Enemy Scouting Report - Sporting Kansas City
(image via Sporting Kansas City)
The Houston Dynamo continued to make Shell Energy Stadium a fortress as they drew 0-0 against Real Salt Lake over the weekend. Now all eyes are focused on the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup trophy as the Dynamo will host rival Sporting Kansas City tonight.
It wasn’t long ago that Houston Dynamo had signed a ton of staff members with ties to Sporting Kansas City, which didn’t pan out. Now, with the team trying to recreate itself with Ben Olsen in charge, will the Dynamo be able to press on against Peter Vermes’ team who has been struggling in 2023?
Sporting Kansas City had not won a match in regular season play in ten games, but that all changed over the weekend when they visited Western Conference leaders Seattle Sounders and walked out of Lumen Field with all three points, shocking the MLS world. The massive win should have boosted Peter Vermes team’s confidence out of orbit, not necessarily what Houston would wish to happen coming into an elimination match. Sporting are 4-0-1 in their last 5 meetings against Houston across all competitions, which includes a win in the 2022 US Open Cup Round of 16 at Children’s Mercy Park which saw the Dynamo exit the tournament.
Kansas City might not be in the best of form, but even on their worst day they will give you everything they have, especially during a survive and advance match. While the US Open Cup usually sees a rotated team sheet of players that don’t tend to feature during regular season fixtures, the importance to stay in the competition and aspire to win the cup and receive a berth into the 2024 CONCACAF Champions League will be enticing for any club. Kansas City will want to find rhythm during a harsh start to the season and Houston are trying to win trophies and get back to their glory days of past. Therefore, it won’t be any surprise if Sporting lineups players like Alan Pulido, Daniel Salloi and Andreu Fontas tonight.
Sporting Kansas City Regular Season Record: 1W-7L-3D
Results in the last 30 days:
April 8 - Sporting KC 0-1 Colorado Rapids
April 15 – San Jose Earthquakes 3-0 Sporting KC
April 22 - New England Revolution 2-1 Sporting KC
April 25 - Sporting KC 3-0 Tulsa Athletic (USOC)
April 29 - Sporting KC 0-2 CF Montreal
May 7 - Seattle Sounders 1-2 Sporting KC
Past Match Staring XI (from mlssoccer.com)
There will likely be some variation but look to see many of the players in the graphic starting.
2023 Active Roster
Goalkeepers: John Pulskamp, Kendall McIntosh, Tim Melia
Defenders: Andreu Fontas, Robert Voloder, Dany Rosero, Graham Zusi, Kortne Ford, Tim Leibold, Logan Ndenbe, Robert Castellanos, Kayden Pierre, Chris Rindov
Midfielders: Nemanja Radoja, Gadi Kinda, Roger Espinoza, Jake Davis, Felipe Hernandez, Erik Thommy, Cameron Duke, Danny Flores, Remi Walter
Forwards: Johnny Russell, Alan Pulido, Khiry Shelton, Daniel Salloi, William Agada, Ozzie Cisneros, Marinos Tzionis, Stephen Afrifa
Will the Dynamo be able to take care of their rivals under the flood lights tonight at Shell Energy Stadium?
