back and get the goals when they need them. It's worked for them lately. Obviously, they're in a bit of a hole in the Western Conference and the playoffs might be a longshot for them but it's a team that can get a result on any given night.
JF: How do you view this matchup between the two sides?
TF: It's a game where in terms of sheer momentum, it would appear to be in Colorado's favor because they've gotten a couple of results in a row and Kansas City has had a couple of not so positive results. It's a game where I could maybe see that leveling out. I could definitely see Kansas City getting a result, either a draw or win, just because it's a team that all season hasn't had many stretches where they've struggled. Vermes has done a very good job at getting the team to respond from adversity. If they have a couple of bad performances in a row, he gets them back on track and that's kind of what I'm expecting. On the other hand, Colorado has maybe overachieved a little bit the last few games and could come back down to Earth against a Kansas City team that has a lot of talent across the field.
JF: How will having a full week of rest benefit Sporting KC?
TF: It's huge for them because of the system Kansas City plays. It requires a lot of energy to press teams the way Kansas City typically does and have that defensive work rate. It can wear them down, especially when they have the injury concerns and suspensions they've had recently. Because of those, Vermes hasn't had much choice but to continue rolling out many of the same players. Now, you get a full week of rest and you get Benny Feilhaber back from suspension. You get this team back to the way it should be and it's the type of game where I expect we'll see the Kansas City from a few weeks ago that was on a roll in the Western Conference and not the team that had a couple tough results last week.
