Sporting Kansas City returns home for one of the most anticipated matches in MLS this weekend as they host Toronto FC. The two sides met less than a month ago in Canada with Sporting KC earning a dramatic 2-1 victory. To preview Saturday's clash between the two sides, we caught up with ESPN.com's Jeff Carlisle. Saturday's match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT with live coverage available on 38 the Spot (KMCI) in Kansas City and across the Midwest on SKCTV. Radio coverage is also available on Sports Radio 810 (English) and La Gran D 1340 AM (Spanish).
Jonathon Feyerherm: These are currently two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Could Saturday’s match be a preview of the Eastern Conference Championship later this year?
Jeff Carlisle: Definitely. The summer, filled as it usually is with international commitments, can skew results a little bit since some teams are without key players, but I definitely think you could see these teams slugging it out to represent the Eastern Conference come December.
JF: What are your thoughts on Michael Bradley and his play for Toronto this season?
JC: I think Bradley has been solid overall, and the games I've seen in the last few weeks he's been quite good I think. I've seen an argument floated out there that he should have been benched because TFC was winning without him but losing with him, but there are lots of moving parts to a team's form. Especially in the last few games, I've seen him make some killer passes, but the forward in question hasn't always finished. The 3-0 loss to D.C. United a few weeks back was an example of this. That's not Bradley's fault.
JF: Sporting KC suffered a 2-0 loss last weekend at Vancouver. How are you expecting the team to respond against Toronto?
JC: I expect them to have a big performance. It's unusual for SKC to have one poor game, let alone two in row. I think the big names on the team will step up.
JF: Which players/match-ups are you looking forward to seeing in Saturday’s match?
JC: Midfield positions are always pretty fluid, but it will be interesting to see how Benny Feilhaber fares against Bradley and Collen Warner. Feilhaber has been outstanding this year, but Bradley and Warner are very good defensively. It will be interesting to see what Feilhaber does to find space on the field.
Dom Dwyer has been excellent this year as well and Toronto has had to deal with injury and illness along the back, so that will be an interesting matchup as well. Rookie Nick Hagglund has done well, but this will be a huge test for him.
At the other end Jermaine Defoe could be back in the lineup, though Luke Moore and Gilberto have done well in his absence. They will definitely pose a challenge for Kansas City.
JF: What can you attribute to Sporting KC’s home record (4-6-1) this season?
JC: Kansas City has a very discernible style, but the tough part about that is it gives teams ideas on how to combat it, and lately that has meant sitting in and trying to strike on the counter. If a team is organized, then they'll be tough to break down, regardless of how well Kansas City plays. You saw what Philadelphia did a few weeks ago in getting a 1-1 tie. They didn't even care about possession. But they were tough defensively and opportunistic in the attack. That has been the blueprint for a lot of teams to get a result at Sporting Park.
JF: Finally, What are you expecting to see from Saturday’s match?
JC: I expect a very tough, very physical encounter, but I see SKC just edging it 2-1.
