MLSsoccer.com will break down Sporting Kansas City’s season in three-match blocks during the Major League Soccer regular season. Consider it 11 quick glimpses into Kansas City’s season, each of which will play a critical role in the team’s quest to return to the playoffs.
Position
Ninth in the Eastern Conference (1-6-2, five points)
Last three
- May 14 at Los Angeles Galaxy – 4-1 defeat
- May 21 at Seattle Sounders – 1-0 defeat
- May 28 at Colorado Rapids – 1-1 draw
Next three
- June 4 at Toronto FC (2-5-6, 12 points)
- June 9 vs. Chicago Fire (1-4-6, 9 points)
- June 12 at FC Dallas (6-3-4, 22 points)
Player to remember…Matt Besler
Besler started the first five games of the season in central defense before manager Peter Vermes shifted his lineup and gave Aurelien Collin and Julio Cesar a chance to form their own partnership against New York and Los Angeles. Two defeats and a few sketchy moments later, Besler found himself back in the lineup next to Collin and hasn’t looked back.
He started three-consecutive games last week (against Seattle, New England in the U.S. Open Cup and Colorado) and played mistake-free soccer to help Kansas City go 1-1-1 with only two goals allowed. After a disappointing sophomore campaign in 2010, it looks like Besler is ready to take ownership of a starting role alongside Collin. That’s an encouraging sign for a Sporting squad that desperately needs some continuity across the back line.
Player to watch…Omar Bravo
Bravo is finally back following sports hernia surgery, and that can only be good news for Sporting Kansas City.
C.J. Sapong is a hard worker and physical presence and Graham Zusi’s versatility is certainly a virtue, but neither was able to truly replace Bravo’s savvy and experience on the left flank during brief cameos. With Bravo back in the lineup for the club’s last three matches, Kansas City has finally had the opportunity to start working their Designated Player into the mix.
He got his legs under him against the Sounders, led a dominating performance against the Revolution and took another step forward in his recovery in Colorado. With another game under his belt against Toronto this weekend, Bravo will undoubtedly be one of the catalysts for any momentum Sporting creates heading into their new stadium.
Two things that went right…
1) Kansas City has strung together two-straight results
It may seem minor, but Sporting has no choice but to focus on baby steps at this point. Drawing in Colorado was a big step for the club after a heart wrenching loss in Seattle. The shellacking they put on New England in midweek Open Cup action was a boon for their stuttering confidence as well.
Now the challenge will be prolonging that run as every game, point and roll of the ball counts. Kansas City already dug itself a formidable hole by virtue of five-straight defeats after a fairly positive start. The only way to truly remedy that dreadful stretch will be to put together a positive run of results during the coming weeks.
2) Only Toronto FC stands between Sporting and the unveiling of LIVESTRONG Sporting Park
For the better part of three months, Kansas City’s season-opening, 10-game road trip has been beaten to death by media, coaches and players alike. Hyperbole aside, nobody really knew just how difficult the stretch would actually be.
It turned out the club’s travels were more trying than anyone could have imagined. Fortunately, the end of the road is rapidly approaching. Sporting will travel north of the border this Saturday with a prime opportunity to end its road trip on a positive note against the scuffling Reds. More importantly, they do so knowing that the next step will be moving into a new stadium, where they will play 17 of their final 24 matches.
Two things that went wrong…
1) A late collapse in Seattle cost a crucial point
Kansas City needs every last point they can get, especially on the road. Watching one slip away in stoppage time for the second-straight year in Seattle was a verifiable punch to the gut. After putting the shackles on Sigi Schmid’s men for 92 minutes, Jeff Parke ran Roger Espinoza into a pick and nodded in a corner kick to bury Sporting even further down the table.
But for as heart breaking and demoralizing as that defeat was, Vermes and his players managed to move on and bounce back. If they can continue building on their current run of encouraging form, the loss in Seattle may yet be the game observers look back on as the unlikely spark for their transformation.
2) Teal Bunbury is struggling to find the back of the net
Looking purely at production, it is no mystery why Bob Bradley chose to leave Bunbury at home during June’s Gold Cup.
The 21-year-old has three goals and two assists in eight games, but he hasn’t scored since April 2 when he dropped a brace on Vancouver. That’s not bad at first glance, but it surely doesn’t guarantee a striker, even one as promising as Bunbury, a place with the national team. Of course, the trickle-down effect of Kansas City’s struggles and injury worries is that Bunbury hasn’t gotten a steady stream of service.
The problem is that he isn’t finishing the chances he does get and his overall game isn’t as sharp as normal either. Still, any offensive success Sporting has is going to come in some part from their young international and with Ryan Smith and Bravo back from injuries, Bunbury should have plenty of opportunities to put a disappointing two months behind him.
Looking ahead…
Kansas City may not have gotten anything close to what they wanted from this road trip, but a victory in Toronto would still give them eight points from 10 road matches.
That’s not going to pace Major League Soccer by any means, but it is more than serviceable in a league where home sides tend to rule the roost. More immediately speaking, three points would also be a huge confidence booster ahead of LIVESTRONG Sporting Park’s grand opening as the club hasn’t won in the league since all the way back on March 19.
But no matter where Sporting plays its final 25 games, it’s all about raw results from here on out. Earn enough of them, particularly at home, and the playoffs will be within reach. Fall short and ownership will be looking at three-straight seasons without a postseason appearance, something they’ve already said is unacceptable.
