Sporting KC begins a three-game homestand Saturday evening when they host Toronto FC at Sporting Park. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT on 38 the Spot and across the Midwest on SKCTV with pregame coverage starting at 7 p.m. CT. Saturday's match can also be heard locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Gran D 1340. Limited tickets are available and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or at the Sporting Park box office.
Here are five things you should know ahead of tonight's match vs. Toronto.
1. Kempin's first start
Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes said in his weekly press conference on Friday that Jon Kempin would start Saturday's match in place of injured goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum. It will be the first MLS start for Kempin, who made his debut in the second half of last week's 2-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Kempin was the club's first homegrown signing 2010 and will be the third to start a match this year - Kevin Ellis and Erik Palmer-Brown being the other two. Additionally, Kempin's start means that Vermes will continue his streak of using different starting lineups in every match in 2014, a remarkable achievement for a team sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference.
VIDEO: Kempin Presser
2. Eastern Conference stretch
Speaking of the Eastern Conference, things are getting tight atop the East standings. Sporting KC has a two-point lead over D.C. United and a seven-point lead over Toronto FC. Sporting KC's next three games come against Eastern Conference foes with Toronto on Saturday, D.C. United the following Saturday and then a Friday night, NBCSN showdown against Houston Dynamo, who defeated the Philadelphia Union Friday night to move within two points of the final playoff spot.
Aside from jockeying for playoff position, with the new CONCACAF Champions League regulations, teams have added incentive to finish in first place. The team that finishes in first place in the Eastern Conference is guaranteed a berth in the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League group stage.
3. Dwyer looking to break his streak
There is no denying that Dom Dwyer has been Sporting KC's breakout start of 2014. The third-year striker has 14 goals in 23 games and is four goals behind Preki for Kansas City's scoring record in a season. But after scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over the Montreal Impact on July 12, Dwyer has gone through a bit of a cold spell with zero goals in his previous five games.
Fortunately for Dwyer, he faces a team on Saturday who he has had prior success against. In Toronto's last visit to Sporting Park on May 23, Dwyer tallied both goals as Sporting KC tied the Reds 2-2.
MATCHDAY: #SKCvTOR
4. Navigating the schedule
We spoke about Sporting KC's three-game stretch against Eastern Conference opposition, but mixed in there is a mid-week matchup against Real Esteli in the CONCACAF Champions League. Sporting KC will fly to Nicaragua on Monday for Tuesday's match and then return on Wednesday to prepare for Saturday's match against D.C. United. Peter Vermes' squad's depth will be put to the test again as it navigates a stretch of three very valuable games in eight days.
5. The Toronto enigma
Few around MLS have been able to figure out Toronto FC in 2014. Ryan Nelsen broke the bank in the offseason to bring in England national team striker Jermain Defoe and U.S. men's national team midfielder Michael Bradley. Couple those additions with the return of Dwayne De Rosario and a remade backline and many expected Toronto FC to compete for multiple trophies in 2014.
Unfortunately, for Toronto fans things have not gone as planned. The team currently sits in third place in the Eastern Conference, seventh place in the Supporters' Shield standings and lost in the Canadian Championship to Montreal Impact.
Good news for TFC fans, though, is that the team comes to Kansas City on a two-game road winning streak. After losing 3-0 at D.C. United Nelsen's squad picked up three points at Montreal and Columbus. Sporting Park is a tough place to end a four-game road trip, but Nelsen's squad will have to learn how to pick up points in Kansas City if they have aspirations of moving up the Eastern Conference table and going deep in the playoffs.
For full coverage of the match, visit SportingKC.com/Gameon.
