With Sporting KC beginning the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League campaign tonight, I caught up with Fox Sports' broadcaster John Strong, who will call tonight's match. The match will kick off at 9:00 p.m. CT tonight with live coverage available on Fox Soccer Plus, Univision Deportes, and online via Fox Sports Go and Fox Soccer 2Go.
JF: What are your thoughts on Sporting KC’s form heading into this match?
JS: Well it was certainly a great bounce-back against Toronto. It's funny, we have such a tendency in the media to overreact to individual results...I asked Peter in a conference call we had with him on Sunday about how pleased he was with the reaction, and he emphasized that, even though he was disappointed with the Vancouver performance, they've been playing great in his mind, it was just a bad day. Fact is, KC is tied atop MLS (pending Seattle on Wednesday), they've been great on the road...they're looking like defending champs this year.
JF: This is Sporting KC’s second consecutive season in the CONCACAF Champions League. How do you expect that experience to benefit the club in the 2014-15 tournament?
JS: At the very least, you know what to expect from travel/stadiums/opponents etc. Even the hotel situation, from the sounds of it, is well scouted from last year. That's the hardest thing about CONCACAF: it's not like these teams are, on paper, better than MLS teams (excluding Mexican teams), it's just that so many of the other things (field and locker room quality, atmosphere, etc) are so different from what you get week in, week out in MLS. But Sporting knows what they're doing, they know the value of road results after struggling at home last year, and they know how rewarding it is to navigate the group stage, even as you want to focus on the run-in to the MLS playoffs, so you get that chance in the knockout round in the spring.
JF: Real Esteli traditionally have struggled in this tournament but did earn a draw at Sporting Park last fall. What are you expecting to see from the Nicaraguan club on Tuesday?
JS: Well, they'll have confidence from taking that point off KC on the road last year, they'll feel good about getting a draw against Saprissa--even though they had the lead, they were pelted in the 2nd half and were fortunate to hold on--and I think they've made some squad improvements this summer with CCL in mind, trying to bring in some foreign players to up the quality. It's almost hilarious how dominating they've been domestically the last three years, and yet nothing in CCL. The fact that they didn't play a league game over the weekend, nevermind playing at home, means they'll be rested and ready to fire off the marks Tuesday night.
JF: What do you see as the important factors/match-ups for Tuesday’s match?
JS: It's hard to say without knowing what Peter's lineup will be, but I'd expect a strong XI given the squad he's bringing, and how much Sporting always emphasize playing the same way on the road as they do at home. That being said, It'll be key for Jon Kempin to keep his head in this environment as a young player (odds of me dropping a "not in Kansas anymore" reference on-air are very good, ha ha!). As ever in CONCACAF, you know you'll have that one call go against you at some point, so defensively they'll just have to be careful going to ground, getting on the wrong side, etc (Besler is so, so good at this though). And you know the chances will be there, they certainly were for Saprissa, so it's about being able to finish no matter the odd bounces you get off the turf, find a way to get it in the net.
JF: What are you expecting to see from Tuesday’s match?
JS: A packed stadium, a loud atmosphere, and a tough battle for 90 minutes. An early goal to quiet things down and take control could be huge, Sporting are so good at suffocating you when they have a lead. The worst thing you want to do is let Real Esteli hang around and have that "CONCACAF moment" deny you a crucial three--or even one--point.
JF: Looking at the rest of the teams in this season’s tournament, which teams are you viewing as favorites to win the competition?
JS: There are a few interesting new teams in this year: Leon from Mexico, Saprissa back after a long absence, Portland and New York and DC from MLS, that it's hard to know what to expect. I think what we saw last year is that gap continuing to close between the MLS/Mexican teams and those from Costa Rica, Honduras, and even Panama. As ever, it's about navigating the group stage, and trying to set up these MLS v Mexico knockout series in the spring. Then, who knows. But the group stage is all about making sure you win at home, get what you can on the road, and they very often end up being a home-and-away series with the stronger of the two other teams in your group. Meaning, for Sporting, assuming they take care of business v Real Esteli, it's a two-game series with Saprissa. Having watched the Costa Ricans held to a tie in Nicaragua, that gives Sporting an advantage if they can win, but a reminder that winning away in CONCACAF is never anything close to easy.
