{"id":386,"date":"2016-09-09T07:00:46","date_gmt":"2016-09-09T11:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsoccer.com\/?p=386"},"modified":"2016-09-09T01:00:57","modified_gmt":"2016-09-09T05:00:57","slug":"sporting-kc-vs-houston-dynamo-match-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2016\/09\/09\/sporting-kc-vs-houston-dynamo-match-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Sporting KC vs. Houston Dynamo: Match Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kansas City, KS (September 9, 2016)<\/strong> – Sporting Kansas City<\/strong> will take on Houston Dynamo<\/strong> on this Friday night at 7pm local time. Sporting KC will look to win its\u2019 seventh consecutive home game. Virtually eliminated from the postseason, the Dynamo will look to extend their three game win streak against Sporting. Our keys to victory for Sporting, and predictions are all included. Lets dig in!<\/span><\/p>\n

Sporting KC vs. Houston Dynamo: Match Preview<\/span><\/h1>\n

Sporting can take a big step forward in securing playoff positioning with a win. Houston? They\u2019ll look to be a nuisance. This week, americansocceranalysis.com<\/span><\/a> released their 2016 MLS Playoff Odds<\/a>. Currently, Sporting have an 80% chance at making the postseason, while Houston has a fraction of a percent\u2019s chance at getting into the playoffs. With Houston all but eliminated, their role now is to play spoiler. Sporting KC haven\u2019t had the greatest of luck against them, losing all three of their last meetings. So what are Sporting\u2019s keys to victory this week?<\/span><\/p>\n

Keys To Victory<\/span><\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t Let Them Get Ahead<\/i><\/span><\/h3>\n

It sounds obvious, but it\u2019s quite a simple thing when playing Houston. Houston took a 2-0 lead over San Jose Earthquakes<\/strong>\u00a0a few weeks back, and were just content to sit and bunker. They absorbed pressure, cross after cross, and made all but one crucial clearance. That resulted in all three points. They got ahead of Seattle Sounders<\/strong> two days later but a late equalizer for Seattle forced a draw. With as predictable as Sporting\u2019s attack has been, if Houston can get ahead, it could spell trouble for them. They will look to counter, and will take advantage of set pieces. Giving them the minimal amount of set pieces and dousing counter attacks should be good enough to get a victory from Sporting. <\/span><\/p>\n

Get In Behind the Defense<\/i><\/span><\/h3>\n

A lot of Sportings\u2019 offense is predicated on getting the ball to Dom Dwyer<\/strong>. What they don\u2019t do well is give him service from in behind the back line. It\u2019s extremely difficult to defend when the ball is behind you, because you must be focused on either the ball, or the man. With smart players like Graham<\/strong> Zusi<\/strong>, Brad Davis<\/strong>, and Jacob Peterson<\/strong> out on the wings, it would be worth it to get in behind the backline to create a little more chaos in Houston\u2019s back line. If they can get around the outside and tiptoe the goal-line, whip in a square ball, there is a solid chance someone gets on the end of it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Take Advantage of Set Pieces<\/i><\/span><\/h3>\n

Sporting has three marvelous set piece takers, and plenty of good targets. This is an easy recipe for goals off of set pieces. Davis, Feilhaber, and Zusi are all capable set piece takers. With guys like Ike Opara<\/strong>, Saad Abdul-Salaam<\/strong>, and of course Dwyer in the mix, scoring off a set piece should be a huge part of the game-plan. Defending them well will be a key as well. As I said earlier, keeping Houston off the board is almost a guaranteed win. I don\u2019t mean to sound like Alexi Lalas<\/strong> in his early commentary days, but dead ball situations should be a main focus for a team like Sporting. Too many capable players to ignore them. <\/span><\/p>\n

Predictions<\/span><\/h2>\n

The First Prediction will be the Starting XI. The only guaranteed missing player will be Jimmy Medranda<\/strong> who\u2019s suspended for this match. It does sound like Justin Mapp<\/strong> and Lawrence Olum<\/strong> will not be available either. Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star<\/em><\/a> reported via Twitter<\/a> they both sat our practice on Tuesday. Roger Espinoza<\/strong>s\u2019 pathetic red card was overturned by the league, and rightfully so. So expect him to be on the lineup sheet. Here\u2019s how I expect them to lineup:<\/span><\/p>\n