Match Preview - Sporting Kansas City
Game Info
Kickoff: 7:40pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Children’s Mercy Park - Kansas City, KS
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has been relatively dominant in this head-to-head matchup with a record of 5W-2L-1D against Sporting KC.
The Verde and Black won the first meeting in 2024 by a 3-2 scoreline at Q2 Stadium back on May 18 behind a birthday brace from Jáder Obrian and a game winning header from Sebastián Driussi. ATX has won five of the last six matches between these two clubs dating back to November of 2021.
Sporting Kansas City’s Recent Form:
It’s just over two months since these two teams met and while Austin has managed to steady the ship for the time being, Sporting is a team in disarray at the moment. They currently sit in 13th place in the Western Conference, 11 points back of the last wild card slot and for all intents and purposes, are eliminated from serious playoff contention. Barring a miracle, this team is just playing for the future and self-respect.
While they have not performed well at all this season, they do have some “big name” players that are cause for concern for any back line in Alan Pulido, Willie Agada, Erik Thommy, Johnny Russell, and Daniel Salloi. Former Austin FC player, Memo Rodriguez, leads the team in assists and has been a pleasant surprise in an otherwise dreadful season. Apple TV comentator Nate Bukaty said on Moontower Soccer this week that Rodriguez has looked like the “best player on the field” for Sporting of late. Great for him, but not a good sign for any MLS team as a whole.
In the last matchup between these two clubs, Russell (the team’s captain) opened the scoring with a well placed shot to beat Bradley Scott Stuver to the near post in The North End. He has not enjoyed a great season statistically, which makes sense given the team’s struggles, but Russell is dangerous. Similar to Russell, Thommy and Pulido are talented offensive threats who can not only shoot to score but are capable in distribution as well. Pulido sits on three goals while Thommy has four.
An absolutely brutal stretch of games that saw SKC play against the Galaxy, RSL, and Columbus Crew has all but buried SKC at the bottom of the table. Conceding four goals in each of those matchups skyrocketed SKC’s goals conceded total to a whooping 44 in just 20 games. Only the San Jose Earthquakes (51 in 19 matches) have given up more in MLS this season. That’s a welcome sight for Austin FC, who have managed to score just five goals across ten road matches in 2024.
Austin’s Recent Form:
Wow, what a month it has been thus far. If you’re an avid listener of the show, then you understand just how concerned ZG and I were about the month of June. Entering the month, the team was incredibly thin, and the depth issues were further exacerbated by the departures of Dani Pereira and Julio Cascante for Copa America duty. With a gritty draw versus LAFC and a fortunate win in Minnesotta in tow, Austin has the chance to cap off the month of June with seven total points if they can emerge victorious on Saturday.
This SKC game was the game that I was targeting for this team as a “must get a result game,” in order to keep our heads above water and in touch with the playoff line. Now, the team is playing with a bit of house money and travels to Kansas City to challenge an incredibly beatable team who is giving up goals at an alarming rate. On the surface it feels like a wonderful opportunity to secure back-to-back road victories for the first time this season.
Austin fans were given quite the surprise last weekend when Sebastián Driuissi was left out of the team. Speculation ran rampant as the Verde and Black faithful tried to understand what could have happened. As we braced for the worst, it was revealed that Seba was sick and was unable to give it a go in the Minnesota matchup. I’m not sure any of us can say with a straight face that we felt confident about the team’s ability to get a result against a quality Loons club when that news broke, but this Austin FC team continues to find ways to surprise us this season.
Of course, surprises can be good and bad, which is why I have talked myself into having some real concerns about this matchup. On Episode 153, I was on record saying I expected points from this match, which means I could be unpleasantly surprised if that doesn’t come to fruition. I understand where this team sits on the table, I understand they’ve given up an average of four goals per match over their last three contests, and I understand that they are struggling mightily. But this is a road game for Austin without the services of Pereira and Cascante. Considering how this team has looked away from home, even at “full strength” in 2024, I think it’s appropriate to at least try to keep my fan emotions in check headed into the weekend.
The performance against SKC on May 18th by Pereira was arguably his best game of the season. In a more advanced position with Driussi by his side, Dani was able to generate all kinds of chances for the Verde and Black. He finished the game with two assists and a goal that was disallowed on an offside call. Dani’s speed was on full display and he unleashed a flurry of high-quality moves to provide Obrian with the service he needed to net a brace. It was truly fun to watch and gave me hope of things to come with Dani playing more of an advanced role in our offense. The issue has been the consistency in the attacking third with Dani, not that he’s not capable of carving up defenders with pace and skill, but his success in that more progressed role offensively has been hit or miss outside of that awesome shift back in May.
What has been consistent this season (and really his entire tenure in Austin) in regard to Dani is his ability to break lines and be the connector from the back line to the final third. It seems like a small matter in the game, but when you watch this team play all the time, it’s clear that this is a fundamental element that Austin needs in order to alleviate pressure and generate chances. Even up a man in Minnesota, there were stretches of the game that were unbearable to watch as Austin struggled to tie together more than three meaningful passes in a row. The limitations of Valencia as an offensive player become even more stark when Austin is without their number six.
On the positive side of things, Leo Väisänen seems to be getting back into form and has looked much improved as of late. I’ve been critical of his play this season, but I’d love nothing more than for him to make me look like a fool and meet the expectations the club and fans have for him. We will need him to be at the top of his game to handle the likes of Russell, Pulido, Thommy, and Agada.
Injury Report:
ATX - Dani Pereira (Out - International Duty), Julio Cascante (Out - International Duty)
SKC - Logan Ndenbe (Out - Knee), Daniel Salloi (Questionable - Ankle), Remi Walter (Questionable - Knee), Felipe Hernández (Out - Not due to injury), Robert Castellanos (Out - Ankle)
SKC Players to Watch:
Alan Pulido - He hasn’t played in the last two matches for SKC, but Pulido was a full participant in practice on Tuesday. Last year’s MLS Comeback Player of the Year, Pulido is a threat to score whenever he has the ball at his feet inside the attacking third.
Willie Agada - The Nigerian striker has been a fun player to watch this season, especially of late, as he loves to let shots fly and is a pest in the attacking zones. It may be a blessing in disguise for Austin that Pulido is back and could be taking minutes away from in-form Agada. He most recently had a brace in SKC’s 4-3 loss to Real Salt Lake. Regardless of who starts up top for SKC, the Austin FC defense will have to account for a lot of talent coming their way.
Memo Rodriguez - While he didn’t provide a goal contribution against Austin on May 18th, Memo put in a very solid 90-minute shift for SKC. He was active and solid in distribution. With weapons like Agada, Russell, and Pulido at his disposal, it appears that Memo has found a space to be effective. Fortunately, we should have a great scout on him and be able to mitigate his efforts in the midfield.
Austin Players to Watch:
Sebastian Driussi - I think it’s apt to have only one Austin FC player in this zone. We all know who he is. This game is a matchup where Driussi is by far and away the most talented player on the pitch. He needs to dominate this game and should be well rested. If he plays head and shoulders above anyone out there on both sides of the ball, like we saw against LAFC last Wednesday, then I like our chances.
Austin’s Keys to the Game:
Stay Stout - We talked about the defensive form the back line has been in the last two matchups versus LAFC and Minnesota on the midweek episode. The organization has been excellent and it has resulted in just two shot attempts on goal for Stuver to deal with in the last 180 minutes. Sporting KC has firepower, but if Austin can remain true to their revitalized defensive form and players genuinely lean into their role and responsibilities, then ATX can limit the number of high quality looks that SKC will get.
Make ‘Em Pay - SKC will turn the ball over. They can be incredibly sloppy in the midfield and their transition defense leaves something to be desired. With those factors in play, it’s imperative for Austin to punish SKC when they have a mistake. As can be seen by their 44 goals conceded, SKC can be scored on in a variety of ways.
Cash In Your Tickets - No matter how bad the opponent, no matter how ugly the game, chances will always present themselves. It’s what you do with them that counts. As Austin FC fans know well this season, just a single shot on target can be enough to pry a result from a match. SKC is error prone and capable of allowing goals in bunches. Making the most of the opportunities presented before them should lead to a successful outing for the boys representing the 512.
Predictions:
E - 2-1 Austin FC
ZG - 1-0 Austin FC
