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Sporting Kansas City looks to clinch playoff spot in Houston

By Daniel Shulman

KANSAS CITY, KS - AUGUST 09: Sporting KC celebrates goalkeeper Tim Melia's (29) save in penalty kicks to win the semifinal of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup against the San Jose Earthquakes on August 9th, 2017 at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, KS. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, KS - AUGUST 09: Sporting KC celebrates goalkeeper Tim Melia's (29) save in penalty kicks to win the semifinal of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup against the San Jose Earthquakes on August 9th, 2017 at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, KS. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Sporting Kansas City and Houston face off for the first of two times this week.

With seven teams separated by just six points in a log-jammed Western Conference table, the battle for one of the five remaining playoff positions will begin to take shape on Wednesday as the Houston Dynamo host second-place Sporting Kansas City in their first meeting of the season.

The midweek match was rescheduled from August due to the impact of Hurricane Harvey on the Houston area. The Dynamo continue to maintain a grip on fifth place, hovering only one point above the red line.

Houston snapped a six-match winless skid in its last match back on September 30, beating Minnesota United, 2-1, at home. Romell Quioto and Alberth Elis each scored in the second half while the Dynamo defense held off a comeback bid.

Their opponents, Sporting Kansas City, were in action during the international break last weekend in Minnesota. SKC took an early lead on the road before the Loons’ Brent Kallman tied the match in the final ten minutes.

While Houston is looking to create some space between themselves and the red line, Sporting Kansas City can become the second Western Conference team to clinch a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs with a win Wednesday.

With the two teams set to meet twice in five days, each team is looking to grab a little momentum as the playoffs draw near and potential matchups begin to form. A two-game swing with a short turnaround presents a perfect opportunity for postseason preparation.

“It’ll be two different games I think, based on both teams’ lineups,” said SKC manager Peter Vermes. “From our perspective, we’ll use it as a two-game series as if we were in the playoffs. This is the first game on the road and we’ve got to try and get the result.”

Filling in the Blanks

For the first game on Wednesday, both teams will be missing some key faces to international duty. Elis and Quioto have been called into their national teams, leaving a major void up front for the Dynamo. On defense, DaMarcus Beasley and Adolfo Machado will also be missing the match.

Erick Torres and Mauro Manotas have proven they generate scoring chances for the Dynamo with two of Houston’s main offensive weapons away on international duty.

Sporting Kansas City is also without several starters. Matt Besler and Graham Zusi are missing from the backline while Benny Feilhaber will be absent from the midfield.

“Unfortunately, for every team in the league, everyone has somebody that they’re missing,” said Vermes. “What it does is it affects the continuity and consistency within your team, especially coming down to the end of the season when you want to be in form. That’s the difficulty of it.”

The injury sustained by goalkeeper Tim Melia last weekend is the main concern for Sporting Kansas City. A slight hamstring tear will likely sideline the shot-stopper for the remainder of the regular season. Backup options Andrew Dykstra and Adrian Zendejas both eager for a chance to prove their worth ahead of the postseason.

SKC will still feature options up front with Diego Rubio, Cristian Lobato, and Daniel Salloi remaining in the squad. Gerso Fernandes, Ilie Sanchez, and Latif Blessing are also available for selection.

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