[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e’re not in Kansas anymore. Perhaps a change of scenery away from Sporting Park would do Peter Vermes’ club well after a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of San Jose.
To rebound and get the result they need, SKC will have to do it without MLS All-Star midfielder Benny Feilhaber after being shown straight red in the 71st minute of the loss.
Saturday’s match at MAPFRE Stadium will mark the first of four consecutive road matches for Sporting KC, against a Columbus Crew SC side they have beaten in the last five MLS regular season fixtures. Meanwhile, Crew SC will be looking to return to winning ways in front of the Nordecke supporters with a high-powered attack that features the dynamic MLS All-Star duo of Kei Kamara and Ethan Finlay.
The Black & Gold are 2nd in all of MLS with 29 goals scored at home. However, the most important statistic for Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter will be picking up three points at home with a lethal attack and improved set piece defending.
What to Expect from Sporting Kansas City
Standings: 3rd Western Conference, 40 pts.
Form: L-T-W-W-L, 7 pts.
Projected Starting XI (4-3-3): GK: Melia; D: Myers, Ellis, Besler (c), Dia; M: Okugo, Nagamura, Zusi; F: Peterson, Dwyer, Nemeth
Offensive efficiency and disciplined defending have been the key attributes to Sporting KC’s success this season, especially in clutch time of a match. Scoring four second half goals in a 4-3 comeback win on August 15 against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Kansas City are a resilient club that can transition quickly on the counter-attack with skilled technical finishing ability.
Winning duels in the middle third and converting high numbers of passes into the attacking half will facilitate a finesse style of play for the Kansas City midfield. By playing the through ball up the middle or a give and go pass, Dom Dwyer and Krisztian Nemeth have the finishing speed and technical skills to put the ball on target. Both Dwyer and Nemeth are co-tied with Feilhaber, accounting for 8 goals apiece.
One area SKC will look to exploit the Columbus defense will be on set-piece opportunities. USMNT midfielder Graham Zusi is one of the league’s most accurate passers on corners and free kicks, recording four assists so far this season. Scoring a league high 14 goals off headers this season, Kansas City has an aerial attack that is dangerous, especially off poorly marked set pieces. Making the Crew SC center backs uncomfortable off counter-attacks and drawing free kick opportunities outside the box are two keys that will put pressure on Columbus goalkeeper Steve Clark.
SKC’s back four is anchored by USMNT left center back Matt Besler. Winning tackles in the midfield and intercepting passes from Ethan Finlay and Crew SC’s outside backs will be key to keeping Columbus from pressing high on the flanks. Closing passing alleys up the sideline and forcing an attack in the middle takes the Black & Gold out of their offensive rhythm, resulting in fewer crosses into the box for a leaping Kamara header on Tim Melia.
What to Expect from Columbus Crew SC
Standings: 3rd Eastern Conference;,35 pts.
Form: W-T-L-W-T, 8 pts.
Projected Starting XI (4-2-3-1): GK: Clark; D: Francis, Wahl, Parkhurst, Afful; M: Tchani, Trapp, Finlay, Steindorsson, Higuain; F: Kamara
One of the most complete squads in the Eastern Conference, Crew SC has an attack-oriented offense that has lit up the scoreboard this season, ranking 2nd in the MLS with 40 goals scored this time. What may be even more promising for the Black & Gold has been the immediate impact of new acquisitions Harrison Afful and Cedric Mabwati. Providing the equalizing goal in the 72nd minute in a 2-2 tie against NYCFC, Mabwati’s Crew SC debut electrified the home crowd at MAPFRE and gives Berhalter another diverse scoring option at the midfield.
Squaring off against his former club, this match will be an emotional one for MLS All-Star forward Kei Kamara. The Sierra Leonean leads the league with 18 goals, and is a dangerous scoring threat in the air off centering crosses into the box, especially on connecting passes from midfielder Ethan Finlay. Known for his finishing speed and ability to burn defenders in the late stages of the match, the MLS-All Star is Crew SC’s attack catalyst, currently tied for 2nd in the MLS with 13 assists.
Favoring an attack that tactically likes to push outside defenders high, Columbus will look to give Waylon Francis and Afful ample touches that favor its 4-2-3-1 set. To set the tone offensively, Wil Trapp and Tony Tchani will need to win duels as well as the physical battle against Zusi and Okugo in the middle third. When the Crew SC defensive midfield duo isn’t erratic with possession or giveaways, passing lanes open on well-timed runs by Finlay or Higuain on the short through-ball.
Defensively, Columbus center backs Michael Parkhurst and Tyson Wahl will be looking to limit and neutralize the Sportking KC counter-attack. Speedy midfielders such as Kwadwo Poku of NYCFC have been known to torch the Columbus defense when they are caught out of position. To keep the shot total low on Steve Clark, Parkhurst and Wahl will look to limit set-piece chances for SKC and especially disrupt Dwyer’s timing on through-ball chances in the final third.
Prediction
Playing without Feilhaber, I expect Sporting Kansas City to come out with a high intensity and establish offensive form early in the first 15 minutes of the match. SKC’s back four will be able to hold tight and keep Kamara at bay and have greater discipline defensively. Columbus will look to push Francis and Afful high on the flanks to get numbers in the box, yet the first few crosses will be intercepted or miss the head of Kamara. Kansas City establishes long-term possession and an offensive pace that frustrates Crew SC. A through-ball up the middle finds the feet of Dom Dwyer, but is cleared out of danger by Michael Parkhurst for an SKC corner. Zusi finds a poorly marked Nemeth that heads a beautiful service into the opposite upper 90 corner.
Angered by conceding yet another set-piece goal, the speed of Ethan Finlay becomes a factor and a liability for the Kansas City defense. Finlay finds a leaping Kamara that manhandles Besler for the equalizer. The pace of the game gets quicker, favoring Crew SC and allowing the Columbus attack to push high into the final third. Despite not committing costly fouls, Higuain is allowed too much space to work with. Pipa receives a pass with his back to the goal, faking out the Kansas City defense for a shot on goal. This one is a firecracker that gives the Black & Gold a 2-1 lead.
Heading into half-time, Berhalter is OK with the one goal lead, but is disappointed about his club conceding another set-piece goal, urging the Black & Gold to not let off the gas pedal and tighten things defensively. Meanwhile, SKC knows they are more than capable of scoring and coming back.
The second half will feature Columbus continuing to press into the final third and cross many balls into the box. Some will not be the most accurate with very few gold shirts in the box, but Berhalter will make use of offensive-oriented substitutions if fitness becomes an issue. Cedric Mabwati or Mohammed Saeid give the Black & Gold depth off the bench. With the score line tight at 2-1, Saeid is a defensive specialist at the midfield that can diffuse an SKC counter-attack.
Many of the Black & Gold faithful will be holding their breaths after each Kansas City counter and through-ball chance. Clark will have to come up with quality stops and punch a few corners out of danger, but the Crew SC back line gets the job done in pressure time and holds tight. Lots of chances for Dwyer, but not having Feilhaber in the lineup hurts Kansas City as they can’t find the equalizer in added injury time.
Final Score
Columbus Crew SC – 2
Sporting Kansas City – 1
