Top two in the West clash when Sporting KC visits Seattle Sounders

Sounders MVP candidate Joao Paulo

Seattle, WA – The two leaders in the Western conference will go head to head this Saturday, when Sporting Kansas City comes into town to take on the Seattle Sounders. This will be their last encounter of the regular season, and it will also decide the season series as both teams have a single victory over each other.

Last match recap: In their last match, the Sounders were able to take a point home as a result of a 1-1 draw with third in the West Colorado on the road. An 81st minute goal by Cristian Roldan off of the service from Leo Chu would be the equalizer after the Rapids scored in the 66th thanks to Dominique Badji. This draw would give Seattle a point, and since Kansas City lost to Vancouver in their last match, the Sounders now hold a six point advantage over Sporting for the crown of first place in the West. Including this matchup, Seattle has four matches to go, and they all can prove to be important considering that KC is still in reach of taking over the first place spot.

Where they stand heading into this matchup

• Sporting Kansas City: 2nd in the Western conference with 52 points. 15-7-7 record with four matches to go.
• Seattle Sounders: 1st in the Western conference with 58 points. 17-6-7 record with four matches to go.

Getting Cristian Roldan involved will be a key to watch

Key points to this game

1. Keep Cristian Roldan involved: It seems like one of the Roldan brothers has been in the spotlight for this team throughout different periods of the season, and sometimes it has been both of them. Cristian has scored four goals in his last five MLS matches, so I ask you, why mess with something if it is working? Feed your hot hand early and often, and this does not just mean in goal scoring opportunities alone. We know that Cristian is able to distribute in addition to his scoring, so keeping the ball near him will be a key to beating a KC side that is looking to bounce back. The KC defense has been a bit sloppy lately, so it wouldn’t be far fetched to see Roldan take advantage and add another goal.
2. Don’t make it easy for KC to bounce back: Kansas City and Seattle have been the two teams at the top of the West for a while now, and with four games to go for each club, the opportunity to see another lead change is still possible. To avoid this, it is crucial that Seattle makes its presence felt early as to not let Sporting come into this game and make it their own, coming off of a 2-1 loss to a Vancouver Whitecaps team that is white hot as of late. Another thing to note is that Colorado and KC are tied in points with 52, so there is even more pressure that is provided by the Rapids for Sporting to bounce back.
3. Lock up first place in the West: Coming into this week, the Sounders simply needed to get good results in their matches against the third and second best teams in their conference, the teams that are right below them in Colorado and Kansas City, respectively. Mission partially accomplished with a draw against the Rapids, but a head to head victory over the team that is fighting to usurp you as number one should effectively put the nail in the coffin. Come into this match strong, assert dominance, and grab hold of first in the West while Jordan Morris and Nico Lodeiro continue to near return just in time for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.

Credit to Melissa Levin and Paul Kahl for the great photos used in this article !