Controversy Takes Center Stage, But Finishing Haunts KC in Playoff Loss

For the third straight year, Sporting Kansas City bowed out of the playoffs at the first hurdle, losing 1-0 on the road to the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference wild card round. It was a return to old nightmares for Kansas City fans as the Sounders scored another late goal to lift them to the win over KC. The goal, and game as a whole was not without controversy as Seattle's game winning goal scorer, Nelson Valdez was shown to be offside. Meanwhile earlier in the game on a much tighter call Matt Besler had a goal (rightly) ruled out due to an offside call. Trying not to be a story in the game, referee Ismael Elfath and his assistants became a story of the game as well for fouls and cards not given.

For all the refereeing issues though, Sporting's struggles to find the back of the net cost them just as much as they controlled the play and couldn't capitalize on the chances that they created. KC started the game flying, pinning the Sounders back in their own end with high pressure. Capitalizing on the mistakes, KC created a number of chances for themselves, but were denied by Stefan Frei or the post. A couple of those chances fell to Paulo Nagamura who was playing as high as Benny Feilhaber much of the game. Both times Frei made a diving save to deny Nagamura. The second time the rebound fell to Graham Zusi who fired a shot to the far post, but the ball hit the post and bounced back into play. After the early run by KC, Seattle started to come into the game more and were able to pin Kansas City back in their end, some good footwork along the end line after a corner almost allowed Nicolas Lodeiro to create an own goal. Collecting a pass out wide he cut inside on the KC defense, dribbled along the end line and hit a shot off Matt Besler that wrong-footed Tim Melia, but the KC goalkeeper was able to stop the ball with his foot and recover. KC had another effort that Nagamura cleared off the line, but was called back on a foul by Chad Marshall, but Seattle was certainly in control of the match for the middle of the first half.

The half then turned again though as KC took over again for the final portion of the half. KC continued to create chances and forced another good save out of Frei during this stretch as a Benny Feilhaber free kick was flicked on goal by Kevin Ellis but Frei made a diving save to tip the ball away and keep the game scoreless as the teams headed into the break.

The second half saw Kansas City continue to be the more aggressive side as they tried to capitalize on all their play. For a split second they thought they had in the 52nd minute when Besler headed a free kick past Frei and into the net but Besler was slightly ahead of the last defender and was correctly ruled offside. Seattle had their chances too as Roman Torres missed the goal by inches on a Seattle free kick as Melia scrambled across his goal to cover the far post where Torres had made his run.

The chippiness of the game reached a tipping point around the 70th minute when Sporting KC was breaking on the counter through Feilhaber. Sounders captain Osvaldo Alonso came sliding through Feilhaber to break up the counter, taking Feilhaber out in the process. Right in front of the Kansas City bench, Peter Vermes and his staff were furiously wanting a second yellow card for Alonso on the play to send him off, but Ismael Elfath didn't see anything wrong with the challenge. Seconds later after Feilhaber returned to the field he was given a yellow card by Elfath after he berated the referee before a goal kick, Feilhaber had to be pushed away by Graham Zusi and other teammates. The incident seemed to fire Feilhaber up more, which was helped as he was rained with boos by Seattle fans every time he touched the ball the rest of the game. Feilhaber though put Kansas City on his back last night and almost scored a wonder goal, beating a number of Seattle defenders as he slalomed through the Seattle defense before hitting a shot with the outside of his right foot that Frei had to knock away.

Unfortunately for KC, something that has been the story over the years has been an inability to capitalize on chances and made to pay for it. Seattle did just that. Kansas City had started to sit a little deeper looking to get to extra time and Seattle pushed forward. After a ball was partially cleared to Joevin Jones, the outside back got into the box and fired a ball across the face of goal that Valdez headed past Melia. Replays showed that Valdez was as far, if not further offside than Besler had been earlier in the night, but the assistant referee kept his flag down as Seattle and their fans celebrated.

After the goal Kansas City threw numbers forward trying desperately to find an equalizer, but Seattle's defense packed in and held firm keeping Kansas City from getting any clear looks on goal. When the final whistle blew, Feilhaber again had to be restrained as he again gave Elfath a piece of his mind before leaving the field. Another disappointing end to the season for Kansas City as they couldn't get past the Sounders despite out playing them for long stretches.

Wizards Man of the Match - Benny Feilhaber - Feilhaber may have either sealed himself a new deal, or SKC will earn themselves some very, very upset fans if they don't re-sign Feilhaber. Last night Feilhaber was on the top of his game, in the form that he was throughout his MVP finalist season last year. The only thing that was missing for him was a goal scorer that could put away the chances he created. With Dwyer blanketed by Torres and Marshall, KC's lack of a second option for Feilhaber to work with kept KC off the board.

Player Ratings - Melia 6, Sinovic 7, Ellis 7, Besler 6, Abdul-Salaam 6, Mustivar 6, Nagamura 6, Feilhaber 9, Espinoza 6, Dwyer 5, Zusi 5. Subs Medranda NR, Peterson NR.

Playoff Match Day: Win or Go Home

Sporting Kansas City begin their playoff campaign tomorrow night in the same place that the club started the season, in Seattle, taking on the Seattle Sounders. Back in March, Sporting used a Nuno Coelho shot from distance, a Seattle red card, and some good goalkeeping to help Kansas City a 1-0 win on First Kick. A full almost nine months later the two teams meet for the third time this season, KC won the prior two games, winning by a combined 4-0 scoreline.

The last time KC saw the Sounders they were quitting on then coach, Sigi Schmid in their 3-0 loss to KC at Children's Mercy Park. That loss cost Schmid his job with the Sounders. Since then though, the Sounders have been one of the hottest teams in the entire league, going 8-2-4 over their final 14 games of the regular season to shoot themselves not only into the playoffs, but into a position to host tomorrow's game. They're a completely different team from that time, mainly due to the acquisition of Nicolas Lodeiro to come in and play in the midfield. The Uruguayan international has four goals and eight assists in 13 games since he signed with the club three days after the loss to KC. The club hasn't even missed a beat with Clint Dempsey going out with a medical issue either. Of all the teams in the playoffs probably the only team in better form right now is the New York Red Bulls who have not lost a game since July 3rd.

Kansas City looks set to receive a boost ahead of tomorrow's game with Jacob Peterson being ready to go for the game. Peterson has enjoyed a career year with six goals and one assist, but the fact that KC has been so reliant on him speaks to the team's issues on the wing throughout this season. To Peterson's credit though he is absolutely making the most of the opportunity and has given KC an option as a secondary goal scorer. Kansas City will need Peterson's involvement up top, while Roger Espinoza has done well in a return to the wing, the offense just hasn't seemed to really get things going with a central midfielder playing out on the wing, it also negates some of the best work Espinoza can do on the field when he's forced to that wide position. That said, with KC having won their last two games with the same lineup, Peter Vermes might very well be tempted to stick with the same 11 that have gotten results the last two games. At the very least I'd expect him to do that along the back line, where the team has pitched back to back shutouts since a pair of shutouts against Seattle and Portland at home in July.

Espinoza - Dwyer - Zusi

Nagamura - Feilhaber

Mustivar

Sinovic - Besler - Ellis - Abdul-Salaam

Melia

Number to Remember - 1 - That's the number of games in the series between these two teams that has been decided by more than a single goal. That was actually the last time the two teams met and Kansas City won 3-0.

Key Match Up - Dom Dwyer vs Chad Marshall - One of the big things talked about in regards to KC and their playoff run is their lack of diversity in attack, something KC fans have talked about most of the season. "Dwyer Island" has been in full effect throughout the season and tomorrow he'll be going up against one of the more experienced and strong center backs in the league in Marshall.

PREDICTION - KC hasn't been in bad form lately, but their form pales in comparison to that of Seattle's. The Sounders, playing at home in front of their crowd are the distinct favorites tomorrow. Add in Kansas City's woeful away form for most of the season and the hill to climb for KC looks quite daunting. At the same time Sporting has the experience in big games that you want in these type of situations. Unfortunately I don't think it will be enough against a Seattle team that seems to be a trendy pick as a dark horse to make MLS Cup out of the West.

SKC - 0
SEA - 2 (Morris, Lodeiro)

What We Want to Happen Today 10/23

It's Decision Day in MLS, all games today kick off at 3pm Central time as MLS embraces the final day excitement. For Sporting KC there are really only two other games that matter to them in today's contests, Salt Lake at Seattle and Portland at Vancouver. Depending on how Sporting KC's game is going what KC fans want to happen in one of those games will likely change.

Salt Lake at Seattle
What we want to happen - draw

A draw combined with a KC win will see Sporting KC jump over both teams and into fourth place in the Western Conference, giving them a home playoff game for the first time since 2013.

Portland at Vancouver
What we want to happen - depends on how KC is doing.

This is where things get a little complicated depending on how Kansas City is doing in their game and what other teams you want to make the playoffs. The simplest way to answer this question is to say we want Portland to lose, preferably by a large margin to give Kansas City some cushion in case they lose to San Jose. On the other hand though Portland could leapfrog over Seattle if the Sounders draw with RSL. That would see the Sounders, arguably the hottest team in all of MLS since August out of the playoffs, something that would probably suit Kansas City just fine. So if KC is winning comfortably against the Earthquakes, rooting for a one goal Portland win isn't something to be ashamed of.

For a full look at how other results today affect Kansas City, I direct you back to my post from Monday.

A Look at Where KC Could Finish

Sporting KC is still looking to clinch a playoff berth heading into the final game of the regular season next Sunday at home against the San Jose Earthquakes. A win and Sporting Kansas City book their place in the playoffs, a draw or a loss and Kansas City can still get in, but will be forced to scoreboard watch and hope other results don't go against Kansas City. At this point though Kansas City can still finish anywhere from fourth to seventh in the West. Here's a quick look at how Kansas City could finish in each of those spots.

Fourth Place

Win over San Jose AND
Salt Lake and Seattle draw AND
Portland loss, draw or win by the same amount (or less) as Kansas City beats San Jose against Vancouver

That string of results would see Kansas City finish tied with at least Salt Lake, and potentially Portland as well if the Timbers were to beat Vancouver on the road. If Portland win in this scenario, all three teams would be tied on 47 points, with Salt Lake being sixth because they'd have fewer wins (currently all have 12), while Portland would finish fifth because KC would have a better goal difference (currently -1 to -2). In that scenario Seattle would be out of the playoffs. If Portland doesn't win they are out of the playoffs instead with Seattle finishing in the sixth spot, RSL fifth, and KC still fourth.

Obviously this is the favored result KC wants as it would give them a home game against the fifth seeded team which would be either Portland or Salt Lake.

Fifth place

Win over San Jose AND
Salt Lake or Seattle win AND
Portland loss, draw or win by the same amount (or less) as Kansas City beats San Jose against Vancouver

This string of results would see the winner of the Salt Lake and Seattle game take fourth place in the West on 49 points (RSL) or 48 points (Seattle). KC would finish fifth on 47 points beating out Portland if they win on goal difference again, or without tiebreakers if the Timbers lose or draw. If Portland wins the loser of Salt Lake and Seattle would miss out on the playoffs, If Portland loses or draws they would be out.

This would probably seem to be the most likely scenario based on form this season with Seattle winning and Portland losing or drawing, putting KC into a match up on the road at the Sounders, where Sporting started their season.

OR

Win over San Jose AND
Salt Lake and Seattle draw AND
Portland beat Vancouver by more than KC beat San Jose

In this scenario KC, Salt Lake, and Portland would again all finished tied on 47 points. Like before, Salt Lake would finish sixth because they would have fewer wins than KC and Portland. KC would finish in fifth because Portland would overturn KC's goal difference advantage in this position and finish in fourth. That'd mean a rematch of last year's wild card game at Providence Park.

Sixth place

Win over San Jose AND
Salt Lake or Seattle win AND
Portland beats Vancouver by more than KC beat San Jose

A bit of a combination of the fifth place scenarios, Salt Lake or Seattle would take fourth place staying ahead of KC and Portland who would be tied on 47 points. Portland would again overturn the goal difference advantage KC has and drop them to sixth. The loser of RSL and Seattle would be out.

OR

Draw with San Jose AND
Any result in Salt Lake vs Seattle AND
Portland draw or lose at Vancouver

In this scenario KC would finish with 45 points, potentially level with Seattle on points, but the Sounders win the first tiebreaker, having 13 wins already to KC's 12. The winner of Salt Lake and Seattle would then host the other in the wild card game while KC would take on the LA Galaxy.

OR

KC lose to San Jose AND
Any result in Salt Lake vs Seattle AND
Portland lose to Vancouver by as much or more than KC does

The goal difference tie breaker again comes into play as a loss could still see Kansas City qualify for the playoffs if the Timbers lose by as much or more than KC were to lose to San Jose.

Seventh place

Draw with San Jose
Any result in Salt Lake vs Seattle
Portland defeat Vancouver

In this scenario Portland leaps over Kansas City, while the best KC could do is finish on 45 points, where they'd lose the tiebreaker with the Sounders if Seattle were to lose at home.

OR

KC lose to San Jose
Any result in Salt Lake vs Seattle
Portland win, draw, or lose by less than KC loses

In this scenario it all comes down to what happens at BC Place between Vancouver and Portland. If KC loses and Portland losses by less, they move ahead of KC on goal difference, winning that tiebreaker, and obviously if KC lose and Portland get any sort of result they move ahead of KC, ending KC's run of playoff appearances.

In the end, things are very simple for Kansas City, win and you're in. If you can't get the win then you are reliant on the results of others to help you punch your playoff ticket. Hoping on the team with the worst home record in the league (Vancouver) to beat the team with the worst road record in the league (Portland) isn't something that I'd want to be hoping for.

What We Want to Happen Today 10/16

We're into the final two weeks of the regular season and for Kansas City things are still up in the air regarding the playoffs. They still have a strong chance of qualifying for the playoffs, but scoreboard watching begins if Kansas City ends up losing to Salt Lake. The entire Western Conference kicks off at the same time today so that will add a little extra drama to the games as well. Out East there's not really much left for KC to focus on. Sure there are MLS Cup hosting chances, but even that feels like a bit of a pipe dream to wish for (more so than wishing for a trip to MLS Cup) so I'm solely going to focus on the West.

Colorado at Portland
What we want to happen - Colorado win

Portland is the lone team in the Western Conference still in the playoff race that is outside looking in right now. A win today for the Timbers would keep their playoff hopes alive for another week, especially if Sporting lose in Utah. That'd allow Portland to leap frog Kansas City and into a playoff position. The good thing for KC fans is that Colorado still has something to fight for, they are still chasing this year's Supporters' Shield, so they're not going to be putting out a reserve squad to rest their starters. The other thing to watch for in this game is that Portland have a must win CCL game this coming mid-week that could play some role in squad selection. A draw here also isn't the end of the world for KC as it would still allow Kansas City to control their own destiny if they lose to RSL.

Seattle at FC Dallas
What we want to happen - Dallas win

KC has two ways to clinch a playoff berth today, both involve KC beating RSL, but then they need Portland to lose/draw or they need Seattle to lose to Dallas (because of Seattle's final match being against RSL). So to hedge some bets here go ahead and root for Dallas to get the win. A Dallas win would also keep Kansas City's hopes of hosting a wild card game alive.

LA at Houston
What we want to happen - Houston win

It is still theoretically possible for KC to finish as high as third place in the West if they win out and LA takes no more than one point the rest of the season. So LA dropping points against Houston keeps those hopes alive.

Vancouver at San Jose
What we want to happen - doesn't matter

Both teams are eliminated from the playoff race.

What We Want to Happen Today and Tomorrow 10/12, 10/13

After a weekend where there was only a single game that really had only a minimal effect on Kansas City (Houston was officially eliminated from playoff contention) we have a couple midweek games this week to get every team in the league up to 32 games played heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. Two of the games have some potential interests for Kansas City both above them and below them heading into this weekend, while the Eastern Conference match up features one eliminated team and one close to elimination. Here's what KC fans want to happen today and tomorrow in the two Western Conference games.

10/12
Houston at Seattle
What we want to happen - Houston win

A Dynamo win keeps the Seattle Sounders just a single point ahead of KC with their final game in hand being played. Sporting may not be able to pass Seattle in the end, but keeping them ahead by just a single point heading into the weekend would at the least be a confidence boost. A win for Seattle would also put a lot more pressure on this weekend's opponent for KC, as Real Salt Lake would fall into 5th place and face an away wild card game if the playoffs were to start before this weekend.

10/13
San Jose at Colorado
What we want to happen - Colorado win

Colorado (and a way out of the wild card game) is beyond Kansas City's reach at this point, sitting 11 points clear with KC only having six available points. Meanwhile, San Jose sit six points behind Kansas City, below the red line. A win by Colorado would eliminate San Jose from playoff contention because the best they would be able to do is tie Kansas City on points with 43, and they would lose the first tie breaker against Kansas City, which is most wins. Even if they were to win their final two games, San Jose would only finish with 10 wins, while KC would still sit on 12 wins. A draw would keep the Earthquakes hopes alive, but would mean any more points dropped by them or gained by KC would eliminate them.

What We Want to Happen Today 10/2

KC got some help last night from around the league in both their attempts to make the playoffs and the potential of sneaking into fourth place in the West. Unfortunately for KC though they couldn't take care of their own business against New England and still sit in fifth place with two games to play.

At this point for Sporting KC I'm mainly going to just focus on the games with Western Conference teams in these posts. So the only game KC is worried about is Seattle at Vancouver.

Seattle at Vancouver
What we want to happen - Vancouver win

The Whitecaps are in a similar position as San Jose was when it comes to Sporting KC. Sporting is almost out of reach for them, eight points back with only nine available. They'd have to win out and KC would have to pick up no more than one point in their final two. With that in mind the objective here is to stay in fifth place in the West, that means sixth place Seattle needs to fall on the road.

What We Want to Happen Today 10/1

Heading into a busy Saturday with a number of intra-conference match ups in MLS, in fact, Sporting KC's game against New England is the only game today or tomorrow between an Eastern and Western Conference team. That means there's a lot of potential for the playoff picture to be clearer come the end of the weekend. Starting with the Western Conference match ups, here's what KC fans want to happen today.

LA at Dallas
What we want to happen - Dallas win

Dallas is officially out of reach for Kansas City, sitting 10 points back with only three games to play. With that in mind having the Galaxy drop points could make things very interesting the last few weeks. A Galaxy loss combined with a KC win would see KC jump to within two points of the third place Galaxy with two games to play.

Portland at Colorado
What we want to happen - Colorado win

Portland is only two points behind Kansas City but currently sit outside the playoff picture. KC need them to continue to drop points to help make their playoff position safer. A loss combined with a KC win would see KC jump to five points clear with only two games to play for both teams, almost securing KC a playoff spot. On the other hand a win in Colorado (where the Rapids are undefeated) and a loss by KC could see Sporting fall to a position outside the playoffs with two games to play.

Salt Lake at San Jose
What we want to happen - San Jose win

San Jose can still technically catch KC, they are 10 points back, but still have four games to play, including a trip to KC on the last day of the season. The Earthquakes though haven't shown the ability to put a good run together and have only won twice in 19 games. Meanwhile Salt Lake sit just two points ahead of KC for fourth and the all important home game for the wild card round of the playoffs, so a loss by Salt Lake combined with a KC win would see the two teams flop position with a big match in Salt Lake coming up next for both teams.

Philadelphia at New York
What we want to happen - New York win

This is a tough one, and I almost want to go with a draw here, but at this point of the season KC want to keep as many teams behind them as possible. While the Red Bulls are still catchable at 48 points for the ability to host MLS Cup, there are enough points left on the table that KC likely isn't going to be able to catch them. So with that in mind, the goal is to keep Philadelphia behind KC on points and hope the likes of New York get knocked out on their way to MLS Cup.

Chicago at Columbus
What we want to happen - Does not matter

The first match up of the season that really doesn't have meaning for KC. Yes the Crew can technically still catch KC, if they win out and KC loses out (they are sitting 11 points back with four to play). But if both of those happen, KC won't be in the playoffs anyway, so this result has no bearing on Kansas City.

DC at Toronto
What we want to happen - Toronto win

Similar to the New York situation, at this point it's about keeping as many teams behind KC as possible and hoping the teams ahead of them get bumped out before they play Kansas City.

What We Want to Happen Today 9/30

The midweek games didn't help Sporting KC out a whole lot, especially with the Seattle Sounders closest to them winning and jumping into 6th place in the West, making 5-7 much tighter. Tonight there's only one MLS that has little impact on KC for the most part.

NYCFC at Houston
What we want to happen - Houston win

While the Dynamo still have two games in hand on KC and sit 11 points behind, their chances of passing the four teams between KC and them is extremely unlikely. Keeping them in the playoff chase as long as possible is also important, especially with match ups against Seattle, LA and Colorado upcoming for Houston. It also keeps the possibility of KC passing NYCFC in the single table should both teams make MLS Cup.

What We Want to Happen Today 9/28

Sporting Kansas City helped themselves this past weekend, getting the win on the road in San Jose, but also got some help around the league with Portland dropping points allowing KC to jump back into fifth. Tonight there are a number of midweek MLS matches that could also help Kansas City on their path to clinching a playoff berth. Even though it wasn't MLS related, KC did already get one result last night that helps them out some. The Portland Timbers kept their CCL quarterfinal qualification hopes alive with a win in El Salvador last night. That means that the Timbers will have the chance to advance should they defeat Saprissa and overturn the goal difference against them (-2) in that game. That could potentially cause some lineup shuffling for them as the game is the week before the final regular season game.

Here are tonight's games.

San Jose at Montreal
What we want to happen - Montreal win

While a Montreal win allows the Impact to close the gap with KC to just two points in the overall table, it'll virtually eliminate the Earthquakes from being able to catch Kansas City. It would leave them nine points back with only 12 points left available to them. Them having nothing to play for in the final game of the season could be a blessing for Kansas City as well.

Chicago at Seattle
What we want to happen - Chicago win

With five wins in their last eight games, Seattle is probably the hottest team in MLS. Hosting the current "wooden spoon" leader tonight doesn't give me much hope of the Fire getting the result tonight, but with the games in hand the Sounders still have, and their position in the table, keeping them as far away from KC as possible is a plus. A win by Seattle tonight would see them jump ahead of the Timbers and into sixth place, just two points behind KC, still with a game in hand.

Orlando at Toronto
Columbus at DC
What we want to happen - Orlando and Columbus wins

Really these games only affect Kansas City in the single table and the potential of an MLS Cup hosted in KC. Toronto is getting close to being uncatchable for KC, sitting five points clear of them currently, while DC currently sits sixth in the East on 37 points. Keeping the rest of the East alive to fight for points while keeping those in playoff position close to KC is what we're going for.

What We Want to Happen Today 9/25

To go along with a big win against San Jose, Kansas City got some help elsewhere around the league too. The Houston Dynamo continued to play the spoiler role defeating the Portland Timbers, which allowed KC to jump back into fifth place. Dallas and Colorado both earned road draws against Salt Lake and Vancouver which allowed KC to close the gap for fourth to just two points on the former and extend their lead on the later to eight points with three games to play for the Whitecaps. Today there's another huge game with playoff implications for KC. There's also an Eastern Conference match up that has pretty much no meaning to KC.

Seattle at Los Angeles
What we want to happen - LA win

While LA not sits just five points ahead of KC in third place in the Western Conference, Seattle is the team to watch out for in the Western Conference. The Sounders are in some of the best form of any team in the league at this point and still have six games left. They're outside the playoffs on 35 points right now, but with their games in hand could easily close the gap, so KC fans are rooting for the Galaxy to take all three today.

What We Want to Happen Today, 9/24

Getting down to the last month of the season, things are extremely tight for Sporting KC in their race for a playoff berth. At this point I'm going to forgo the Eastern Conference match ups, just know that KC want as many dropped points out of Eastern Conference playoff teams as possible for that fantasy chance of hosting MLS Cup. On that note, let's take a look at the games involving Western Conference teams and what Sporting want to happen in those games.

Colorado at Vancouver
What we want to happen - Colorado win

While Colorado is only seven points ahead of KC late in the season, they also still have two games in hand on Sporting, so the likelihood of catching them is small, even if Colorado hasn't been in the greatest of form lately. Vancouver meanwhile is just six points back while having played the same number of games. Cutting that lead to just three points is something that KC doesn't want to happen at all.

Portland at Houston
What we want to happen - Houston win

Sporting KC could find themselves back in fifth place after tonight if KC somehow gets a win in San Jose and Portland loses or draws in Houston. But even if they don't, keeping Portland close to KC is the key. Therefore, having the Dynamo close the game with KC to eight, while a little disturbing, is better than Portland making their lead on KC four points.

Dallas at Salt Lake
What we want to happen - Dallas win

With Dallas basically unreachable for KC to catch, Sporting want Salt Lake to drop points and leave them still within touching distance for Sporting KC to catch and potentially get a home game in the playoffs.

What We Want to Happen Today 9/17

It's a busy day of MLS games today, with plenty of games having a big impact on Sporting Kansas City and their playoff hopes. With Sporting playing on Sunday, they get to scoreboard watch today and hope that come Sunday morning they're still in fifth place in the West.

Vancouver at Seattle
What we want to happen - draw

A draw keeps either side from closing the gap by more than a point, and it takes a point off the board as well. With the Whitecaps only five points behind and the Sounders seven (but two games in hand) Sporting don't want either one of the two teams to gain too much ground on them, but better they split the points than one get all three.

Philadelphia at Portland
What we want to happen - Philadelphia win

With a West vs East match up, take the East team almost every single time, even if it hurts the fantasy of an MLS Cup at Children's Mercy Park. A win by Portland would see them jump over KC and into fifth place. Sporting want that "buffer" between them and the red line.

Dallas at NYCFC
What we want to happen - Dallas win

Really at this point KC's chances of catching Dallas are pretty much nonexistent, Dallas sits 12 points clear with only 15 points left available for KC. NYCFC is still catch-able for that fantasy MLS Cup run, so hope that Dallas doesn't have a hangover from their US Open Cup win.

San Jose at Colorado
What we want to happen - Colorado win

Similar to Dallas I am not sure that KC has any chance of catching Colorado, they sit seven points ahead of KC and have two games in hand on Sporting. On the other hand, San Jose still has two games in hand on KC and sits just six points behind Sporting, so them dropping points is the result KC needs more in this game.

Houston at Salt Lake
What we want to happen - Houston win

Houston still sits rooted to the bottom of the Western conference with 26 points while Salt Lake sit five points ahead of KC for one of those wild card home games. Dropped points by Salt Lake and a KC win would see Sporting close the gap to just two points with the same number of games played.

Columbus at Orlando
What we want to happen - Columbus win

The fantasy of an MLS Cup at Children's Mercy Park, hope the teams closer to a playoff position lose, Orlando is currently in seventh, tied with DC for the final playoff spot in the East, Columbus is at the bottom of the East, so Orlando dropping all three is most ideal.

New England at Montreal
What we want to happen - New England win

Like the Columbus at Orlando game, keep the team higher up the table from getting all three points. Montreal is only one point behind KC in the overall table, so New England picking up all three is the result KC want here.

What We Want to Happen Today 9/16

Last weekend didn't exactly go to plan for Sporting Kansas City in their playoff race. Along with a draw against the Houston Dynamo, Sporting got little to no help from other games on the weekend to help them close the gap on the teams in front of them, or extend their gap on the teams below them. Another weekend of games could see Sporting KC less than three points above the red line in the Western Conference if results don't go their way again.

DC at Chicago
What we want to happen - Chicago win

The weekend starts off with a match up that has little to no bearing on Sporting KC as both United and the Fire currently sit outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. But DC sitting on 33 points while Chicago sits on 26 makes it a simple choice of going with the team with fewer points at this point of the season.

What We Want to Happen Today 9/11

Most results in the Western Conference didn't go Sporting KC's way last night as Vancouver, Colorado, and Portland all won to add to their point total, getting Vancouver within five points, Portland within one, and the Rapids extended their lead on KC to seven points. The only good news out West was that San Jose and Seattle drew, meaning neither one of them gained three points on Kansas City. Today's games feature three Eastern Conference teams, but still there's things KC fans will want to happen.

Orlando at Los Angeles
What we want to happen - Orlando win

Pretty simple here, while it allows KC to gain on KC in terms of a fantasy MLS Cup, it keeps LA within five points of Kansas City, and with the Galaxy coming to Kansas City next weekend it leaves a window for KC to cut that lead to two in a little over a week.

DC at New York
What we want to happen - DC win

Back to the MLS Cup hopes, New York is ahead of Kansas City, so Sporting want them to drop points so that KC can potentially catch them.

What We Want to Happen Today 9/10

Sporting missed an opportunity to push themselves 10 points above the red line last night in the race for the playoffs. Now Sporting KC become spectators for the rest of the weekend as the rest of the league plays. Here's a look at what KC fans should be hoping happens in today's slate of MLS games.

Vancouver at Columbus
What we want to happen - Columbus win

Vancouver sits ninth in the West, but has 31 points, while there are four teams between them and Kansas City, dropping points to keep them from closing the eight point gap to five points is what Sporting will want from this game.

Colorado at Dallas
What we want to happen - Dallas win

At this point Dallas is almost out of reach for KC, sitting 12 points clear with KC only having five games left. With that and the fact that Colorado currently occupies the last home wild card game slot, KC wants Dallas to take care of business at home tonight. A win last night for KC would have left KC just a single point behind the Rapids, making things much more interesting, but this at least keeps KC within four points of a home playoff game.

Salt Lake at Portland
What we want to happen - Salt Lake win

While Sporting is not far behind Salt Lake, just five points, the Timbers and sixth place in the West are just four. If Sporting had held on last night, I probably would have been putting this one down as a draw, but since KC dropped two points keeping the chasing pack as far behind as possible is the main objective, which means hoping that Salt Lake pulls further away.

Seattle at San Jose
What we want to happen - draw

San Jose and Seattle sit on 32 and 31 points respectively, both below the red line right now. While it hurts to have both teams gain just a little on KC, I'd rather that happen than let one of them cut the point lead KC has to four or five points.

Montreal at Philadelphia
What we want to happen - draw

Again back to the fantasy of Sporting KC making MLS Cup, the hopes of hosting hinge on being ahead of as many teams as possible in the East. This allows both teams a point, but keeps Philadelphia within a win by KC of passing them.

NYCFC at New England
What we want to happen - New England win

New England have 30 points while NYCFC sits five points ahead of KC on 44 points. Again, all about MLS Cup hosting means keeping NYCFC as close as possible.

Toronto at Chicago
What we want to happen - Chicago win

Another MLS Cup fantasy here, Toronto sits on 43 points, four clear of Sporting while Chicago is almost out of the playoff race. If you're a KC fan, you probably want to get used to the idea of cheering for the Fire down the stretch.

What We Want to Happen Today 9/7

Last weekend probably couldn't have gone much better for Sporting KC fans as results around the league went KC's way with Portland, Colorado, and Vancouver losing their games. The only way it could have gone better is if LA had not won against Columbus. Now there's a pair of midweek games, one of which is a big one to watch for KC fans.

LA at Salt Lake

What we want to happen - Salt Lake win

This is a hard one really to pick an option on simply because the two teams are so close. Both teams have played 27 games so far this season, tonight's game makes up their last game in hand on Kansas City. Both teams sit on 43 points, five points in front of Kansas City. Salt Lake is in second and LA is in fourth due to the most wins tie breaker, 12 to 10. I almost want to pick a draw here, but at the same time I don't want both teams to get to six points in front of KC, especially with the carrot being a home playoff game if KC can get into fourth place. So what we want to happen is the higher placed team, in this case Salt Lake, to take care of their business at home. Either of the other two results aren't the end of the world, but having LA still have to come to Kansas City once this season is enough for me to want Salt Lake to take care of business, leaving LA within five points.

Orlando at Montreal

What we want to happen - Orlando win

An Orlando win keeps Montreal with fewer points than Kansas City in the overall table, and while MLS Cup is pretty much a pipe dream, keeping the off chance of hosting MLS Cup is a nice thought.

What We Want to Happen Today 9/3

I had completely forgotten about the Thursday night game until it was too late for a post on what we wanted to happen. Honestly there a draw would have been fine for KC. While Sporting is off this weekend for the international break there are still games to be played, with three being inter-conference match ups.

New York at Vancouver
What we want to happen - New York win

At this point in the season with the West vs East match ups, no matter where the East team is you're usually going to want to root for the team in the East. For Sporting it's a matter of keeping Vancouver behind them. This is the Whitecaps last game in hand and they sit seven points behind KC at this point. Keeping that lead at seven would keep KC with some breathing room.

Colorado at New England
What we want to happen - New England win

Catching the Rapids may be a bit of a pipe dream, but Sporting does sit just five points behind the Rapids (having played three more games though), so there is the ability to play catch up and move up the table. Some help from the Revolution at home would do KC plenty of good.

Portland at Dallas
What we want to happen - Dallas win

I hold no grand visions of Kansas City closing the 10 point gap between them and first place Dallas, mainly because there are three other teams also between KC and Dallas in the West so catching Dallas probably means one or two of those other teams remain ahead of KC. With that in mind it's about keeping the Portland Timbers in the sixth spot and having that "buffer" between KC and the red line. Although a win would technically keep Portland in sixth on tie breakers, having the point buffer is nice to have as well.

Columbus at Los Angeles
What we want to happen - Columbus win

Columbus sits in ninth in the East on 26 points, LA sits two points ahead of Sporting in the West, simply about keeping Kansas City within touching distance of the Galaxy and a potential home wild card game in the playoffs is important. Given the overall lack of results around MLS on the road this year, it appears home field advantage could be extremely important, and that starts with the wild card playoff game.

Philadelphia at Chicago
What we want to happen - Chicago win

Really there's not much to this other than the outside chance of a Kansas City vs Philadelphia MLS Cup. In that case Sporting want to keep Philadelphia from pulling further away from them, currently Philadelphia is two points ahead of Kansas City, sitting on 40 points. So as much as it'll hurt some fans, you actually want to root for the Fire in this one.

What We Want to Happen Today 8/28

A couple of results that Sporting KC wanted happened yesterday, especially in the Western Conference where San Jose lost and LA and Vancouver played to a draw. Unfortunately Kansas City didn't take advantage of the results going their way, falling 2-0. Today there are three more games, one of which will have big implications on Sporting.

Seattle at Portland
What we want to happen - draw

Portland and Seattle sit in sixth and eighth currently in the Western Conference, six and seven points behind Sporting KC in fifth place. Sporting really doesn't want either team to gain on them, but keeping both as far away as possible is important. So like LA and Vancouver last night, Sporting is wanting a draw. If you have to go for a winner, Portland is probably the better choice since they're already in the playoff picture right now and it'd keep Seattle from closing the gap.

New England at New York
What we want to happen - New England win

We're back to the unlikely chances that Sporting makes it to MLS Cup. In this instance, New York currently has one less point than Kansas City does, so New York dropping points is a positive.

NYCFC at Orlando
What we want to happen - Orlando win

New York has three more points than Kansas City does right now, keeping them within a win point wise is what Kansas City will want.

What We Want to Happen Today 8/27

To make things easier for other Sporting KC fans, for the last few years I've been doing posts late in the season on "what we want to happen" in the other MLS games around the league. This way if you have MLS Live, or are scoreboard watching you have an idea of who you want to win each match up to help Sporting KC. I'll run through all the match ups, both East and West, because on the off chance Sporting KC were to make MLS Cup, point totals in the East will be important. I will focus mainly on the Western Conference though because of playoff positioning.

San Jose at Columbus
What we want to happen - Columbus win

The Earthquakes are currently in seventh place in the West on tiebreakers with Portland. They are only six points behind Sporting with two games in hand. Meanwhile the Crew are sitting bottom of the Eastern Conference. Here it is very simple, KC fans want San Jose to lose.

Dallas at Houston
What we want to happen - Houston win

This one isn't as straight forward, but keeping Dallas within touching distance for Kansas City isn't bad although it's highly unlikely that KC will catch them. On the other side Houston is currently 13 points back of Sporting, catching them seems extremely unlikely, so let the top of the West continue to stay crowded.

Vancouver at LA
What we want to happen - draw

Vancouver is in ninth place in the West, but only trails KC by eight points. Meanwhile the Galaxy are one point ahead of KC. Sporting really doesn't want Vancouver to close the gap further but at the same time doesn't want LA, and a potential home wild card game to get away from them, especially with LA having two games in hand on Sporting at this time. Unfortunately both teams can't lose, so splitting a point is probably the best.

Chicago at DC
What we want to happen - Chicago win

Really this doesn't have much in it for KC, DC is in a playoff spot in the East, but is nine points behind Sporting. Chicago currently sits in ninth place on 23 points. DC dropping points in the unlikely event of a KC vs DC MLS Cup is a good thing.

Montreal at Toronto
What we want to happen - draw

Another match up that is all about MLS Cup, Sporting want Toronto (43 points) to stay close enough to catch while Montreal (34 points) doesn't catch up with Sporting. Again a split of the points is in KC's favor.