Major League Soccer

FC Kansas City (3-1-1) will not have it easy when they attempt to keep up their winning ways at home Saturday evening. The visiting Sky Blue NJ (5-1-1) sits atop the standings with a three game win streak.
"They are at the top of the table for a good reason, they are a good team," Blues head coach Vlatko Andonovski stated. "The three forwards they have are amazing and their back line is solid. Christie Rampone being in charge of that line will make it hard for us to break down."
FC Kansas City central defender Lauren Sesselmann knows Rampone well. Lauren played with Sky Blue in the WPS and was a team mate with the U.S. National team star. "Rampone, I love her, she is a great individual and such a talented player, I learned a lot from her when I was there," explained Sesselmann. "I think it's going to be a really good game and I'm really looking forward to it. They are a very strong side, I think we are ready."
Sesselmann and Becky Sauerbrunn, her partner at center back were both a concern after the last match. Co-captain Sauerbrunn sat last match out nursing a hamstring and Sesselmann left the game early apparently hobbling and could be seen being supported by crutches after the match.
The Canadian National team defender plans on being available. "I'm good, I plan on playing. There will be a little something there but at the same time you play through the pain and don't worry about it," Sesselmann said after practice on Friday.
Coach Andonovski seemed upbeat that his team would be back to close to full strength. "Becky is back and Desiree is at full strength. Lauren got a little injury, she is a warrior, she wants to be back in the lineup, she practiced hard and is ready to go."
One of the concerns for FC Kansas City has been that the offence has been single threaded up top. As the ball moved through the midfield they tended to look for the lone forward Renae Cuellar. While that has been somewhat successful, Cuellar has four goals and has scored in every game they've won, look for the Blues to continue to push their midfield up a bit more. Last game they pressed more and Kristie Mewis had several blasts from distance that threatened the Boston goal.

Six FC Kansas City players have been called up to play in the June 2nd match between the U.S. and Canadian Women's National Teams in Toronto. On Tuesday, U.S. head coach Tom Sermanni named the 21-player roster that will travel to Canada including FC Kansas City co-captains Lauren Cheney and Becky Sauerbrunn as well as goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart and midfielder Kristie Mewis. Wednesday, Canada's head coach John Herdman announced a 19-player roster that included defender Lauren Sesselmann and midfielder Desiree Scott.
The match is the first friendly for the two teams during the inaugural season of the NWSL and is part of U.S. Soccer's Centennial Celebration weekend, which also includes the U.S. Men's National Team facing Germany at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., on June 2.
"It's always an important match when you play a neighbor, and with the strong contingent of Canadian players in the new league and how close the competition has become between the two countries over the past few years, there's an intensity about this game far greater than a typical international friendly," said Sermanni via press release. "I know our players are really looking forward to the match and to the crowd, but also to getting back together as a national team and continuing to evolve in a positive direction."
FC Kansas City's four players is the most from any one club on the U.S. roster. None of the Blues' players are expected to miss a league match, FC Kansas City hosts Sky Blue on May 25th and does not have another match until June 6th at Portland.

U.S. Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): Nicole Barnhart (FC Kansas City), Ashlyn Harris (Washington Spirit), Jill Loyden (Sky Blue FC)
DEFENDERS (8): Rachel Buehler (Portland Thorns FC), Crystal Dunn (North Carolina), Whitney Engen (Liverpool), Julie Johnston (Santa Clara), Ali Krieger (Washington Spirit), Kelley O'Hara (Sky Blue FC), Christie Rampone (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Amber Brooks (Bayern Munich), Lauren Cheney (FC Kansas City), Tobin Heath (Paris Saint-Germain), Carli Lloyd (Western NY Flash), Kristie Mewis (FC Kansas City), Heather O'Reilly (Boston Breakers)
FORWARDS (4): Sydney Leroux (Boston Breakers), Alex Morgan (Portland Thorns FC), Christen Press (Tyresö), Abby Wambach (Western NY Flash)
Canada Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): Karina LeBlanc (Portland Thorns FC), Erin McLeod (Chicago Red Stars)DEFENDERS (7): Kadeisha Buchanan (West Virginia University), Robyn Gayle (Washington Spirit), Carmelina Moscato (Chicago Red Stars), Rachel Quon (Chicago Red Stars), Lauren Sesselmann (FC Kansas City), Rhian Wilkinson (Boston Breakers), Emily Zurrer (Seattle Reign FC)MIDFIELDERS (5): Kaylyn Kyle (Seattle Reign FC), Ashley Lawrence (West Virginia University), Diana Matheson (Washington Spirit), Sophie Schmidt (Sky Blue FC), Desiree Scott (FC Kansas City)FORWARDS (4): Tiffany Cameron (Seattle Reign FC), Christina Julien (WFC Rossiyanka), Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns FC), Melissa Tancredi (unattached)
Canada's Herdman named 19 players to the roster but Jonelle Filigno will not join the team for personal reasons. . Herdman will name her replacement in the coming days.

Sporting KC knew the time and the place and now know their opponent for their US Open Cup title defense.
Sporting will play host to the Des Moines Menace next Tuesday in the third round of the US Open Cup. Des Moines is a USL Premier Development League (PDL) side and pulled off a big upset to get to Kansas City. The knocked off NASL side Minnesota United FC 1-0 yesterday to advance to the third round.
Some Kansas City soccer fans may already be familiar with the Des Moines Menace because of the PDL. The Menace play in the same league and division as local side the Kansas City Brass.
The third round will feature the 32 teams left in the US Open Cup and will be a single-elimination bracket format for the rest of the tournament. The match between Sporting Kansas City and the Des Moines Menace will take place at Sporting Park next Tuesday at 7:30 pm.
In other US Open Cup news, Sporting KC reserves Dom Dywer and Jon Kempin played for Orlando City last night as part of the partnership between the two clubs. This means that both of the aforementioned players are cap-tied to Orlando City and will be unavailable to play for Sporting Kansas City for the rest of the tournament.

Mechack Jerome and Peterson Joseph were the sixth and seventh Sporting player to be summoned for international duty when it was announced they would be on the Haitian national team for two friendlies next month.
Haiti will play Spain on June 8th in Miami and will then head to Rio de Janerio, Brazil to take on Italy on June 12th. Jerome and Joseph will join the Haitian squad after Sporting Kansas City's June 1st match against the Montreal Impact. Fortunately for Sporting, their June break to accomodate for the FIFA International dates means that Joseph and Jerome will not miss any league matches.
There is a possibility that they could miss a US Open Cup with the fourth round taking place on June 12th. Sporting will have to win their third round match next week against either Minnesota United FC or the Des Moines Menace to reach that point.
Jerome first debuted for the Haitian National Team in 2008 and was a part in their third place finish at the 2012 Caribbean Cup. He has made 22 total appearances for his country. Joseph has made a couple of appearances in FIFA World Cup qualifying and Caribbean Cup qualifying, making his total number of appearances 13.
Both players are also likely to be called up for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July, which Haiti will be a participant in.

Just one week after knocking off the Houston Dynamo on the road, Sporting Kansas City drew with a struggling DC United team at RFK stadium. There were moments where Sporting probably should have won it, but they weren't able to make it happen. The draw, however, gives us a lot of points to talk about going into the week and ahead of the huge match on Sunday with Houston at Sporting Park.
1) Kamara looked lost, but all is not lost.
Kei Kamara has now subbed on in three matches so far for Sporting but yesterday he did not look good at all. I believe I said in one of the comments that he had the awareness of a cucumber. He was not a good setup man for Bieler in the box and missed several opportunities to try and score a goal later in the match. Essentially, Kamara looked lost out there when he subbed into the match in the second half. Now, he has looked decent in the first two matches he subbed in, he just has to get used to having a legitimate finisher in the center that he can set up for goals. A few more matches and I believe we'll see Kamara and Bieler working together like a well-oiled machine.
2) Ike Opara is kind of awesome
While Claudio Bieler is the biggest signing so far for Sporting Kansas City, more props need to be given to the Sporting front office for picking up Ike Opara. Opara has been a phenomenal backup so far, filling in nicely for Matt Besler and Aurelien Collin at different times during the season. Whether it has been as a great line of defense on the back line or getting physical on set pieces. In fact he was a huge part in the own goal yesterday, using his body to get Ethan White into the way of the ball, forcing the goal. Opara has been a great part of Sporting's acquisitions this offseason and has performed excellently this season.
3) Mechack Jerome is not Chance Myers
Now don't get me wrong, Mechack Jerome has been a great substitute for Chance Myers on the back line. His defense has been a plus and he has really been an asset in helping at the fullback position. However it's in the offense where he differs from Chance Myers. Myers will bring the ball up the flank and provide a lot of chances (pun intended) whereas Jerome is more content to stay back. While this doesn't hurt Sporting too much overall, it certainly isn't helping them when they need service into the box and no one is there bringing the ball up.
4) Is Sporting really as good as their reputation?
Let me provide you with an interesting statistic. Against the top five teams in the Eastern Conference, Sporting is 4-0-0 with three of those wins coming on the road. They have shutout three of those teams and hold a +6 goal differential. Against the bottom four teams, Sporting is 1-3-1 with an even goal differential. It simply doesn't make sense that Sporting has been so good against the good teams and subpar against the bottom teams in the standings. Maybe it's because the lesser teams tend to play back and try to salvage a draw whereas the top teams try and attack and Sporting makes them pay. Regardless, Sporting needs to perform better and rack up points against the bottom feeders if they want to contend for the Supporters Shield later in the year.
5) Yes, that was a goal.
In my time as a soccer viewer I have never seen such a blown call as what happened on Sunday. Ike Opara was most certainly onside and should have had a goal without a doubt. Some people have called for some kind of accountability for referees in the past but yesterday's decision really makes a case for it. There should be no reason a professional referee messes up that badly on a call. I'm not even mad that it cost Sporting a win, I'm mad that a professional level referee can mess up that badly. Sporting should have put it away later in the match, but that call really did impact the match in a big way.

Ike Opara should've had his first MLS goal and Sporting Kansas City should have won. At least that's based on the assumption that everything that happened after Ike Opara's blown offsides call that disallowed his goal still happened.
Regardless, Sporting Kansas City was not able to get another goal to ensure a victory and settled for a draw with DC United 1-1.
The chance for Opara's first MLS goal came in the 30th minute. Jacob Peterson tried a through ball in the box and found the foot of Opara waiting near the far post, where he tapped it in for the apparent goal. The assistant referee, however, thought otherwise and raised his flag to call offsides on Opara. Opara was was shocked, as well as many other people including the DC United commentary team, who you'll hear in the highlight video below.




Ike Opara, however, was a crucial part of the actual goal scored by Sporting Kansas City. In the 60th minute, a corner kick by Graham Zusi curled its way into the box and found the back of the head of United defender Ethan White, which propelled the ball into the net. Opara's physicality in going up for the ball knocked White into the way of the ball, which gave Sporting a 1-0 lead. So even if Opara didn't get the goal, he can take solace in the fact that he was a big part of the actual goal.




The lead, however, didn't last for long. Chris Pontius crossed a ball and found Kyle Porter streaking inside the box next to the far post. Porter tapped it in past Nielsen to the near post and tied the match at 1-1. It was Porter's first MLS goal.




Sporting had a couple of chances late in the match and, given the recent history of Sporting beating United late, they seemed ripe for another goal opportunity. However they were not able to put a goal behind Bill Hamid's line and they ended up with a final score of 1-1.
DC United snapped their seven-match losing streak and gained a point for the first time since March 16th. They still sit in last in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Chicago. Next week they host Portland in an effort to climb out of the Eastern Conference basement.
Sporting Kansas City still sits in second in the Eastern Conference, but fell three points behind New York with their win over Los Angeles earlier in the day. They also sit only one point ahead of Houston and Houston has a game in hand against Sporting. Sporting will have a chance to prove themselves against the Dynamo once again next Sunday as they host Houston at Sporting Park at 2:30.

The Teams



Sporting Kansas City
5-3-2, 3-2-1 on road
20 Points
2nd in the East
Manager: Peter Vermes (5th season)


DC United
1-1-8, 1-0-4 at home
4 Points
10th in East
Manager: Ben Olsen (4th season)

Other Info
Date: May 19th, 2013

Gametime: 4:00 pm central
TV: KSMO 62
Location: RFK Stadium, Washington DC



Let your opinons be heard.

The last time that Sporting KC and Handball DC United met Sporting stole a win late after Soony Saad put a ball in position for Claudio Bieler to score the match winner in the 89th minute. Since then Sporting has risen to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.
DC United has gone straight down.
About the Teams
Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City just ended the Houston Dynamo's multi-year home unbeaten streak after Aurelien Collin's header gave them the win 1-0. They are sitting pretty at the top of the East just one point down to New York, whom they have beaten already this year. They have also beaten DC United the last five times they have played and the last time Sporting lost at RFK they were still the Wizards.
DC United
Once a preseason MLS Cup contender, United has simply not played good soccer so far in 2013. They have four points out of ten matches and have only won one match the entire season. Things are not looking good so far for Ben Olsen's crew.
Players to watch
Sporting KC- Matt Besler
Matt Besler has missed the past three matches due to injury and will be supposedly returning today against DC United. However that's not the only reason to watch Besler. His partner in crime for the centerback position Aurelien Collin is suspended for this match due to his number of yellow cards he has accumulated so far in this season. Besler will have to come back and anchor the defense well in order to preserve a Sporting victory.
DC United- Dwayne De Rosario
The past two times that Sporting Kansas City and DC United have met, United has been without star midfielder Dwayne De Rosario. De Rosario, who notched his 100th career goal last week, will be someone to watch in the midfield because if anyone can take advantage of the absence of Oriol Rosell, who is also missing the match due to yellow card suspension, De Rosario can.
How they wil win
Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City will have to take advantage of a very poor DC United defense and wrack up the score. Houston was able to go into RFK stadium and come out with a 4-0 victory, there should be no reason why Sporting shouldn't be able to do the same.
DC United
Even with Matt Besler back, Sporting could be vulnerable on defense due to losing one of their starting defensive midfielders and one of their starting centerbacks. If Dwayne De Rosario can create some mismatches in the midfield and create some opportunities, DC may be able to steal one.
Predictions
Lineups
Sporting KC: Nielsen, Myers, Besler, Opara, Sinovic, Nagamura, Joseph, Feilhaber, Zusi, Bieler, Kamara.
DC United: Hamid, Korb, White, Mcdonald, Riley, Kitchen, Porter, DeLeon, De Rosario, Pontius, Townsend
Score
Sporting KC 3-0 DC United
Sporting should not have a lot of trouble this game as long as they keep playing like they've been playing. The losses of Collin and Rosell may hurt a bit, but their offense should still be extremely potent at RFK stadium.

One of the best defenses in the league held one of the best offenses in the league to a clean sheet as FC Kansas City knocked off the Boston Breakers 2-0.
There was a scary moment early as the Blues' leading scorer Renae Cuellar went down in the second minute after a violent takedown from Breakers midfielder Jo Dragotta which caused her to have to leave the match for a bit. Luckily she came back in the sixth minute and was able to play for the rest of the match.
A little more than ten minutes later and Kansas City was very thankful that Cuellar came back. Lauren Cheney played a nice ball to Cuellar which she then turned into a 1-on-1 breakaway using her speed. She put it past the Boston keeper in the near post to put the Blues up 1-0.
They went into halftime with that score.
The Blues officially put it away in the 64th minute after a Carli Lloyd cross found the foot of Lauren Cheney who finished it for the score. This gave Cheney her second goal of the year and her second in two matches.
With the Blues up 2-0, the defense was able to hold of the Boston offense for the rest of the match and the Blues emerged victorios, keeping their home record undefeated.
Kansas City improved to 3-1-1 on the year and jumped up to third place in the league with ten points. They sit three points behind both Sky Blue FC and Portland Thorns FC, but they have a game in hand against both.
Boston fell to 2-1-2 and will settle at fourth in the league with eight points. They will return home next Saturday to take on the Washington Spirit.
The Blues will stay in Kansas City for next week's match which will be a doozy. They take on the first place squad in Sky Blue FC at Shawnee Mission District Stadium next Saturday.

The Blues went into Rocheter, New York last Saturday and came out with their first ever loss to the Flash on the back of Abby Wambach's brace. FCKC returns home tonight to defend their undefeated home record against the Boston Breakers.
About the Teams
FC Kansas City
The Blues have done very well so far in their first season. They were undefeated in their first three games and had only given up one goal, a penalty kick. Renae Cuellar had also scored in all three matches.
Last week, however, that all ended. Cuellar was held scoreless and the seemingly impenetrable defense of the Blues allowed two goals en route to their first loss in franchise history.
However that performance looked independent of their first three matches. The center back combination of Lauren Sesselmann and Becky Sauerbrunn still anchors a rock-solid defense that will win the Blues a lot of matches.
Boston Breakers
The Breakers have been the best offensive team in the league, averaging 2 goals per game. That's due in no small part to forward Sydney Leroux, who has scored four of those goals in four matches.
The Breakers are coming off of a 1-1 draw to the Washington Spirit so it's not like they're unstoppable, but that offense will need to be kept in check.
How they will win
FC Kansas City
The Blues will have to step up defensively in order to beat the Breakers. Most importantly they will have to make sure that Leroux does not get an opportunity to get a shot off. If they can do that, they can use their scoring efficiency up top to grab a match-winner.
Boston Breakers
Last week at Western New York showed that the Blues' defense is mortal. In order to win the match, the Breakers will have to score and score often. Two goals will be a necessity and three would probably get the job done, but scoring is essential.
Prediction
FC Kansas City 2-2 Boston Breakers
This will be a high scoring struggle where the offenses of both teams will be vital to the match. Hopefully the Blues' defense can limit the Breakers' offense, but we'll just have to see.

The place to be for all previews, recaps and analysis of the match between Sporting Kansas City and DC United.
We talked with Black and Red United's manager Adam Taylor about the upcoming match between Sporting Kansas City and DC United.
1) What was once such a promising season has quickly gone downhill for D.C. What's been the biggest reason why?
I think most of us have come to realize that the underperformance so far this year by D.C. United is in large part a case of over-expectations. After the seven-match undefeated run to finish the regular season last year and the playoff win over New York, this looked like a team that had a solid spine that would only improve on the offensive end with the return from injury of Dwayne De Rosario. So the offseason was less eventful than it probably should have been, with no true fulltime starters being brought into the fold, even as Andy Najar departed for Belgium. I won't go so far as to call last year's run a mirage, but Ben Olsen's tactics haven't worked nearly as well in 2013, partly due to regression to the mean, but also in large part because his charges, from role-players like fullback Daniel Woolard to former MLS Best XI guys like DeRo or Chris Pontius, haven't lived up to individual expectations.
2) There's been talk of a management shakeup soon, are you in favor of this or not?
At this point, I am all for a new general manager to replace Dave Kasper. Kasper, who was Kevin Payne's No. 2 for a long time before KP's removal and relocation to Toronto this winter, is incredibly good at navigating the various MLS salary mechanisms - understanding and taking advantage the alchemy of allocation and the various flavors of designated player - but he is less accomplished at player evaluation and obtaining/retaining players, especially starters, at salaries that will leave the team flexibility to make new acquisitions without resorting to the various accounting tricks to make everything fit under the salary cap.
I'm less eager to see Olsen let go, honestly. Though I'm sure he did have a hand in player acquisition, and it's his job to get them ready to perform from the start of each game - and they really haven't been in the right mindset from the start of any of their games this year - I'm not convinced that firing him will do anything to make the team better, either now or next year. Until a new GM is in place, a coaching change (other than an Alex Ferguson or a Jogi Loew, of course) won't amount to much more than shuffling deck chairs.
3) Last time Sporting and D.C. played it was a very physical game that frustrated both sides. Will we see the same on Sunday?
I've got to think yes. Over the last few years, when Peter Vermes and Ben Olsen meet, no matter each team's usual M.O., both sides look for the physical battles and try to frustrate the other in the middle. It was against the Sporks at the end of 2011 that Olsen first started experimenting with the 4-2-3-1 that eventually became his base system in the second half of 2012. He's started to move on from that system as the results haven't come this year, but whatever formation he runs out, I'd expect another battle on Sunday.

We talked with Black and Red United's manager Adam Taylor about the upcoming match between Sporting Kansas City and DC United.
1) What was once such a promising season has quickly gone downhill for D.C. What's been the biggest reason why?
I think most of us have come to realize that the underperformance so far this year by D.C. United is in large part a case of over-expectations. After the seven-match undefeated run to finish the regular season last year and the playoff win over New York, this looked like a team that had a solid spine that would only improve on the offensive end with the return from injury of Dwayne De Rosario. So the offseason was less eventful than it probably should have been, with no true fulltime starters being brought into the fold, even as Andy Najar departed for Belgium. I won't go so far as to call last year's run a mirage, but Ben Olsen's tactics haven't worked nearly as well in 2013, partly due to regression to the mean, but also in large part because his charges, from role-players like fullback Daniel Woolard to former MLS Best XI guys like DeRo or Chris Pontius, haven't lived up to individual expectations.
2) There's been talk of a management shakeup soon, are you in favor of this or not?
At this point, I am all for a new general manager to replace Dave Kasper. Kasper, who was Kevin Payne's No. 2 for a long time before KP's removal and relocation to Toronto this winter, is incredibly good at navigating the various MLS salary mechanisms - understanding and taking advantage the alchemy of allocation and the various flavors of designated player - but he is less accomplished at player evaluation and obtaining/retaining players, especially starters, at salaries that will leave the team flexibility to make new acquisitions without resorting to the various accounting tricks to make everything fit under the salary cap.
I'm less eager to see Olsen let go, honestly. Though I'm sure he did have a hand in player acquisition, and it's his job to get them ready to perform from the start of each game - and they really haven't been in the right mindset from the start of any of their games this year - I'm not convinced that firing him will do anything to make the team better, either now or next year. Until a new GM is in place, a coaching change (other than an Alex Ferguson or a Jogi Loew, of course) won't amount to much more than shuffling deck chairs.
3) Last time Sporting and D.C. played it was a very physical game that frustrated both sides. Will we see the same on Sunday?
I've got to think yes. Over the last few years, when Peter Vermes and Ben Olsen meet, no matter each team's usual M.O., both sides look for the physical battles and try to frustrate the other in the middle. It was against the Sporks at the end of 2011 that Olsen first started experimenting with the 4-2-3-1 that eventually became his base system in the second half of 2012. He's started to move on from that system as the results haven't come this year, but whatever formation he runs out, I'd expect another battle on Sunday.

One day after it was announced that Graham Zusi and Matt Besler were called up for United States National Team duty, the foreigners got their turn.
Kei Kamara was called up for Sierra Leone as they try and gain some vital points in the African region. Soony Saad received his first ever senior team callup for the Lebanese National Team for their international friendly with Oman.
This brings Sporting KC's total of national team callups to four in preparation of the FIFA international dates coming up in the next couple of weeks.
Sierra Leone has two matches coming up in the next month. They take on group leader Tunisia on June 8th and then Cape Verde one week later, so Sporting KC will be missing Kei Kamara for that time, but fortunately they do not have a match scheduled for then. Kamara is scheduled to be gone from June 2nd through the 17th.
Soony Saad will not be participating in a qualifier, but in a friendly. He will be gone from May 25th though the 31st in preparation of the Lebanon friendly with Oman. This means he will miss the US Open Cup third round match on May 28th.
This schedule works out fairly favorably for Sporting KC. Kei Kamara won't miss any league matches and Soony Saad will only miss one US Open Cup match. In addition, Graham Zusi and Matt Besler will only miss one league match, although it is an important one in Montreal.

U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has called in Sporting KC defender Matt Besler and midfielder/forward Graham Zusi to camp. The duo will join the U.S. Men's National Team in Cleveland following Sporting Kansas City's match against the Houston Dynamo on May 26.
Besler and Zusi are part of the 26 players that begin training camp in Cleveland in preparation for a five-game stretch in May and June that includes three FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and the Centennial Celebration Match against Germany. A total of 29 players will participate, including four MLS goalkeepers that will rotate through camp. Only five field players are from MLS including the two Sporting KC players.
Both of Besler's first two appearances with the U.S. Men's National Team have resulted in scoreless draws. First against Canada in a friendly and then more recently versus Mexico at Estadio Azteca earning the United States and important point in World Cup qualifying. There was concern if Besler would be ready for National Team duty after having missed three straight matches with Sporting but he has recently begun training again.
"I'm very excited and honored to get another opportunity to play for the National Team," Besler said via press release. "These upcoming qualifiers are very big games and we're excited that two of them are at home, so we're looking to get a lot of points and position ourselves to qualify for the World Cup. I can't wait to start working."
Zusi is becoming a veteran on the National Team having played in each of the United States last six FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and has made 10 total appearances for the U.S. Men's National Team.
"It's an honor that never gets old," Zusi said via press release. "I'm really excited about the upcoming games; a few big ones, a couple friendlies to lead up to the qualifiers against some very good teams. I'm ready to get back into it and get some points to push us up the rankings in the Hex."
The Roster
GOALKEEPERS (6) :Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Tim Howard (Everton), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (8) : DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg)
MIDFIELDERS (10) : Michael Bradley (Roma), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Brek Shea (Stoke City), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (5) : Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC)

Sporting Kansas City forward Bobby Convey was traded to Toronto FC Thursday in exchange for Toronto FC's natural third round pick in next year's MLS SuperDraft. Convey, 29 started well with Sporting KC in 2012, helping them to a 7-0-1 record in their first eight games. Injuries quickly became an issue and he only played in eight more regular season games for Sporting KC, included a start where he was subbed out in just the 7th minute in New England.
A grand total of 20 games over two seasons with one goal and two assists after Sporting KC acquired Convey in exchange for an international slot. While he did not score a lot, when he was healthy at the start of 2012 he opened up the middle with his wide play allowing the other forwards and midfielders room to attack.
As injuries mounted up, other players stepped forward and seized playing time. Jacob Peterson's high energy and never give quit attitude seemed to fit the system and budding U.S. National Team star Graham Zusi moved forward at times as well.
When he signed with Sporting KC one of the questions was of course salary. In 2011 he made over $300,000 with San Jose and in 2012 his base dropped to $200,000 with Sporting KC. It is unknown how much of his salary will still be carried by Sporting if any, but it will certainly clear up some cap space.
Toronto is convicned he can contribute for them. "This is a good mid-season deal for Toronto FC. We are in need of quality MLS players on our team and Bobby fits the bill perfectly," said Toronto FC President and General Manager Kevin Payne in their release. "I've known Bobby since he was a 16 year old rookie in MLS; and literally living in the basement of my home. He can be a very influential player in MLS and we look forward to him helping us move forward in the league."
Overall a good trade for both teams, Toronto gets a player that they feel can contribute and Sporting makes room under the cap, the roster and on training tables.

Matt Besler returned to the Sporting Kansas City practiced field for the first time in a couple weeks Wednesday. While he trained on his own with one of the staff putting him through his paces Besler was just happy to be training again. "Everything was good today," Besler told reporters after practice. "Everything felt great, it felt great to be back on the field."
With Aurelian Collin out for the DC United match this Sunday because of yellow card accumulation, Sporting KC would be happy to have the 2012 Defender of the Year back and available. Collin's suspension is not the motivating factor for Besler though. "I want to be on the field as quick as possible no matter the circumstance," Besler explained. "That's not really in my head, I've been focused from day one of making sure I am 100% and ready to play."
Besler seemed to be reluctant to discuss what SKC manager Peter Vermes had described as a "MCL tweak" last week. While Besler is focused on making sure he is 100% ready for Sporting Kansas City, he does not want the situation to affect a possible call up to National Team camp at the end of the month.
U.S. National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann contacted Besler as soon as reports of his injury became known. "They keep tabs on everybody," said Besler "On Monday, after the weekend games, they meet and they go over the results and how many minutes each guy played, injuries and all that. So I've been in contact with the head trainer, just keeping him updated and in the loop on how I'm feeling, and everything's been positive."
It is expected that Klinsmann will announce his initial roster for the upcoming friendlies and World Cup Qualifiers today, Thursday afternoon.
While it is a good sign to have Besler training again, it is unclear whether he will be cleared to play in D.C. this weekend. Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes had considered recalling Yann Songo'o off of loan to Orlando City but feels he can pair Ike Opara with Lawrence Olum or Michael Thomas if needed. Olum is the likely choice since he played numerous games last year at center back including 120 minutes in Sporting KC's win over Seattle in the Open Cup final.

Sporting Kansas City, the defending champion will open play in the third round of the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, May 28th at Sporting Park. The third round is when all 16 U.S. based MLS teams enter the competition this year. Their opponent will be determined on May 21st as they will face the winner of the matchup between Des Moines Menace (PDL) vs. Minnesota United FC (NASL) at 7:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, May 21 at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium in St. Paul, Minn. The Menace advanced to play Minnesota by defeating the Madison 56ers tonight in Des Moines.
Sporting Kansas City won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2012 by defeating the Seattle Sounders FC in the final at Sporting Park. Previously Sporting KC (Kansas City Wizards) also won the tournament in 2004.
This year marks the 100th edition of the U.S. Open Cup. The tournament began on May 7 and features 68 teams, the largest field in the modern era. All U.S. based Division I, II and III teams will participate in the tournament proper (16 from Major League Soccer, six from the North American Soccer League and 12 from USL PRO), along with 34 amateur teams from the Adult Council category.

Sporting Kansas City already has a good depth of strikers. Teal Bunbury will make a welcome addition to that list later this season when he returns from his injury.
On August 26th of last year, Teal went down with a torn ACL against New York Red Bulls after being a crucial part of a goal. Since then Sporting has stocked up on good strikers, most notably Claudio Bieler in the middle. Also the emergence of Jacob Peterson and Graham Zusi as good wingers has added to the list of striking depth.
So where does Teal Bunbury fit amongst these strikers? Well there is a number of possibilities. The first is going the CJ Sapong route and starting on the wing in the place of Jacob Peterson as show below.


Another possibility is to drop Zusi back to the midfield and start Bunbury opposite Kamara on the wing. The only problem with this formation is that it 1) Sends creative playmaker Benny Feilhaber to the bench or 2) Leaves Sporting KC with only one holding midfielder. In this scenario, I'd prefer that Feilhaber is benched so that the defense is not left vulnerable with only one holding midfielder to protect them.


These lineups, however, only reflect the league matches. While I do think Bunbury will be seen in some capacity in league matches, his playing time wil not be what it once was. More often than not he will probably be used as a second half sub for a tiring striker but his availability as a starter will come in handy when Graham Zusi is called for national team duty or if Kei Kamara is bought in the summer transfer window.
Where Bunbury will be seen most is during the US Open Cup matches and CONCACAF Champions League matches. The striker depth that Sporting has will create a formidable front line going into those matches. My ideal lineup using the reserves is featured below.

This allows Sporting to field a very good lineup while still balancing the roster in a way that keeps the starters fresh. Regardless of which variation Peter Vermes decides to use, the addition of Teal Bunbury when he returns will certainly be welcome as it will give Sporting even more options to use in their upcoming competitions.

While Sporting came away with a win Sunday night in Houston, they also came away with two big losses for this Sunday's match against DC United.
Both centerback Aurelien Collin and holding midfielder Oriol Rosell received their fifth yellow card of the season Sunday night, which means that they will be suspended for the next match.
Collin picked his up in the 24th minute after a bit of a late tackle on Ricardo Clark. You can see in the video below that Collin obviously did not believe he earned a card there and is visibly frustrated with the fact that he will be missing the next match.




In the 40th minute is was Rosell's turn to pick up a caution. He had been fouling in the midfield all match and the referee had finally had enough. He waited until Houston lost the advantage on the ball after the foul to bring Rosell over and show him the yellow card. This one was warranted because of Rosell's constant fouling in the midfield and it really made Rosell more careful for the rest of the match, as seen below.




This leaves Sporting Kansas City without a starting centerback and a holding midfielder for the match against DC United this Sunday. While many are thinking that this couldn't have come at a better time for Sporting given United's recent struggles, missing two starters is never a good thing.
Matt Besler has been MIA for the past three matches due to injury. If he is out again this Sunday, Sporting KC will be without both of its starting centerbacks and reigning Defender of the Year finalists. In that case, Sporting would only have two centerbacks on the roster, Lawrence Olum and Ike Opara. This may be a good opportunity for Peter Vermes to recall Yann Songo'o from Orlando City to provide some more centerback depth if indeed Besler is unavailable.
In response to the midfield I see Vermes doing what he did against Seattle when Nagamura was suspended, and that is keeping the same formation and inserting Peterson Joseph into the midfield in the place of Rosell. It worked for the match and will probably be the solution coming up this Sunday.

Sporting Kansas City rebounded from their heartbreaking loss to Seattle Wednesday night to knock off Houston 1-0, the first home loss for the Dynamo since June of 2011.
Suddenly Sporting is right back in the thick of things at the top of the Eastern Conference. That means there's plenty to talk about going forward.
1) Sporting has beaten the top three teams in the East
Sporting is now in a three-way tie for second place in the Eastern Conference with Houston and Montreal, and are only one point back of New York Red Bulls. The good news for Sporting KC is that they have the head-to-head advantage on all three of those teams. Sporting KC beat New York at Red Bull Arena 1-0, they beat Montreal at Sporting Park 2-0 and yesterday they beat Houston in Houston 1-0. This head-to-head advantage gives Sporting points where they really need it and, most importantly, it keeps points away from their biggest competition.
2) The rivalry with Houston thickens
Sporting KC fans have hated the Dynamo for the past two seasons after they've knocked Sporting out of the playoffs two years in a row. Yesterday, Sporting gave Houston a reason to hate them by ending the home unbeaten streak of 38 matches and giving them their first loss at BBVA stadium. While this is a rivalry that is fueled by respect and immense competition at the top of the East, adding a little gasoline to the fire, as Sporting did last night, will not hurt this rivalry.
3) Collin and Rosell suspended
While Aurelien Collin was the hero in the game last night, heading in the eventual game-winning goal, his actions in the first half will hurt Sporting later this week. His yellow card earned in the 24th minute was his fifth of the season, which means he will be suspended for the match against DC United this coming Sunday. Ori Rosell also earned his fifth yellow of the season, which means he is also suspended for the DC United match. While DC is floundering in a quickly sinking season, losing a very good starting centerback and their best holding midfielder will not bode well for Sporting.
4) Where the heck is Matt Besler?
Matt Besler has missed the past three matches due to injury and it really couldn't have come at a worse time for Sporting. If he is out this Sunday against DC United, Sporting will be without both of its starting centerbacks and will only have two on the roster: Lawrence Olum and Ike Opara. There's been talk of recalling Yann Songo'o from Orlando City simply for centerback depth which, in the case of Matt Besler not playing, would not be a bad idea, raw as he may be.
5) Nagamura is both a hero and a villain
Paulo Nagamura has drawn a lot of ire from Sporting fans this season. In my opinion a lot of the criticism is unwarranted, but I digress. Yesterday Nagamura was a hero for Sporting as he was placed perfectly to clear the ball off the line in the 80th minute when the Dynamo almost tied it off of Johnson's header. Other than that he played a fine game defensively, but was only pedestrian bringing the ball up the field. If Sporting fans could look at his contributions defensively as opposed to his shortcomings offensively, I have a feeling they would like him a lot more.

It's not a playoff victory, but Sporting Kansas City will take it.
Sporting Kansas City defeated the Houston Dynamo 1-0 Sunday night, the first time the Dynamo has ever lost at BBVA Stadium, ending their three matches in eight days run with six points.
The first half was back and forth between the two squads with physical play all around but no real chances for either team. Aurelien Collin picked up a yellow card in the 24th minute, his fifth of the season. This suspends him for next Sunday's match against DC United.
Sixteen minutes later and another unfortunate yellow card was picked up, this time by Ori Rosell. It was Rosell's fifth of the season as well, therefore he also earned a suspension for next Sunday.
Things picked up in the second half. Kei Kamara came in for Jacob Peterson and provided some fresh legs on the attack. However it was Seth Sinovic who provided the assist needed for Sporting to go ahead. A long throw in by the fullback found the shiny and brilliant head of Aurelien Collin, who flicked it in towards the goal. Corey Ashe's frantic attempt the clear the line was unsuccessful, and Sporting Kansas City went ahead 1-0.




Houston did not go down without a fight. Rookie Jason Johnson gave Sporting fans a heart attack when a header of his went past Jimmy Nielsen across the face of goal, only to be met by the saving head of Paulo Nagamura. A controversial clearance, and possibly a call gone the other way if MLS had goal-line technology but alas, Nagamura saved a draw with his defense. Make your own call on the video below.




Sporting held on for the next ten minutes, plus the four minutes of stoppage, to earn the rare victory in Houston. It was the first time since June 18th, 2011 that an opposing team had won in Houston, a streak of 38 matches.
Sporting Kansas City climbed up to 20 points and is now tied for second in the Eastern Conference with Houston and Montreal Impact. They are also one point back of New York Red Bulls, whom they have a game in hand against. Sporting had defeated all three of the aforementioned clubs so far in 2013.
The Dynamo get to start a new home unbeaten streak next Saturday as they host New England Revolution and their new attacker Juan Agudelo.
Sporting has another Sunday match next week as they travel to RFK stadium to take on the quickly sinking DC United. They will be without both Aurelien Collin and Ori Rosell due to suspensions.

The orange foe. Sporting Kansas City takes on their playoff adversary and conquerer of the past two years tonight as they take on the Houston Dynamo. Both teams will be tired after player three matches in eight days, but a good rivalry knows no bounds of exhaustion.
The Teams



Sporting Kansas City
4-3-2, 2-1-1 at home
14 Points

4th in the East

Manager: Peter Vermes (5th season)



Houston Dynamo

6-2-2

20 Points
Second in East
Manager: Dominic Kinnear (8th Season)

Other Info

Date: May 12th, 2013



Gametime: 7:00 pm central


TV: KSMO 62


Location: BBVA Stadium




Let your opinons be heard.

The place to be for all previews, recaps and analysis of the Sporting Kansas City vs Houston Dynamo match.
After the past couple of seasons, interacting with Houston Dynamo fans is near sacrilegious for Sporting Kansas City fans. Regardless, we snuck behind enemy lines to gain some insight on this year's Houston Dynamo team from Dynamo Theory's manager Ordinary Orange Fan. Make sure to check out some of their great work on this match as well.
1) Sporting fans feel that a rivalry is starting to develop between the two clubs because of the last two playoff series. Is the sentiment the same in Houston?
Without a doubt, I think most fans see a budding rivalry with SKC. I'm not sure it's on the same level as FC Dallas just because of the history of rivalry across all sports between Dallas and Houston, but this matchup is always more competitive. SKC is an exciting team to watch, and I think they bring out the best in the Dynamo.
Shortly before the start of the season, Dynamo Theory took an in depth look from the fan's perspective on the rivalry, talking with many Sporting fans as well as Dynamo fans. Most agree this has the potential to become something big. So naturally, fans are always looking forward to when Sporting comes to town.
2) Houston will be culminating 3 games in 8 days schedule. Will the lineup change due to that?
I definitely think we'll see a mixture of players on Sunday. Not only are the Dynamo playing their third match in eight days, but Houston also has a number of players who are questionable for the match. I expect Dominic Kinnear to use a mix of players to give the Dynamo a boost of energy. Giles Barnes is likely out, so the offense will rest on Will Bruin's shoulders. Houston's depth will surely be tested in the final game of this tough stretch.
3) At this point in the season, how big is this match in terms of how each team will finish at the end of the season?
The season is still extremely early and speaking for Houston, the start to the year has been their best in franchise history, so I don't think the match is a must win or anything like that. Regardless of this weekend's match, I think both of these teams will be Eastern Conference contenders for a third straight year.
Dynamo Theory Prediction: I think the Dynamo may slow due to the heavy travel and injuries, but I still think they manage to keep it level at 1-1.

Sporting KC will have to face two of its most hated foes in a matter of four days as they head to Houston to take on the Dynamo in a Eastern Conference clash.
About the teams
Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City has been an inconsistent team this year. They've had games where they've looked good and games where they've looked really bad. We saw both sides of the spectrum on their previous home stand, where they only gained three points from three matches. Coming off of a heartbreaking, last-minute loss to Seattle at home, Sporting will either be highly motivated or emotionally drained coming into this match.
Houston Dynamo
Like Sporting, Houston will be finishing up a stretch where they're playing three matches in eight days. They, however, are rolling coming into this match. They're unbeaten in five straight matches and now have two straight wins. They're last win was a 4-0 drubbing of DC United on Wednesday. The Dynamo are currently sitting pretty at second in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of Sporting and with a game in hand.
Players to watch
Sporting KC- Jacob Peterson
Jacob Peterson is slowly but surely returning to form after his injury. He hasn't been able to play the full 90 yet this year, but he has seen an increase in his minutes ever since he came back. He will be an interesting player to watch as Vermes keeps stretching his allowed time until he is fully recovered.
Houston Dynamo- Will Bruin
Bruin was an unstoppable man against DC United this past Wednesday. He was involved in all four goals, scoring two of them and assisting the other two. The Dynamo forward will look to capitalize on that momentum and it will be up to the Sporting KC defense to try and stop him.
How they will win
Sporting KC
Sporting KC will have to put every thought out of their minds and just play soccer. They cannot be thinking of the last two playoff games and they cannot be thinking of the Seattle match. With a clear mind, Sporting will need to hunker down on the back line and prevent Houston from scoring. If they can frustrate the high flying Dynamo early, they can sneak one by later in the match.
Houston Dynamo
Houston is tired, but so is Sporting KC. They've recently been having troubles with their back line due to injury and perplexing play. Houston will have to keep the pressure on the Sporting back line the entire match. If they can do that, the tired legs of the Sporting defense may give up a couple of goals.
Predictions
Lineups
Sporting KC: Nielsen, Myers, Besler, Opara, Sinovic, Nagamura, Rosell, Feilhaber, Kamara, Bieler, Peterson
Houston: Tally Hall - Kofi Sarkodie, Jermaine Taylor, Bobby Boswell, Corey Ashe - Adam Moffat - Boniek Garcia, Brad Davis, Andrew Driver - Brian Ching, Will Bruin
Score
Sporting Kansas City 1-1 Houston Dynamo
This will be a match between two tired teams who will frustrate the heck out of each other in the midfield. Sporting will score early, Houston will respond and then both teams will collapse late under their own exhaustion.

Many a streak was broken Saturday night. Renae Cuellar's streak of scoring in every match was broken as she was held goalless. The Blues' nearly 300 minute shutout streak was broken by a brace from Abby Wambach.
The most important broken streak, however, was the unbeaten streak. FC Kansas City lost for the first time in franchise history as the Flash beat them 2-1 in Rochester
US international Abby Wambach was the star of the match for the Flash. She opened up the scoring in the 34th minute with her second goal of the season. Wambach was able to get behind the defense on a pass from Veronica Perez to put the Flash up 1-0.
It didn't take long for the Flash to strike again. In the 39th minute, Wambach again was able to finish the job for Western New York, this time unassisted. A defensive miscue left Wambach all alone at the top of the box and she put it in to put the flash up 2-0. The teams went into the locker room with the Flash up by that same score.
It didn't take long in the second half for FC Kansas City to pull one back. Lauren Cheney got her head on a ball sent in by Leigh Ann Robinson and finished it far post. The Blues were back to within one at that point, but that was the closest they would get.
Carli Lloyd made her NWSL debut as she subbed on in the 62nd minute. It was the first action the USWNT veteran has seen since her broken collarbone injury in early March.
FC Kansas City had more chances towards the end of the second half, but were not able to finish one and fell to the Flash 2-1. Western New York improved to 2-1-2 and jumped a spot to fourth in the NWSL table. FC Kansas City, however, fell to 2-1-1 and went down to fifth in the league with a game in hand against the fourth place team Western New York.
The Flash have another big break between matches, not playing again until the 24th of May where they will face Chicago at home. FC Kansas City returns home next Saturday to play host to the Boston Breakers.

All previews, recaps and analysis of the Sporting Kansas City at Houston Dynamo match.
After the past couple of seasons, interacting with Houston Dynamo fans is near sacrilegious for Sporting Kansas City fans. Regardless, we snuck behind enemy lines to gain some insight on this year's Houston Dynamo team from Dynamo Theory's manager Ordinary Orange Fan. Make sure to check out some of their great work on this match as well.
1) Sporting fans feel that a rivalry is starting to develop between the two clubs because of the last two playoff series. Is the sentiment the same in Houston?
Without a doubt, I think most fans see a budding rivalry with SKC. I'm not sure it's on the same level as FC Dallas just because of the history of rivalry across all sports between Dallas and Houston, but this matchup is always more competitive. SKC is an exciting team to watch, and I think they bring out the best in the Dynamo.
Shortly before the start of the season, Dynamo Theory took an in depth look from the fan's perspective on the rivalry, talking with many Sporting fans as well as Dynamo fans. Most agree this has the potential to become something big. So naturally, fans are always looking forward to when Sporting comes to town.
2) Houston will be culminating 3 games in 8 days schedule. Will the lineup change due to that?
I definitely think we'll see a mixture of players on Sunday. Not only are the Dynamo playing their third match in eight days, but Houston also has a number of players who are questionable for the match. I expect Dominic Kinnear to use a mix of players to give the Dynamo a boost of energy. Giles Barnes is likely out, so the offense will rest on Will Bruin's shoulders. Houston's depth will surely be tested in the final game of this tough stretch.
3) At this point in the season, how big is this match in terms of how each team will finish at the end of the season?
The season is still extremely early and speaking for Houston, the start to the year has been their best in franchise history, so I don't think the match is a must win or anything like that. Regardless of this weekend's match, I think both of these teams will be Eastern Conference contenders for a third straight year.
Dynamo Theory Prediction: I think the Dynamo may slow due to the heavy travel and injuries, but I still think they manage to keep it level at 1-1.

FC Kansas City has played in three matches so far in their inaugural season. They've shown great promise in all three of them, conceding only one goal in 270 minutes, a penalty kick against Portland. Tonight, they travel to Rochester, New York to take on the Flash of Western New York.
The Flash are currently 5th in the table right now, coming off of a 2-1 win over Sky Blue FC on May 1st. So they are rested, and news coming out earlier favors the Flash as well. US International Carli Lloyd has been cleared to train with the team and will be returning to the team soon.
While the Flash probably won't feature Lloyd for a couple of more matches, their attack is already formidable. Abby Wambach, Samantha Kerr and Adirana Martin Santamaria have combined for four goals in three matches and they are steadily improving.
FC Kansas City, on the other hand, has had one of the stingiest defenses in the league. As mentioned above, the Blues have only given up one goal in three matches and that one goal was a penalty kick. Centerbacks Lauren Sesselmann and Becky Sauerbrunn have anchored the best defense in the NWSL, allowing the fewest goals in the entire league.
How they will win
For the Blues to win, they will have to continue their defensive dominance by shutting down the forwards of the Flash. If they can do that, it will allow the Blues' attack, featuring Renae Cuellar, to sneak one by the Flash's defense. Cuellar has been another bright spot for Kansas City, scoring in each of the Blues' three matches.
The way the Flash will win is to simply put more goals in the net than FC Kansas City. If they can neutralize Cuellar up top while simultaneously beating Sesselmann and Sauerbrunn in the back, then it will be a very good night for the Flash.
Prediction: FC Kansas City 2-1 WNY Flash
I believe the shutout streak may end tonight, but the Flash's defense is too suspect for FC Kansas City to be held scoreless. Look for goals from Cuellar and Lauren Cheney for the Blues.
The match starts at 6:35 pm central and will be featured on the NWSL Youtube livestream as all of the Blues' games have been.

After the past couple of seasons, interacting with Houston Dynamo fans is near sacrilegious for Sporting Kansas City fans. Regardless, we snuck behind enemy lines to gain some insight on this year's Houston Dynamo team from Dynamo Theory's manager Ordinary Orange Fan. Make sure to check out some of their great work on this match as well.
1) Sporting fans feel that a rivalry is starting to develop between the two clubs because of the last two playoff series. Is the sentiment the same in Houston?
Without a doubt, I think most fans see a budding rivalry with SKC. I'm not sure it's on the same level as FC Dallas just because of the history of rivalry across all sports between Dallas and Houston, but this matchup is always more competitive. SKC is an exciting team to watch, and I think they bring out the best in the Dynamo.
Shortly before the start of the season, Dynamo Theory took an in depth look from the fan's perspective on the rivalry, talking with many Sporting fans as well as Dynamo fans. Most agree this has the potential to become something big. So naturally, fans are always looking forward to when Sporting comes to town.
2) Houston will be culminating 3 games in 8 days schedule. Will the lineup change due to that?
I definitely think we'll see a mixture of players on Sunday. Not only are the Dynamo playing their third match in eight days, but Houston also has a number of players who are questionable for the match. I expect Dominic Kinnear to use a mix of players to give the Dynamo a boost of energy. Giles Barnes is likely out, so the offense will rest on Will Bruin's shoulders. Houston's depth will surely be tested in the final game of this tough stretch.
3) At this point in the season, how big is this match in terms of how each team will finish at the end of the season?
The season is still extremely early and speaking for Houston, the start to the year has been their best in franchise history, so I don't think the match is a must win or anything like that. Regardless of this weekend's match, I think both of these teams will be Eastern Conference contenders for a third straight year.
Dynamo Theory Prediction: I think the Dynamo may slow due to the heavy travel and injuries, but I still think they manage to keep it level at 1-1.

Many an obscene word was shouted as Seattle punched Sporting KC in the gut with a late goal. Again.
This leaves Sporting with three points of a possible nine from their three game home stretch. After last night's match, there is certainly a lot to talk about.
1) Kei Kamara is back
Let's start off with some good news. Fan favorite Kei Kamara returned last night to an extremely vocal reaction. I've only heard Sporting Park get that loud twice: The home opener and when Eddie Johnson skied the final PK in the US Open Cup final. Kamara subbed into the match in the 73rd minute and added a good attacking presence on the wing. Sadly, there was no significant offensive movement once he came in, but the return of Kamara brings two big advantages to Sporting KC. First, there is a natural winger playing on the wing. Sporting has missed the good service that Kamara provides on his crosses and his assists will be welcomed back with open arms. The second thing that he brings is height. It's always good to have a tall winger available to jump over everyone in the box on set pieces. I don't know how long we'll be able to keep Kamara, but I'll enjoy his presence in the next couple of months or so.
2) Freaking Seattle again.
When asked in the postgame interviews both Peter Vermes and Graham Zusi called the tendency of late goals from Seattle "a coincidence." And it probably is, but there's an argument for Sporting KC being unfortunate against Seattle. 2011 saw Seattle win in Seattle on a 1-0 score in the final seconds, then they won at Sporting Park with a 92nd minute goal to end Sporting's unbeaten streak. This year they won it again in extra time. Of course there isn't any real reason why Seattle tends to beat Sporting late but it's becoming increasingly frustrating.
3) Peterson is close, but not fully recovered
Jacob Peterson is well on his way to recovering fully from the injury that sidelined him for many months. He's been going farther and farther into matches, but he's not there yet. One has to ask if it's worth sending him out on the wing every match if he's going to have to be subbed in around the 65th minute. Of course you're going to want a possible starting winger to get some game experience while he recovers, but his status limits some of the moves that Vermes can make down the stretch when he has to sub him out because he can't go the full 90 yet.
4) Rosell turning into a star
Uri Rosell played another fine game against Seattle. His passes were on point and his holding down of the midfield was admirable. Ever since he came on for Sporting last season he has been an excellent holding midfielder. While the presence of Nagamura was missed last night, Rosell stood out in the middle of the park. Sporting Kansas City may have a big future in Uri Rosell on their hands.
5) It's not time to panic.
There are some people who are really starting to get concerned about this team. Now, while three points in three home matches is certainly disappointing, there is no need to be concerned about this squad. For one, they have not been at full strength for the last couple of matches, especially on the back line. Second, Vermes' squads have always done poorly in May for whatever reason that may be. This looks like more of the same. The key is that they always do better in the later months and wind up In a strong position, at least in the past couple of years. If Sporting is still having these types of issues in mid-July, then panic would be warranted. Today, however, there is no need.

It was set up for a perfect moment. A game-winning goal in extra time on Kei Kamara's first match back with Sporting Kansas City and in front of a raucous Sporting Park.
The only problem was that it was Seattle that scored.
Djimi Traore put the ball in the back of the net for the Seattle Sounders in extra time, sealing a 1-0 victory while simultaneously stunning 18,000 people at Sporting Park.
The first 30 minutes belong to Sporting Kansas City. They held possession very well and it was quite obvious that the confidence they had gained from the Chivas USA match was shining through in this match. They put Seattle keeper Michael Gspurning to work early, forcing him to make a couple of diving saves. Jacob Peterson had an early chance barely fifteen seconds in, but the diving Gspurning was having none of it, as shown in the video below




In the second half, however, Sporting started to tire. The passes weren't as sharp and the possession wasn't as on point as the first half. Peter Vermes used all three of his subs, including the returning Kei Kamara. Kamara had not been warming up on the sidelines with the rest of the subs, but emerged from the tunnel to the sound of great joy from the stadium. He subbed in for Jacob Peterson in the 73rd minute, which you can watch below.




Claudio Bieler had also subbed into the match earlier, so Sporting had a very good attacking front in the game with Zusi, Sapong, Kamara and Bieler all playing in the final 15 minutes. However they were not able to produce a goal as the minutes ticked away.
As soon as everyone thought it would end as a scoreless draw, Seattle hit Sporting KC with a proverbial punch in the gut. Aurelien Collin whiffed at an attempted clearance, which gave Djimi Traore the opening to score the game winner for Seattle. The final whistle blew about a minute later, and Seattle left Kansas City with a vital three points.
"It's a major mistake on our part, we gifted that to them," Peter Vermes said after the match.
Sporting Kansas City remains at 17 points, and drops to third in the Eastern Conference after New York's win earlier in the evening. Seattle gained a vital three points and are now tied with Vancouver for eighth in the West with a game in hand against the Whitecaps.
Seattle heads home for a match with San Jose this Saturday, looking to rally back up the Western Conference. Sporting plays another team that has been a thorn in their side in the Houston Dynamo. That match will be on Sunday and will be the third match in eight days for Sporting Kansas City.

The last time these two teams met, the US Open Cup was on the line. But these two teams have been thorns in each others' sides since Seattle came into the league. Tonight, even with an injury plagued Seattle team, should be no different.
The Teams

Sporting Kansas City
5-3-2, 3-1-1 at home
17 Points
T1st in Eastern Conference
Manager: Peter Vermes (5th Season)



Seattle Sounders FC
1-3-3, 1-1-2 on road
6 Points
9th in Western Conference
Manager: Sigi Schmid (5th Season)



Other Info

Date: May 8th, 2013
Gametime: 7:30 pm central, 5:30 pm pacific.
TV: KSMO 62
Location: Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kansas.


The floor is yours.

Nothing's been certain for Sporting Kansas City and Seattle this season. Sporting KC has had games where they've looked like world beaters, and others where they've looked subpar. Seattle has been off to an awfully slow start, sitting last in the Western Conference.
But if there's one thing that's for certain, when these two clubs link up on the pitch, it's going to be a showdown.
About the Teams
Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City is flying high after a 4-0 drubbing of Chivas USA. They are in a four-way tie for first in the Eastern Conference, they have Graham Zusi and Claudio Bieler at the top of the league assist and goal charts respectively. Plus fan favorite and double-digit goal scorer Kei Kamara is coming back and will be eligible for selection for tonight's match.
However, this will be the second of three games in eight days for Sporting KC. Peter Vermes has had to shuffle his lineup around to accomodate resting players and dealing with some minor injuries. Due to this, Vermes isn't able to put out his strongest lineup every match this week and we may see a similar lineup to the Chivas match.
Seattle Sounders
To put it bluntly, Seattle has been very poor to start the season. Plagued with injuries and dealing with the loss of two starters in the offseason has put Seattle at the bottom of the Western Conference. However, Seattle has only played seven matches thus far, and have a few in hand on the rest of the conference to try and crawl their way back up the table.
They drew with Philadelphia this past weekend, where Eddie Johnson and Mauro Rosales looked sharp in their scoring. Seattle may be on the verge of rallying back up the Western Conference standings.

Players to Watch
Sporting KC- Kei Kamara
How can there be a player to watch if there's no certainty that player will even be in the 18? Well, I have no real answer to that, but you know who everyone's eyes will be on tonight.
Kei Kamara will be eligible for selection for the first time in 2013 tonight. While there is no guarantee he will be in the 18, I wouldn't put it past Vermes to put Kamara in as a substitute late in the match. Then we can see if jet lag is affecting him or if he is 100%. We'll also be able to see how three months of playing against EPL competition will have a substantial impact on his play in MLS a la Graham Zusi's performance against Montreal after the USMNT call-up.

Seattle Sounders- Osvaldo Alonso
Alonso will be back with Seattle tonight, having not played in MLS since April 20. The reigning team MVP for three consecutive seasons will be looking to make an impact as he returns to the midfield, where he can be a dangerous person.
Alonso could cause a lot of havoc in the Sporting midfield if given the chance. Sporting's ability to get the ball to the wingers and go from there has resulted in a fair amount of goals this season. If Alonso's tenacious playstyle in the midfield shuts down Sporting's midfield, Kansas City may be in some trouble.

How they will win
Sporting KC
Seattle will be without one of it's starting fullbacks, Deandre Yedlin, due to a straight-red ejection this past weekend, and a starting forward Lamar Neagle who earned the same. While Seattle will miss the presence of Neagle up top, the key loss is in Yedlin. Sporting will have to exploit the weakness on the flanks and use that advantage to give their wingers a chance to get in scoring position.
If Sporting can hammer down the pressure on the fullbacks, they should create enough opportunities to put a goal or two behind Gspurning.
Seattle Sounders
While missing several key people due to injury or suspension, Seattle still has the magical duo of Eddie Johnson and Mauro Rosales to score goals. While Sporting's defense is notoriously strong, they've shown signs of weakness, such as the 3-2 loss to Portland a couple weeks ago.
Seattle will have to work some magic up top with Johnson and Rosales to outscore Kansas City. Seattle is just far too weak on the back line with it's makeshift staff to hope for a defensive battle.
Predictions
Lineups
Sporting KC: Nielsen, Jerome, Besler, Collin, Sinovic, Gardner, Rosell, Feilhaber, Sapong, Bieler, Peterson
Seattle: Gspurning; Gonzalez, Traore, Hurtado, Evans; Alonso; Martinez, Rose, Rosales; Estrada, Johnson
Score
Sporting Kansas City 2-1 Seattle Sounders
I feel that Sporting KC will be able to exploit the Sounders' defense enough to get a couple of shots in the net, while Eddie Johnson will probably pull one back for Seattle. Expect a very tenacious, physical game.

Sporting Kansas City will be without holding midfielder Paulo Nagamura Wednesday night after he was suspended by the MLS.
In the 52nd minute of the Sporting Kansas City and Chivas USA match this past Sunday, Nagamura stepped on the hand of Chivas' Edgar Mejia. After looking at the replays, the MLS decided to suspend him for the match against Seattle on Wednesday night.
The video of the incident is below if you're interested.




This leaves Sporting Kansas City without one of its starting midfielders, and forces them to use some of the depth they picked up in the offseason. Most would point to Josh Gardner as a starting replacement, but Gardner and his wife are expecting their third child this week, which would obviously throw a wrench into Vermes' lineup decisions.
Other options would be to move Graham Zusi back to the midfield and start Peterson, Bieler and either Sapong or Kamara up top. A lot of people say that this would leave the defense vulnerable since Sporting would only have one true holding midfielder, Rosell, protecting the back line. This concern is greater because Seattle's dangerous midfielder Osvaldo Alonso will be returning against Kansas City. A strong, defensive presence in the midfield is needed.
The only other real midfield option would Peterson Joseph who would not solve the problem of leaving the defense too vulnerable, so it looks like best option is to hope that Gardner's wife can wait one more day to have her baby so that he can play. However, given Seattle's stuggles this season, this may be a good match to try moving Zusi back to the midfield with the aforementioned formation up top. The threat of Alonso is certainly concerning, but a more offensive-minded midfield might just work against a make-shift Seattle back line.
Regardless, the loss of Paulo Nagamura for Wednesday's match, while deserved, will put Sporting KC in a bit of a bind for the match. The best news is that Sporting KC has some good depth that can step in if needed.

Barely 2 minutes into the history of the franchise and Renae Cuellar was already in the record books.
Cuellar got the ball up top in the franchise's inaugural match against the Portland Thorns and fired it past Portland keeper Karina LeBlanc to score the first ever goal in NWSL history. Check the video below and skip to about 25 seconds in to watch.



Portland Thorns v FC Kansas City 4/13/13 Highlights (via FC KansasCity)
While the Blues would concede a goal later in the match and would end up drawing with the Thorns, Cuellar was already making her name known.
The next match saw Cuellar score again, this time to put the Blues up 2-0 over the Seattle Reign. While Cuellar didn't have to do too much work given that she was passed a beautiful through ball, she maintained her composure and beat the Seattle keeper 1-on-1 to score again.
Skip to 2:40 to watch her goal here.



Seattle Reign vs FC Kansas City 4/26/13 Highlights (via FC KansasCity)
Finally, Cuellar was vital in the 69th minute in the Blues' first road match at Seattle this past week. A nil-nil draw leading up to the moment, Cuellar finished a ball in the middle of the box to clinch the eventual game-winner for FC Kansas City. You'll find that highlight 2:25 into the video below.



FC Kansas City vs Seattle Reign Highlights 5/4/2013 (via FC KansasCity)
It's been very nice for the Blues to have a legitimate goal scorer. She's been tied for second in the league in goals scored, second only to Boston's Sydney Leroux. While FC Kansas City was touted as a good defensive team when the roster was first announced, given that they were assigned to the two excellent defenders in Becky Sauerbrunn and Lauren Sesselmann, the offense has been extremely good to start the season.
While her streak of scoring a goal in every match probably won't last all season, the 4-5-1 formation that the Blues have been sending out is designed to be a perfect opportunity for Cuellar to light up the scoreboard. Here's hoping that the Mexican international can continue giving other goalkeepers fits as she continues to dominate the attacking half. The Mexican international forward has scored in all three games for FCKC, helping lead the Blues to an unbeaten start.

In preparation of Wednesday's match between Sporting Kansas City and Seattle Sounders FC, Dave Clark of Sounder at Heart, the excellent SB Nation Sounders' blog, answered three questions about Seattle's early season woes, the state of the team and the upcoming match.
1) Seattle has started off incredibly slow this year. What's been the biggest reason why and what's the general mood around Sounders fans?
Continuity. Seattle lost its best defender and best attacking player in the offseason and the reload took time. During that time plenty of others got injured, there were national team calls and some poor luck. All in all the start is really poor. Seattle has used a different lineup in every match of their MLS and CCL campaigns and that will continue on Wednesday night. For the first four years this club has contended for trophies. This start to the season is not just a shock, but starting to wear thin on a significant portion of the fanbase. Panic has not started yet, but we do see it.
2) This will be the first match between Sporting KC and Seattle since the USOC final. Will revenge be on the Sounders' minds?
It will for the fans. On Sigi's conference call with reporters today he indicated that he felt the team did enough to win. This issue with that match, for all concerned, comes down to referee decisions and not quality of either teams' play. In the record books it goes down as a draw that won a Cup. A Cup that belongs back in Seattle. That starts at the end of the month. With the amount of roster churn I don't think the Sounders are going to think about that much. They are going to be more concerned about turning the current season around.
3) How will Mauro Rosales returning to the right wing affect the team?
When he plays at his full potential he's a fringe MVP candidate. The problem is that Seattle has not seen much of that until his match against Philly. If he continues to play at that level he'll be racking up the assists again while providing creativity and set-play danger. He is particularly strong in how he sees Eddie Johnson. When those two are "on" goals happen. Spectacular Heddie Johnson goals.
Lineup predictions: Gspurning; Gonzalez, Traore, Hurtado, Evans; Alonso; Martinez, Rose, Rosales; Estrada, Johnson

The place to be for all previews, recaps and analysis of the Sporting KC-Seattle Sounders match
In preparation of Wednesday's match between Sporting Kansas City and Seattle Sounders FC, Dave Clark of Sounder at Heart, the excellent SB Nation Sounders' blog, answered three questions about Seattle's early season woes, the state of the team and the upcoming match.
1) Seattle has started off incredibly slow this year. What's been the biggest reason why and what's the general mood around Sounders fans?
Continuity. Seattle lost its best defender and best attacking player in the offseason and the reload took time. During that time plenty of others got injured, there were national team calls and some poor luck. All in all the start is really poor. Seattle has used a different lineup in every match of their MLS and CCL campaigns and that will continue on Wednesday night. For the first four years this club has contended for trophies. This start to the season is not just a shock, but starting to wear thin on a significant portion of the fanbase. Panic has not started yet, but we do see it.
2) This will be the first match between Sporting KC and Seattle since the USOC final. Will revenge be on the Sounders' minds?
It will for the fans. On Sigi's conference call with reporters today he indicated that he felt the team did enough to win. This issue with that match, for all concerned, comes down to referee decisions and not quality of either teams' play. In the record books it goes down as a draw that won a Cup. A Cup that belongs back in Seattle. That starts at the end of the month. With the amount of roster churn I don't think the Sounders are going to think about that much. They are going to be more concerned about turning the current season around.
3) How will Mauro Rosales returning to the right wing affect the team?
When he plays at his full potential he's a fringe MVP candidate. The problem is that Seattle has not seen much of that until his match against Philly. If he continues to play at that level he'll be racking up the assists again while providing creativity and set-play danger. He is particularly strong in how he sees Eddie Johnson. When those two are "on" goals happen. Spectacular Heddie Johnson goals.
Lineup predictions: Gspurning; Gonzalez, Traore, Hurtado, Evans; Alonso; Martinez, Rose, Rosales; Estrada, Johnson

Well that was certainly an exciting match. At least, it was for Sporting KC.
Sporting defeated Chivas USA 4-0 and the match was as lopsided as the score shows. Sporting KC out possessed Chivas by more than 20%, dominated their 3-4-3 with excellent wing play and finished when they needed to.
Here's five talking points from the match.
1) The wing play was excellent
Jacob Peterson and Graham Zusi seemed to be toying with the Chivas back line all afternoon long. The 3-man defense was no match for the superb play from the Sporting wingers. The put chance after chance after chance into areas that Claudio Bieler and others were able to capitalize on. I'd like to see this same front line against Seattle and Houston to see their success against a stronger defense.
2) Sporting can win without half of it's starting back line
From one back line to another, Sporting KC's played another excellent match. The only thing different was that their reigning MLS defender of the year Matt Besler and other superb fullback Chance Myers. Mechack Jerome and Ike Opara filled in very nicely for the resting defenders. The Sporting KC back line should have no problem with depth like this when they enter the early rounds of the US Open Cup and the CONCACAF Champions League.
3) Claudio Bieler could be an early case for team MVP...
For the past two years Jimmy Nielsen has owned the team's most valuable player award. However the play of Claudio Bieler in the center forward spot may give Nielsen a run for his money. Bieler can do things in the box that Sporting has been sorely missing for the past couple of years. What he did to Dan Kennedy in his first was something I expect Jamaal Charles to do to opposing linebackers, not a forward against a keeper. Bieler is, so far, an excellent signing by Sporting Kansas City. He's tied for the league lead in goals and is on pace for 20+ goals. Not bad.
4) ...But there's only one Jimmy Nielsen
Jimmy Nielsen put in another cleansheet, something Sporting fans have grown accustomed to. However this match was his 38th cleansheet with Sporting KC, breaking the club record set by Tony Meola. Another cool stat is that he is the 13th MLS keeper to get 38 shutouts, but he is the quickest to do so in only 104 matches. At 35 years old, the White Puma is still going strong and will most certainly keep adding to his record this season.
5) A good Royals summer could affect Sporting KC
Today the Cauldron was as loud as ever. The atmosphere was great as always and fear was struck into the heart of the opponents at the thought of the Blue Hell. But those other seats seemed to have more empty spaces than usual. Maybe it was the overcast skies, the fact that the match was on a Sunday afternoon, or maybe it was the first place Kansas City Royals were playing across town. Sporting KC has never had to compete with a winning team in the city and, even though it's way too early to call the Royals an official winning team, the steps are being made to get there. It will be interesting to see how Sporting KC does when there's an actual contender at Kauffman Stadium.

With all the goals, cards and ejections from Sunday's Sporting Kansas City and Chivas USA match, an important event was being overlooked.
Club history was being made.
Jimmy Nielsen, who joined the team in 2010, recorded his 38th regular season clean sheet in the 4-0 win. The shutout moved him atop the club records, beating former United States national team keeper Tony Meola's record.
Nielsen is the 13th MLS keeper in history to record 38 shutouts, but he is the quickest to do so with only 104 matches. He also still has the lowest goal per game average in MLS history, averaging 1.00 goals against.
The record breaking shutout was Nielsen's sixth of the season which, surprise surprise, leads the league.
The MLS record belongs to Kevin Hartman, the former KC Wizards keeper, who has 111 shutouts in his career. Hartman had 22 shutouts as a Wizard, which is good for third in club history.
Nielsen, at 35, will likely add on to his record through the rest of this season. After that, who knows? Nielsen has hinted at retirement before and has implied that he may retire if Sporting KC wins the MLS Cup. Nielsen has been arguably the best keeper in club history, which is impressive given his predecessors.
Regardless, this is a very nice record to see broken by Nielsen and even more impressive that it only took 104 matches in less than four seasons to reach it.

"We willed that to happen tonight," said Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes as Sporting Kansas City celebrated Cinco de Mayo by knocking off the American version of the famous Mexican team, defeating Chivas USA 4-0.
Claudio Bieler scored a brace and was an offside call away from a hat trick. Graham Zusi added a goal and an assist, and CJ Sapong scored his first of the year in the triumph.
Peter Vermes went with a different lineup to start the match. Ike Opara and Mechack Jerome both started in place of Matt Besler and Chance Myers respectively, both out to preserve them for later matches. Peterson Joseph also started for Benny Feilhaber, and Jacob Peterson got the start on the wing in place of CJ Sapong.
Sporting had been threatening all match with superb wing play from Graham Zusi and Jacob Peterson, but it took until the 41st minute for Sporting to score. Claudio Bieler received a ball in the box from Zusi and juked his way around Dan Kennedy and the Chivas defense to finish the score. It was Bieler's fifth goal of the season.
It was a wonder that Sporting KC went into the half with only a one goal lead. However everything came crashing down for Chivas in the second half. Claudio Bieler made a nice move once receiving a through ball in the 54th minute, causing Dan Kennedy to clip him to save the goal. Bieler earned a penalty and Dan Kennedy was sent off.
Bieler took the PK and buried it in the bottom left corner as replacement keeper Patrick McLain dove right. Sporting lead 2-0.
Sporting then piled another goal on a little more than 10 minutes later. Josh Gardner, who made his season debut for Sporting KC, had the ball on the wing and casually crossed it in to Graham Zusi, who finished it in the top right corner to put Sporting KC ahead 3-0.
CJ Sapong then capped off the scoring with a goal in the 87th minute. Mechack Jerome put in the cross and Sapong was there to finish across the face of goal. It was Sapong's first goal of the season, and the first time since 2011 that Sporting had scored four goals in a league match.
Chivas USA was credited with four cards in the match, Dan Kennedy earning a straight red and three other Goats earning cautions. Paulo Nagamura was the only Sporting player with a yellow card, which he earned in the 58th minute for time wasting.
This game also saw some history being made. The shutout earned Jimmy Nielsen his 38th career MLS clean sheet, which put him ahead of former national team member Tony Meola on the franchise record.
With the win Sporting KC snapped a two game losing skid and Claudio Bieler snapped a month-long goalless streak. They moved into a tie for first in the Eastern Conference with a new record of 5-3-2. They are tied with New York Red Bulls, who they have both a win and a game in hand against.
Chivas fell to 3-4-2 and sixth in the Western Conference. Chivas will take on Portland Timbers next Sunday at Jeld-Wen. Sporting will have a quick turnaround, however, as they take on last place Seattle Sounders FC Wednesday night at Sporting Park.

Today, Sporting Kansas City takes on a Chivas USA team that is very different from last year. They currently sit fourth in the western conference with 11 points in eight matches played.
They have really upped their scoring potential from one year ago, scoring half of their total last year not even a quarter of the way through this year. Also on their side is the MLS saves leader in Dan Kennedy, who gave Sporting a lot of grief last year.
The Teams


Sporting Kansas City
4-3-2, 2-1-1 at home
14 Points

4th in the East

Manager: Peter Vermes (5th season)


Chivas USA

3-3-2, 1-1-1 on the road

11 Points
Fourth in the West
Manager: Jose Luis Sanchez Sola (1st season)


Other Info



Date: May 5th, 2013


Gametime: 4:00 pm central, 2:00 pm pacific


TV: KSMO 62


Location: Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kansas.




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