Winning cures all evils. No matter how a team actually looks on the pitch if they are able to achieve positive results then all is forgiven. But one bad result and things can go off of the rails again. Despite having their best start in club D.C. United (5-1-2, 17 points) will have their hands full on Saturday night when they take on Sporting Kansas City (3-2-4, 13 points; RFK Stadium 7PM EST MLS Live).
Despite D.C. taking the season series last year, Sporting has had United’s number in recent years. D.C.’s 3-0 thrashing of K.C. last year was their first win against the powdered blues in over seven matches. If either team is able to secure three points in this match they break the 20-20-11 deadlock that both teams have in the season series.
What made last season so different for D.C. in their series against their fellow MLS originals is that they played with a bit more aggression. United hit three goals in just the first 31 minutes of the match. This frenetic style caught the normally composed Sporting defense off-guard and put the game out of reach with relative ease.
If United are to achieve a similar result tomorrow night they will likely employ a similar strategy. In their match last season, United broke the Sporting defense by using winger Chris Rolfe and midfielder Nick De Leon to force the Sporting center-backs out of position. With forward Fabian Espindola finally back from suspension, United can use their advantage in speed on the outside to create gaps for Espindola to exploit.
Finding those gaps might be a bit more difficult this time around. Center-back Kevin Ellis has already proven to be an immediate upgrade over Aurelien Collin, providing the little bit of finesse to match center-back Matt Besler’s physical tackles. Aside from allowing four goals against the Houston Dynamo, the Sporting defense has had a very strong 2015 campaign thus far (12 goals allowed).
Despite the club picking up a familiar face in midfielder Roger Espinoza in the off-season this is a very different Sporting K.C. The club for years was known for their very physical style and penchant for scoring on the counter-attack. But coach Peter Vermes has changed his approach in 2015, opting for a more passive style.
There is perhaps no player who has benefited more from this change in style than midfielder Benny Feilhaber. Feilhaber has thrived with this approach using his speed and pace to force opponents on their heels. His five assists lead the team and his two goals against the Houston Dynamo three weeks ago helped Sporting secure a draw.
For United to stop Feilhaber they will need midfielder Davy Arnaud to use good judgment on when to engage him. If Feilhaber cannot get a good shot off from distance he will look for leading goal-scorer Kristian Nemeth in the box. Arnaud and the rest of the United defense must not give Nemeth a gap to exploit. With defensive midfielder Markus Halsti back from injury and likely on the bench it may be Arnaud’s last opportunity to keep his job.
Aside from Arnaud the one player with the most to prove in this match Sporting forward Dom Dwyer. It only seems like yesterday that Dwyer was the talk of Major League Soccer. But a slow start to his 2015 campaign (2 goals in 9 matches) has left some Sporting supporters worried.
What is the culprit for his drop-off in performance? Better defending seems to be the primary reason. Dwyer came out of nowhere two seasons ago and it seems that the league is only now giving him the respect of being a top forward in the league. Clubs are tracking him better and using more offside traps to neutralize his counter-attacking abilities. The 24-year old attacker has been called offsides 9 times this season, fifth highest in the league.
The good news is for Sporting and Dwyer is that midfielder Graham Zusi will be back for Saturday night’s match. Zusi has been dealing with hamstring issues this season thus robbing Dwyer of his valuable crosses into the box. His two assists over the past two weeks is good news for Dwyer and bad news for United. United center-back Kofi Opare will need to follow up last week’s excellent performance against the Dynamo with a similar impressive result.
With United looking to preserve their strong start and Sporting looking to get Dwyer into form this should be a very fast-paced match. The key will be if United can hit the Sporting defense early and often. But as evidenced by their performance against the Dynamo two weeks prior, the longer teams keep Sporting in the match the greater risk they take at dropping points at home.
