Here’s your Sporting Kansas City playoff guide
The Kansas City Royals showed what kind of hold baseball has on American culture relative to soccer by hogging headlines for the last month here in town and all across the country.
The Royals, sadly, could not complete what Sporting Kansas City accomplished a year ago by winning their league’s championship.
It’s almost easy to forget, amid all the Royals fanfare this week, that Sporting KC tonight will try and mount a defense of their 2013 Major League Soccer Championship. The MLS playoffs actually started last night when FC Dallas defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps to get soccer’s postseason going. Sporting KC kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday night in New York, where they will play the Red Bulls.
Here’s a quick guide (late, but better than never) on Sporting KC now that the regular season is over and the playoff fun begins.
How did Sporting KC end up playing their first playoff game in New York?
Sporting KC last Sunday played the New York Red Bulls in Kansas City to finish off the regular season. In some ways, it was like a playoff game. If everything had gone Sporting KC’s way, the team could have finished third in the Eastern Conference and wouldn’t have to be playing today. If half the things had gone right for Sporting KC, they would have to play today but could at least do so at the friendly confines of Sporting Park.
But everything went wrong for Sporting KC on Sunday. The Columbus Crew, a team that Sporting KC was tied with in the standings when the sun came up on Sunday, defeated the Philadelphia Union 2-1 to put third place out of reach. Then Sporting KC played a lousy game at home against the New York Red Bulls, which managed to leapfrog Sporting KC in the standings by virtue of that victory.
That means Sporting KC nabbed the last playoff spot and will play a one-game playoff tonight against those same Red Bulls on the road. This game is a one-and-done situation; if Sporting loses, their season is over.
Fifth in the Eastern Conference? That doesn’t sound like a great finish for Sporting KC.
It’s fair to say that fifth place in the Eastern Conference was probably not what Sporting KC expected this year. Sporting KC didn’t lose much in the way of personnel from last year’s championship squad. Goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen retired, but most pundits expected that longtime backup Eric Kronberg would be a suitable replacement.
Sporting KC looked like one of the stronger sides in MLS early in the season. The team seemed to be hitting its stride by July. But injuries started to take their toll on the roster. Kronberg and backup keeper Andy Gruenebaum sustained injuries, leaving untested Jon Kempin in goal for a stretch. Kempin played well at times, but the youngster doesn’t look like he’s quite ready for consistent MLS play yet.
Sporting KC also lost stalwart defender Chance Myers to a season-ending injury. Depth player Ike Opara also suffered a season-ending injury. Defender Matt Besler has also missed time from injury, suspension and a long World Cup run with the U.S. national team with midfield star Graham Zusi. Sporting KC also qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League, which added games to a tired roster’s travel schedule.
In all, the injuries, the packed schedule, missing its two best players to the World Cup for six games, and the reliance on promising young players who probably aren’t ready to be everyday starters in MLS seemed to wear this team down. They’ve won only three games since the start of August
What if they win tonight?
Then Sporting KC will play a two-game playoff against D.C. United, a team that has transformed since a pitiful 2013 season into one of MLS’ best teams this year. Sporting KC hasn’t had an easy time against D.C. United this season. In three games, Sporting KC hasn’t scored a goal on the team from Washington, D.C. They tied once in October, with D.C. United winning two earlier matches.
What needs to happen for Sporting KC to go far in the playoffs?
The biggest concern is the slipshod play of the defense. In the last couple of years, Sporting KC’s defense has been the best in MLS. Last year, they gave up 30 goals over 34 regular-season matches (the year before, 27 goals). This year, it has been a middle-of-the-road bunch, coughing up 41 goals through 34 games. Losing Myers hurt, but Seth Sinovic and Aurelien Collin don’t seem as sharp this year. Collin in particular seems to be having his most difficult season with Sporting KC. He was left out of the starting lineup for a while earlier in the season. Last Sunday, Collin got beat badly on a second-half goal by Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips.
If the back four can tighten up their play, Sporting KC will re-emerge as a dangerous team in the Eastern Conference. They have a proven striker for once in Dom Dwyer, who broke the franchise record with 22 goals this season.
What could cause a quick exit from the playoffs?
If midfielder Benny Feilhaber and right back Igor Juliao can’t play tonight, Sporting KC is in trouble. Both got hurt in last week’s CONCACAF match against Deportivo Saprissa. MLSsoccer.com reports today that both players made the trip to New York, but whether they play will be a last minute decision.
Feilhaber is a relentlessly pesky midfielder who can frustrate an opposing team’s attack. Without him, that will put even more pressure on Sporting KC’s defense. Juliao’s absence could exacerbate this.
What does The Pitch’s crack staff think will happen with Sporting KC and with the MLS playoffs overall?
Sporting KC is in poor form heading down the stretch, a distinct contrast to the strong play the team enjoyed to cap off last year’s regular season and start their march to the franchise’s second MLS title. If Feilhaber can play tonight, Sporting KC may squeak out a victory over a not-too-terribly impressive Red Bulls team. But Sporting KC probably won’t last long in this year’s playoffs. If they advance tonight, it’s tough to see how they can beat D.C. United.
This year’s final will be the Los Angeles Galaxy against D.C. United, with the Galaxy giving Landon Donovan a championship sendoff into retirement.
