KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Sporting Kansas City have never won a US Open Cup qualifying game, but they’ll have the chance to reverse that trend Wednesday night against the Houston Dynamo, albeit with a roster that is far from complete.
With a week-and-a-half standing between the US Open Cup qualifying game against the Dynamo (8 pm ET, streamed live on HoustonDynamo.com) and Sporting’s next MLS tilt, manager Peter Vermes would love to put out a first-choice lineup. But it’s not that simple.
“I wish that was the setup,” Vermes said, “but we have quite a few guys that are injured.”
Somehow, that list of casualties has even expanded since this weekend’s disappointing tie against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
WATCH: Highlights: Vancouver 3, Sporting 3
[inline_node:333093]Stephane Auvray is sick, Chance Myers is out with an adductor strain, Graham Zusi has a knee sprain, and Júlio César (pictured at right) is still recovering from the hamstring tweak he suffered against the Whitecaps. After an incredible performance north of the border, goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen didn’t travel, either.
That’s not even taking into consideration that Michael Harrington is still recovering from a groin strain and Luke Sassano has been working back from an ankle injury.
So while Kansas City may not put out an entirely first-choice lineup against Houston, that doesn’t mean the club isn’t taking the competition seriously, even if some tough decisions had to be made.
“It’s important, absolutely,” Vermes said. “We want to put as good of a team as we possibly can on the field, but taking into consideration that I don’t want to expose anybody to either further injury or even more severe than they have at the moment.”
But even without some key cogs, Sporting would seem to have the pieces to defeat the Dynamo and take the next step forward in the only other competition they will take part in outside the MLS regular season.
Though this is just the beginning, the club hopes it can parlay some extended success in the US Open Cup into an expanded schedule in 2012.
“It’s a great opportunity for us,” captain Davy Arnaud said. “If you win this tournament, you get yourself into CONCACAF Champions League, which is a huge deal. We want to be a part of those things.”
The opportunity CONCACAF participation provides has been brought into sharp focus by Real Salt Lake’s exploits this spring. First things first though, Sporting will have to take care of business Wednesday in College Station, Texas, and end an 0-for-3 record in this stage of the US Open Cup tournament.
“If you want to be a good team, you don’t turn on and off a winning mentality and the will to win,” Arnaud said. “That’s an every single day thing, that’s an every game thing. Every competition and every game we are in we want to win.”
