Coming fresh off their midweek 2-0 victory over San Jose, Chivas USA hit the road to take on Sporting Kansas City (Saturday 7:30 ET, Galavision). Chivas are feeling good after Wednesday’s win, and signs are pointing towards a possible resurgence for the Goats. They face a Sporting Kansas City team that is in the full throes of a resurgence of their own. They defeated Chivas in the opening match of the season at the Home Depot Center 3-2, then fell into a sustained slump, primarily due to the fact that they played ten straight games on the road before the midseason opening of Livestrong Sporting Park. They sunk to the bottom of the Eastern Conference, but since opening their season at home, they have gone back up to the standards many expected them to be, and they are currently sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, and are knocking on the door of the playoff slots.
This game will demonstrate another big test for Chivas regarding their inconsistent defense. Sporting KC has a uniquely deep strikeforce, as Omar Bravo, Teal Bunbury, C.J. Sapong and Kei Kamara split time and score goals frequently. Coach Peter Vermes is able to rotate these strikers in and out of the game week to week, which not only tests gassed defenses at the end of games, but also makes preparing for them very difficult, as the pairing and formation may change. Chivas can hold their heads high again as they earned a clean sheet on Wednesday, and their goal difference is back on the positive side, so they certainly have a chance. I think in this match, in order to get the best shot at a result, they need to build the game plan from the back, focus on defense, and worry about offense secondarily. While Kansas City’s defense can also be shaky, they have improved tremendously in the last month or so and may be more difficult to unlock than one would think. And although Chivas have played in quite a few wide-open goalfests this season that surely entertained neutrals, they have been on the wrong side of them too often to encourage that style.
I think ultimately the game will come down to the midfield. The team that can control the possession and tempo in the middle of the field will likely have the edge. Each team features a breakout player in the midfield, as Chivas of course have Nick LaBrocca, who has scored in two straight games and is getting bit of all-star talk (don’t count on it, though, with the popular vote format). On KC’s side, there is Graham Zusi, who has gone from being a whipping boy to MLS player of the month seemingly overnight. He has demonstrated his skill on free kicks in recent weeks, which could be problematic, as the other free kick specialists Chivas have faced this year, Brad Davis and David Beckham, set up goals against the Goats. If Kansas City’s midfield dictates the play, and Zusi gets many opportunities on set pieces near goal, Chivas will be in for a long day.
Chivas will be missing Alejandro Moreno, who is playing on Venezuela’s national team at the Copa America in Argentina, while Ante Jazic is out with a calf injury and Paulo Nagamura is out with a quad injury. Jimmy Conrad, who has only played two games this season, is still out with post-concussion symptoms, but he is traveling for the first time this season to Kansas City, where he played previously. The news reports have indicated that he will be serving an assistant coach role in this game, so this may be a one-time occasion, but it may also be an acknowledgment that he needs to move into a new career. For Sporting KC, they will be missing Davy Arnaud, Konrad Warzycha, Seth Sinovic and Craig Rocastle.
It will not be surprising to see any result in this match, but given the momentum Chivas are riding at the moment, they can be optimistic they can get a draw or even level the season series against Kansas City.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
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