Sporting KC Vs Houston Dynamo: Breaking the press

Sporting KC put four past the Houston Dynamo with four different goalscorers. Crucial to their success is how they repeatedly broke the high press.

While Sporting Kansas City don’t have a full-on ‘rival’ in Major League Soccer, they do have two rival-like teams, Real Salt Lake and the Houston Dynamo. The Dynamo knocked out Sporting KC in the 2011 and 2012 postseason campaigns while SKC knocked out Houston on their way to win MLS Cup in 2013. Since then, not much has separated the two, though they have met just once (a 1-0 extra-time win for the Dynamo in the 2017 Western Conference Quarter-Finals) in the postseason since.

Whenever Peter Vermes’ side get a chance to play either of these sides, the games are always tight and physical. Saturday was a rare exemption to that as SKC took all three points in convincing fashion with a 4-0 thumping against the Dynamo.

Sporting KC marched to their second victory of the season with a 4-0 demolition of the Houston Dynamo. An opening goal from Alan Pulido before Roger Espinoza pounced to double their lead at half-time. Newcomers Gadi Kinda and Khiry Shelton added second-half goals to make it 4-0 before the night’s conclusion. There was also a first clean sheet of the season for goalkeeper Tim Melia, which was his 46th career clean sheet, setting a new club record as he passed Jimmy Nielsen.

So, how did Peter Vermes manage to get the better of former teammate Tab Ramos? Well, it was all due to the press. Houston came in looking to press SKC. After all the defensive giveaways and errors last season, it made complete sense. Unfortunately for the visitors, SKC were able to beat the press at every time of asking.

On SKC’s opening goal, the Dynamo sent five players into their attacking third to pressure the defense. SKC got the ball back to Melia, who beat all five players with a simple ball to Graham Zusi. This left Dynamo very open at the back. Zusi took the ball past midfield before switching the point of attack to Gadi Kinda, and suddenly SKC had a four vs. four counter-attack that was finished by Alan Pulido after just 16 minutes.

While SKC’s second goal came from a set-piece where Roger Espinoza pounced on the loose ball, SKC nearly got a third just before half-time by breaking out of the Houston press. Sporting were working the ball across the backline as the Dynamo sent four players to press high up the pitch. Gadi Kinda produced a neat turn in midfield to spin clear before his attempted through ball to Shelton was knocked back to Johnny Russell, who’s one-time chance from 40 yards out or so narrowly missed wide.

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Gadi Kinda’s 66th-minute goal didn’t come from breaking the press but just great intelligence. It started when Luis Martins stopped the Houston counter-attack, poking the ball back to Matt Besler, who’s first-time pass to Pulido freed up some pressure. Pulido momentarily lost possession before getting it back from Russell. The Mexican then turned with the ball before finding the overlapping Russell again. The Scotsman waited for Pulido to find a pocket of space. When he received the ball near the byline, he centered it for Kinda, who showed terrific composure to control the ball and then stab a finish past the goalkeeper from about eight yards out.

Sporting KC added a fourth after Khiry Shelton found his first goal of the season in the 77th minute when Gianluca Busio’s corner kick ended up in Shelton’s lap before firing it past the keeper.

Two games into the new season and seven goals for and one against is something that Peter Vermes has to be absolutely delighted with. Minnesota United are the only team to score more goals (8) and Sporting are tied with the Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake as the only team to concede one goal after two games this season.

The perfect start to the season has been aided by playing two teams that aren’t MLS Cup favorites, but the style in which SKC has played is very promising. And it all comes to their ability to beat the press in deep areas and build attacks from the back. 2020 could be a fabulous year for Sporting KC.