With Sporting KC hosting Eastern Conference opponents New York on Sunday evening, I caught up with MLSsoccer.com's Matt Doyle to preview the match. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT with live coverage available on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN, Sirius XM and La Gran D 1340 AM.
JF: What are your thoughts on both sides and their form heading into this match?
MD: New York's been good - 6-3-1 in their last 10, and playing good soccer in the process. Moving Eric Alexander to central midfield alongside Dax in a 4-2-3-1 has changed their season. Yeah, they're coming off a bad loss to Columbus, but the Crew are playing the best soccer in the league at the moment, so I'm giving RBNY a mulligan.
I think we both know that Sporting are on the other side of that spectrum.
JF: What will be key for Sporting KC to find success in Sunday’s match and in the playoffs?
MD: They've got to do a better job of staying connected along the backline. The Ribeiro goal was shocking to me - 3 players just beelined to the ball, the right back didn't come over in support, and the rotations from midfield were painfully slow. They don't look like a [regular] KC team right now and haven't for months.
JF: Outside of Thierry Henry and Bradley Wright-Phillps, what other players have been key for New York this season?
MD: Robles is underrated in net, and Olave is still a beast even if he's only about 80% of the player he was 5 years ago. Lloyd Sam is a consistent chance generator from the right flank, which balances Henry out left. But really New York goes as Peguy Luyindula goes. It's bizarre.
JF: What are you looking forward to seeing from Sunday’s match?
MD: Henry. I expect him to retire, which means we're into the last 180 minutes of his career if NY doesn't win. This is one of the 20 greatest players of all time, a guy who's been a force in the league since day 1. He usually sucks on the road, but I suspect he's going to be brilliant in this one.
JF: This match features two of the top goalscorers in MLS with SKC’s Dom Dwyer and NY’s Bradley Wright-Phillips. What impact do you see both having in this match and how important each is to their club’s success?
MD: Obviously the guys who get the goals are always crucial, but both are pretty one-dimensional poachers and channel runners. They rely on good build-ups and smart runs in the box, not so much on the sort of individual brilliance we see from guys like Martins and Keane.
This isn't a knock on Dwyer & BWP. They both basically have one job, and they've done it extraordinarily well. But there's a reason neither is really in the MVP race despite their gaudy numbers.
JF: What are your thoughts on the Eastern Conference heading into the playoffs?
MD: New England's got the best record over the last 10, but I think Columbus is playing the best soccer. If they meet in the 2/3 series - and I think they will - the winner will advance all the way to the MLS cup.
