Most MLS teams would be more than happy to be putting up Sporting Kansas City's defensive numbers so far this season.
Going into Saturday's away date with Montreal – a team they thrashed 4-0 two weeks ago at Sporting Park – Sporting have four shutouts in eight matches and have conceded a league-low .75 goals per match. They still haven't given up a first-half goal this year.
Left back Seth Sinovic, though, has a more moderate take on those statistics and on his club's defensive performance in the first quarter of the season.
“It's been good. Not great, but it's been good,” Sinovic said on Wednesday, during the club's weekly news conference. “We've given up a lot of goals that we're obviously not happy with, but at the same time we've locked down in certain situations and gotten some big saves from Eric (Kronberg) as well. So it's been good, not great. We can do a lot better.”
What would qualify as “great” in his eyes, especially as Sporting's last two seasons have seen them lead the league in fewest regular-season goals conceded?
“One thing that Peter (Vermes, Kansas City's manager) likes to use a lot is 'every roll of the ball,'” Sinovic said. “Being concentrated on every roll of the ball. I think it's that concentration for the 90-plus minutes, being focused that entire time. The goals that we give up are lapses in our concentration. It's nothing overly spectacular that other teams are doing to us. They're our mistakes. So it's a concentration thing for 90-plus minutes.”
Vermes, whose club has conceded four times in the 90th minute or later, agreed but also pointed to last weekend's 2-0 home win over Columbus as an example of his club doing it right.
“That last game was a very good preview, I think, to ourselves of what we can do on a regular basis,”Vermes said later in the news conference. Because we really denied Columbus the ball in the game – and more importantly, the opportunities that I think they're accustomed to having.”
He likes that the defending MLS Cup champions aren't satisfied with their defensive performance yet, though.
“We've realized over the last couple of years, how important those goals-against are as you move throughout the season, keeping yourself at the top of the table,” he said. “Especially with the rules and the way they've changed, and you get rewarded if you're one of the teams with the highest points going into the playoffs. If everybody else gets knocked off, you can get homefield advantage in regards to the final if you get there.”
“Our guys realize that, and they realize that every game and every point is important throughout the season.”
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
