Columbus Crew (7-3-3, 24 points) versus Sporting Kansas City (7-2-3, 24 points)
Children’s Mercy Park, 6pm EST/5pm CST, FS1
Columbus’ shutout streak so far.
The Columbus Crew are 10 minutes away from grabbing a record period of shutout soccer. Columbus has had four straight games of shutouts before but never five. That should be the goal Sunday. Impeccable timing as Sunday is our first nationally televised game in centuries. #Crew96 pic.twitter.com/hO05wol0bh
— CREWTURE.NET (@crewture) May 24, 2018
A month ago in a 2-1 win over San Jose on April 28th was the last time that Columbus allowed a goal.
That goal was at the end of the first half putting Columbus at four hundred and five minutes of shutout soccer.
Now I don’t include a game you allow a goal in as shutout soccer. That’s why that game on April 28th is missing from the above highlight.
Wouldn’t include this game either if similar occurred with SKC scoring later on. So, I’m hopeful Columbus’ goal is more than a shutout for the next ten minutes.
#CrewSC has the longest active shutout streak in @MLS this season. ⚡️
GK @zackstef_23 weighs in. ?? pic.twitter.com/SY29KEbchr
— Columbus Crew SC (@ColumbusCrewSC) May 23, 2018
Beating that mark regardless would be great. But doesn’t count in my opinion as better than the 2011 mark unless you have five straight shutout games.
As the only thing that beats four straight shutout games is five straight shutout games.
Good thing Columbus has a nice easy opponent on the road in 7-2-3 Kansas City who has an identical 24 points while playing one less game.
But after the 2-2 offensive battle at Mapfre with New England a month prior, I didn’t foresee Columbus’s shutout streak surviving on the road there to continue to this weekend.
So, I wouldn’t put it past Steffen and company and likely no one will.
Crewture’s projected Crew lineup:
Keep things going about the same.
If you’re getting a shutout in New England your doing something correct.
My only change would be starting Cristian Martinez over Luis Argudo.
Luis Argudo is a better than expected rookie but is he more than that? I haven’t seen the big add when he’s starting.
Since Martinez’s inclusion in Panama’s 35 man World Cup roster he’s played only 48 out of a possible 180 minutes as a substitute twice.
Get the guy on the field.
It’s a once in a lifetime chance, no reason to overthink it.
Sporting Kansas City’s projected lineup:
Kansas City is on a 70 minute shutout streak. ?
They tied below the playoff line Minnesota at Minnesota last week 1-1.
But ties on the road are good.
Because I want that shutout streak I would cheerfully take a 0-0 tie on the road this week.
Sporting Kansas City plays an attack positive 4-3-3 formation which led to a 2-0 win two games ago in Atlanta.
Considering Steffen’s acrobatics during this streak I think he’ll want it more than Sporting KC will want to score.
PREDICTION: Columbus 1-0. Zardes.
Columbus Crew
Sporting Kansas City
