Previewing Houston Dynamo vs Sporting Kansas City with Jimmy Mack
(image via Sporting Kansas City)
The Houston Dynamo return to Shell Energy Stadium tomorrow night to host Sporting Kansas City. We talked to our friend Jimmy Mack from No Other Pod on Kansas City Sports Network and KC Soccer Journal to get some insight on SKC ahead of tomorrow night’s match.
SKC have started to find better form of late after a slow start to the season. What have been some reasons for the team turning things around?
The biggest thing that has helped Sporting KC start to find some level of success and consistency is finally getting healthy. The May 7 win against the Seattle Sounders on the road was the first game that SKC had three designated players on the field at the same time since 2021. Once key attacking players like Alan Pulido, Gadi Kinda, and Johnny Russell started to get fully fit again it unlocked Sporting’s offense to allow more direct and high-quality attacking chances. SKC went from sending in hopeful crosses and taking dozens of shots from distance to sending runners into the box and creating chances near goal. Additionally, the midfield rotation of Erik Thommy, Gadi Kinda, Remi Walter, and Nemanja Radoja has been among the best midfields in the league over the past two months. As long as this team can stay relatively healthy, they have a chance to push for a playoff spot down the stretch.
Sporting have had 29 different players see game time this season. Is this because of injuries, suspensions, etc. and have they begun to have a more consistent lineup now?
The massive amount of rotation has largely been due to injuries, resulting in a different starting XI in almost every game. However, now that the team is getting back to full fitness there are certainly pieces that are starting to feel more consistent game-to-game. The front line is generally going to be Salloi-Pulido-Russell going forward, and the midfield will be three of Thommy, Kinda, Walter and Radoja. Andreu Fontas and Dany Rosero are the best CB pairing the team has (albeit they can still be shaky at times), and Tim Leibold and Jake Davis have secured consistent starting spots at fullback. There still may be a singular change here and there due to occasional rotation or injury, but by and large the starting lineups have become much more predictable for Sporting.
SKC have conceded 30 goals this season and have already used 3 different GKs. Besides the inconsistency in lineups, what has caused their defensive struggles?
A lot of the defensive woes have been the result of simple mental errors. Poor positioning, giving attackers too much space, or leaving a man unmarked on a set piece have all happened multiple times this season. Additionally, Sporting have conceded five penalty kicks this year, which is tied for most in the league with the San Jose Earthquakes. The good news for Sporting is that left back Tim Leibold, who signed with the club from Hamburger SV before the year, is close to full fitness and looks like a lock-down fullback on Sporting’s left side. The young academy player Jake Davis—a natural midfielder—has developed into a competent right back despite initially filling that role in an emergency capacity after injuries to Graham Zusi and Kayden Pierre. Centerbacks Andreu Fontas and Dany Rosero are 4-0-0 when starting together at home this year. If SKC can take their home defensive form and translate it to some road games, things will be much better going forward.
The Dynamo and SKC have had a rivalry for some time now. What do SKC fans think of this current version of the Dynamo and do they still see them as a rival?
I’m not sure this is looked at like a rivalry anymore, per se, especially with the continued expansion in MLS that has brought teams like St. Louis CITY SC and Austin FC into the league. Sporting are 8-3-2 against Houston in their last 13 regular season matchups dating back to 2018, and these two sides have played each other quite a bit over the years in the US Open Cup. SKC’s relative success against Houston and the sheer number of times the two sides have played has taken away some of the luster this matchup used to have. Having said that, going on the road in Houston definitely gives SKC fans anxiety. Sporting do tend to struggle on the road, and Houston has been a juggernaut at home this season. SKC hasn’t scored in their last three trips down to Houston across all competitions (two 0-0 draws and a 0-1 loss). With Houston being so dominant at home this year and sitting higher up in the table than SKC, this game certainly feels like it has more weight to it than any Houston v SKC match has had in years.
How is the health of the roster and do you expect anyone to be unavailable Saturday?
Overall, the team is about as healthy as its been all year. Midfielder Nemanja Radoja is listed as “Questionable” with an adductor injury, which may be in part why the team just re-signed midfielder Felipe Gutierrez (former SKC designated player) as a Season Ending Injury replacement player in place of defender Kortne Ford. Graham Zusi, Willy Agada, and Tim Melia are the others on the injury report listed as “Out,” which was to be expected. Outside of that, Sporting should have the full complement of players available for the matchup.
Predicted lineup for the match?
Salloi Pulido Russell
Kinda Thommy
Walter
Leibold Fontas Rosero Davis
McIntosh
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We want to thank Jimmy for his time and wish our friends in Kansas City the best of luck tomorrow. And make sure you check out our answers to their questions about the Dynamo on KC Soccer Journal.
