With Sporting KC set to take on the Seattle Sounders Saturday afternoon at CenturyLink Field, we caught up with NBCSN broadcaster John Strong to preview the match. The match will kickoff on NBCSN at 2p.m. CT.
JF: Seattle is a team that had a lot of turnover this past offseason. What do you expect to see from them in 2014?
JS:I have a feeling the style of play will be very similar. It looks like they have been running the diamond with Ozzie Alonso sitting in front of the backline and Brad Evans trying to orchestrate. It’s the new faces that will be interesting and that is where I’m not quite sure what to expect, not only because you have so many new faces coming in, but you are still working in Clint Dempsey as the season goes along.
For the Sounders, the challenge is to not worry about the first month as much. You want to be careful to not dig yourself into a hole so you aren’t chasing the whole season, but you have to remember that the MLS season is a long one.
JF: With regard to Sporting KC, Peter Vermes did not make a lot of changes this offseason. What do you expect to see from them?
JS: Peter Vermes is a broadcaster's best friend, because every time Kansas City pops up on our schedule, it’s the same guys in the same formation playing the same style. We did the Eastern Conference Championship second leg last year and it’s really the same guys. I expect to see things very similar to what we normally see. They are going to press, they are going to play high up the field and they are going to try and suffocate you.
The big questions for Kansas City will be how are they going to handle the weight of the expectations being the defending MLS Cup champions and having that target on their back.
JF: Both teams enter the year with new starting goalkeepers. How will that impact Saturday's match?
JS: I’m not a big preseason guy. Yeah, you played these games and you worked on chemistry, communication and reading tendencies, but it’s so different when you are doing it live and you have a real crowd there. I think from Kansas City’s perspective, if you are going to pick any team to change out a goalkeeper, this is the one. This is the most stable and consistent back four in MLS. The fewest goals allowed and shots allowed last year. Seattle is the bigger question for me with regard to goalkeeping because the center backs in front of them are new. It’s hard to have that chemistry set from day one.
JF: Which of Seattle's new acquisitions will have the biggest impact on their attack this year?
JS: Well, their attack will have to start will Clint Dempsey. He has to have a big year for Seattle for them to have a chance. He is the star of that team. Everyone seems to be piling on him right now, because of this past winter with the teams that he has been on, but a ticked off Clint Dempsey is a frightening thing.
Kenny Cooper is also an interesting player. He gets overlooked a lot, but over the last couple of seasons he has the sixth most goals. He is a guy that scores goals and makes himself fit around the team. I think his on-field chemistry with Obafemi Martins will be fantastic. Even though Eddie Johnson was a tremendously talented goal scorer, removing him from that group might make them better with all of the new players they have.
JF: What do you expect to see from Saturday's match?
JS: It’s the first game of the season so everyone will be a bit hyped up. It might be a bit goofy and it might be a game that in no way resembles what we see from both teams the rest of the way. However, what I’m hoping to see are two teams that are really motivated to start well. If you are Kansas City, you want to get off to a good start and what better way to do it than with a win at Seattle. For the Sounders, they want to prove, not just to their supporters, but to themselves that they made the right changes and right moves this offseason.
