A win on Friday against Chicago Fire will send Sporting Kansas City to the MLS Cup Playoffs for a fourth straight year. I caught up with former Kansas City defender and Sporting Legend Jimmy Conrad to discuss the matchup as Peter Vermes' men brace for the postseason.
JF: How do you think Sporting KC has performed this season as defending MLS champions?
JC: Given that the team was champions last season, there are going to be certain expectations from the players, coaching staff and fan base to maintain that level. They didn’t have much turnover in terms of players. Losing Jimmy Nielsen was going to hurt to a certain degree because of his leadership. But being a former teammate of Eric Kronberg, I knew what he was capable of when healthy. They picked up Andy Gruenebaum and strengthened the team in a few areas, but then a couple guys got hurt. Chance Myers was a big (injury) who just had a good understanding along the backline. I would say that the season started bright, but after the World Cup break, there’s been a dip in form. It’s been kind of hard to find answers. Being a guy that has played in the World Cup and come back, I know it’s hard to continue to keep up that energy the whole time. You work your whole life to play in the World Cup and when you finally get there, there’s going to be a mental drop off afterward. The players and fans may not acknowledge it, but that’s how it works. And to be fair, they’ve had a bit of bad luck. Like anyone that’s ever won the league before, you know there’s a lot of luck along the way. Right now, they aren’t getting it. That said, they’re still in a good position to do damage once the playoffs start. The first 10 months don’t really matter once you get in to the playoffs. I’m cautiously optimistic that Sporting can still have a good run and get back to the MLS Cup Final.
JF: Have you been surprised by Dom Dwyer's prolific goal scoring record this year?
JC: I haven’t. There was a lot of fanfare about his work rate last year. He never quit. And I think those are the players who have a lot of success in Major League Soccer. When he went down to Orlando City and scored a bunch of goals there, people wondered if he could replicate that. For me, though, it isn’t about what level he plays in. It’s about the attitude he has in the game. He creates things out of nothing and he’s always thinking for the betterment of the team. This isn’t surprising to me at all. I’m most surprised that they don’t have a second guy who is even near the amount of goals that he has. He’s got 20, and the next best guys are Graham Zusi and Benny Feilhaber with four. That would be a worrying sign for me, that they are over-reliant on one player. It would be nice to have another guy pitch in with eight or nine (goals).
JF: Chicago has already been eliminated from postseason contention. Will that have any effect on Friday's match?
JC: Chicago still has guys that are playing to keep their job next season. You always have to perform, regardless of the playoff situation. For the fans and diehards of the team that come and watch you play, you owe it to them and to your coach to give your best performance. So I don’t think there’s going to be any drop-off from Chicago. If anything, they could probably play a little bit looser. For whatever reason, the pressure of trying to make the playoffs and trying to put together an incredible run down the stretch was insurmountable for them. Chicago has a lot of ties—I’ve never seen so many ties from one team this year. So if I was a betting man, I’d go with a tie based on how Chicago is playing. I’m wary of Chicago because they don’t have that pressure on their back anymore. The coach can give a couple other guys a chance to play, and they’re typically hungrier to prove themselves. It’s a tough game for Kansas City, who is still trying to regain that form. It should be a good test for them, and obviously Chicago is a rival to a certain degree. It should be a fun game to watch.
JF: How do you expect Friday's game to unfold?
JC: Kansas City and Chicago both do an excellent job of scoring early goals in the first 15-20 minutes. I expect some high pressure from both teams to start. Everyone tries to replicate Kansas City’s pressure because they do it better than anyone else, and they have to try and get back to that. Then it’s just taking advantage of your opportunities. One thing Peter Vermes stresses is that when you get a chance, you have to hit the back of the net. You have got to have that killer instinct if you want to win back-to-back championships. When you get a chance, you’ve got to make teams pay, and I think they’ve gotten away from that. This year they’ve maybe been a little unlucky. Last year they’d shoot and maybe it would go in. This year, maybe it’s hitting the post. I expect Kansas City to get an early goal. Chicago will fight back and maybe get one back, but I’m thinking Kansas City wins this one 2-1. We need to get back on track.
JF: What mindset does Sporting KC need to have as they enter the playoffs?
JC: You never want to back into the playoffs. That’s not the kind of momentum you want to have. I remember when Real Salt Lake got in in 2009, and they needed four results to fall their way on the last day. They got all four results to go their way, including a draw that (Kansas City) needed against D.C. United in the 90th minute. When they got in, they were playing with house money and won MLS Cup against the LA Galaxy in penalty kicks. But you want to have good vibes and belief in your team. Being a Sporting supporter, you expect to win the Eastern Conference. But New England has done better with Jermaine Jones, and all these other teams are gunning for you. Once the MLS Playoffs start, anything can happen. That’s also the beauty of being the champion. You can say, “It doesn’t matter if we play at home or away—we’ve done it already, we’ve proven we’re a good team, let’s do it again.” So it just depends on how the team mentality is during this adversity.
