With Sporting KC returning to Sporting Park to host the Portland Timbers, I caught up with MLSsoccer.com's Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle to preview Saturday's match. he match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT with live coverage available on the 38 The Spot (KMCI) in Kansas City, SKCTV across the midwest, 102.9 FM, and La Gran D 1340 AM.
Jonathon Feyerherm: What are your thoughts on Sporting KC after their first two matches?
Matt Doyle: Gappy on the back line, first and foremost. I think they're still applying high pressure, but the rotations in the back are too slow to close down the spaces that are inevitably left open, and when that happens you start the year with just 1 point from two games.
On the flip side, I think the attack has looked mostly fantastic despite only two goals. It kind of feels like they're going to break out and hang four or five on someone.
JF: What changes have you seen in the Timbers style of play this season from previous years?
MD: As Alexi pointed out on the broadcast last week (and I wrote a little about here), they're way more direct than they have been in the past, sacrificing PorterBall for Pragmatism. That's the difference between running the game through Diego Valeri vs. running it through Darlington Nagbe & Fanendo Adi. Portland hit you on the run, and they hit you hard.
JF: With the return of Roger Espinoza, Sporting KC has bolstered a solid midfield (that also includes Benny Feilhaber, Paulo Nagamura, and sometimes Graham Zusi). What are your thoughts on his play so far and how Sporting KC’s midfield matches up against Portland’s?
MD: All the guys you named are good-to-great individual players, but I'm not sure they've figured out how to combine and make each other better on both sides of the ball. Espinoza and Nagamura are too similar - they run, run run, always hunting the ball and pay less attention to closing down passing lanes - and that can kind of unbalance Sporting defensively.
Pursuit & overpursuit can be deadly against this Timbers team, especially in transition. We saw LA get caught with exactly that last week, when midfielder Stefan Ishizaki pushed way up and Nagbe skinned him.
JF: Which Portland player/players do you see as being the biggest threat going forward against Sporting KC’s defense on Saturday?
MD: I've somehow worked "Nagbe" into every answer so far, so Ive got to say him, right? The other thing to watch with Portland is how they decide to use their fullbacks. Usually they push them both way up high, but I suspect they might be a bit more conservative on the road. Regardless, they're both dangerous as hell and can open the game up.
JF: Central defender Ike Opara has been a consistent threat on set pieces for Sporting KC and with service from Zusi and/or Feilhaber, do you see set pieces playing in important role in Saturday’s match?
MD: Yup. Opara is a dominant aerial presence on both sides of the ball, and while Portland aren't exactly weak on set pieces, neither are they particularly great.
JF:What have you noticed in how teams have adjusted to defending Dom Dwyer (even dating back to last season) and could this provide more opportunities for other players like Krisztian Nemeth and Graham Zusi?
MD: I don't think there have been too many changes so far - Dwyer's definitely gotten his looks this year, and just hasn't finished plays off. He's one of the league's best at occupying defenders both with and withotu the ball, so it absolutely should open up space for Nemeth and Zusi to put up bigger numbers than we've seen in years past from Sporting's other attackers.
JF: Finally, your thoughts on Saturday’s match (anything you are looking forward to, expecting to see, and feel free for a prediction if you want)
MD: Neither team is in desperate straits just yet, but neither wants to start their season with a three-game winless streak, either. So I expect it to be open, and I expect it to be fast, and I expect to see goals. I also pick the home team to win early in the season, so I'm giving the nod to Sporting on this one, but I don't think it'll be easy. Portland miss Valeri & Will Johnson, but they're still very, very tough to break down.
