Sporting KC, Shootout Kings, Win Another Trophy From the Spot

For the third time in four years Sporting KC will be painting the wall at Sporting Park. This time they did it on the road. Overcoming a poor game overall by the team, KC found a way to win it on penalty kicks, 1-1 (7-6) with summer signing Jordi Quintilla scoring the deciding penalty in the eighth round to give KC the cup.

Things didn't start well for Sporting KC as just minutes into the game Tim Melia had to make a save on the line after Maurice Edu headed a Cristian Maidana corner on goal. KC though had some good chances early on, in fact Paulo Nagamura hit the post in the 12th minute after Graham Zusi brought down a Benny Feilhaber cross and touched it back to Nagamura. His effort pinged off the inside of the post and into the hands of goalkeeper Andre Blake. The Union though started to take over the game and in the 23rd minute grabbed the lead when Vincent Nogueira played a superb ball over the top for Sebastien Le Toux who got in behind Seth Sinovic. Melia was slow to come off his line and Le Toux made him pay burying a shot into the corner. The Union continued to control the half after the goal, pinning KC deep in their own end. Melia came off his line with a big save  in the 37th on a similar ball to Le Toux a second time later in the half. Seconds later he was beating away a second shot from Tranquillo Barnetta. The Union went into the half up 1-0 and KC was desperately looking for answers.

In the second half KC came out and really started to play better against the Union. They pushed the game and finally started to get their front three involved in the play. In the 65th they were rewarded as Krisztian Nemeth tied it. Chance Myers got the ball down the right wing and played the ball in to Zusi. Instead of shooting Zusi pushed the ball the rest of the way across the box to Nemeth who one timed a curling effort into the net to make it 1-1. After the goal though the Union started to control the game again and forced KC onto their back foot. The KC defense though held out again with some help from Melia and the 90 minutes ended 1-1.

In extra time there weren't a lot of good chances for either side, the best coming when Edu forced Melia to make another goal line save off another corner kick. And after 120 minutes Sporting KC was headed to another PK shootout. And from there it was a PK clinic put on by both teams. The Union had inserted their USOC hero John McCarthy but really KC didn't give him much opportunity to be there hero with some fantastic PKs. The Union were just as good. Through the first five Le Toux, Feilhaber, Nogueira, and Dom Dwyer all left McCarthy and Melia with no chance. A poor penalty from Edu was saved with the third shot to give KC an edge but Nemeth equaled Edu's poor penalty and after three it was still 2-2. The good penalties continued after that though with Barnetta, Matt Besler, Conor Casey, and Nagamura all leaving the goalkeepers with no chance. Into sudden death teams went with Michael Lahoud and Graham Zusi both scoring to make it 5-5 after six. In the seven round again Raymon Gaddis and Kevin Ellis both scored well placed penalties. In the eighth round though Melia again came up with a save as Andrew Wenger didn't hit the penalty close enough to the corner. For KC, Jordi Quintilla stepped up and as he caught McCarthy leaning to his left slotted the ball calmly to the opposite side and the celebrations were on for KC.

The win is fantastic and will be the main highlight of the season for the team, but the team's play tonight was still rough and didn't instill a ton of confidence going forward for the rest of the season. But that is a discussion for another day after we've all sobered up and finished up celebrating the club's third US Open Cup and their sixth trophy in their history.

Wizards Man of the Match - Tim Melia - A pair of penalty kick saves in the shootout and did very well to keep KC in the game throughout the night. Yes he could have done better on Le Toux's goal but he once again was there when KC really needed it.

Honorable Mention - Matt Besler

Player Ratings - Melia 8, Sinovic 4, Ellis 5, Besler 7, Myers 5, Mustivar 5, Nagamura 6, Feilhaber 5, Nemeth 6, Dwyer 4, Zusi 4. Subs Quintilla 6, Abdul-Salaam 6, Peterson NR.

Match Day US Open Cup: Can SKC Claim the Cup

For the third time in four seasons, Sporting Kansas City find themselves playing in a cup final. Tomorrow night they'll try to win their third US Open Cup when they take on the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. It'll be the first time that KC will be attempting to win the trophy on the road having won the 2004 and 2012 trophies at Arrowhead and Sporting Park respectively.

They'll be playing a Union side that did similar to what KC did on the weekend, playing a number of reserves and earning themselves a 1-1 draw against the New England Revolution. Resting the likes of CJ Sapong and Maurice Edu while the likes of Cristian Maidana and Sebastien Le Toux played a minimal role, both playing 45 minutes or less. So the majority of Philadelphia's starting 11 will be rested headed into tomorrow's game. With Philadelphia virtually out of the playoff race all of their hopes for the season rely on their "unfinished business" in their second straight US Open Cup final.

Sporting on the other hand are still fighting for not just playoff positioning, but a spot in the playoffs. The point against Seattle on Sunday keeps Kansas City ahead of Portland for the fifth spot in the West, but their one win in the last seven games has Kansas City in a lot of trouble. Still, KC's reserves were able to give KC's starters a rest and still pick up a point. Now the majority of Sporting's lineup will be heading into Philadelphia with a week of rest and ready to go.

Nemeth - Dwyer - Zusi

Feilhaber - Nagamura

Mustivar

Sinovic - Besler - Ellis - Myers

Melia

Number to Remember - 1,000 - That's the reported number of traveling KC fans. 800 from the Cauldron and another 200 family and friends of the players. A huge number of fans will certainly be a boost to Sporting KC.

PREDICTION - With where both teams currently are in the table this game will likely be the defining moment in both teams' season. The winner will be able to use the trophy as a sign of a successful season while the loser will be left to rue miss opportunities and likely a season without a trophy. On paper KC really is the better team, but being at home certainly has its advantage. Sporting relied on two late goals to pick up a win in KC but both teams are quite different now. This game, like many cup finals will be close and KC is really going to need to break out of their first half slump to have a chance tomorrow. The longer the game stays scoreless or if the Union grab an early lead the hill is going to become much more difficult to climb. I think Sporting does have just enough left to pull out the win tomorrow and lift more silverware.

SKC - 2 (Dwyer, Nemeth)
PHI - 1 (Le Toux)
After extra time.

S.A.S. Monday After Stats

Dom Dwyer's goal was his 44th in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Chris Klein for 4th on that list.

Dwyer made his 100th appearance in all competitions for KC, he's the 38th player to hit that mark.

Dwyer scored his 21st league goal at home for KC, tying him with Chris Klein and Mo Johnston for 4th all time on that list.

The draw was Peter Vermes' 58th in all competitions for KC, tying him with Bob Gansler for the most in all competitions for KC.

Pair of Player of the Week Honors for SKC Academy Graduates

Two Sporting KC academy graduates this past week earned player of the week honors for their respective conferences. Baker University sophomore forward, Blake Levine earned the Heart of America Athletic Conference's offensive player of the week for his four goals in two games. In NCAA Division 1 action, freshman Tucker Stephenson was named MAC player of the week after scoring his first collegiate goal in West Virginia's 1-0 win over UNC Greensboro.

Here's the full update this week.

Class of 2012

Andrew Brown (Bradley University) - MF - Sr - Started in Bradley's 1-0 win over Loyola Chicago. Started in Bradley's 1-0 loss to Air Force.

Eric DeJulio (Creighton University) - D - Sr - Started in #1 Creighton's 2-0 win over Northern Illinois and their 4-2 win over Seton Hall.

Daniel Hare (Loyola University in Chicago) - D - Sr - Did not play in Loyola's 1-0 loss to Bradley.

Andrew Lightner (Dayton) - D - RJr - Started and had an assist in Dayton's 6-0 win over Bowling Green. Started in Dayton's 2-0 win over Ohio State.

Andrew Miller (Baker University) - D - Sr -  Started and had 2 assists in #10 Baker's 12-0 win over Evangel. Started and had an assist in Baker's 7-3 win over Culver-Stockton.

Nate Opperman (University of Evansville) - F - Sr - Started both Evansville's 3-0 loss to Indiana and their 3-1 loss to Drake.

Derek Schrick (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF - Sr - Did not play in UMKC's 3-2 OT loss to Tulsa.

Class of 2013

Joe Amico (Jacksonville) - D - Jr - Started Jacksonville's 3-2 loss to Central Florida.

Matt Bernard (Cal Baptist) - MF - RSo - Came on as a substitute in Cal Baptist's 2-1 loss to Holy Names. Came on as a substitute in Cal Baptist's 2-1 win over Dominican.

Paul Dean (Rockhurst University) - D - Jr - Started in Rockhurst's 3-1 win over Southern Indiana. Started in Rockhurst's 1-0 win over Bellarmine.

Seo-In Kim (UCSB) - MF - Jr - Came on as a substitute in UCSB's 2-0 loss to Akron. Started in UCSB's 4-0 win over San Diego.

Adam Lightner (Northern Illinois University) - D - Jr - Did not play in Northern Illinois' 2-0 loss to Creighton.

Clay Stewart - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF/D - Jr - Did not play in UMKC's 3-2 OT loss to Tulsa.

Wes White (University of Missouri Kansas City) - F - RSo - Did not play in UMKC's 3-2 OT loss to Tulsa.

Austin Wilcox (Cal-Poly) - MF - Jr - Started and had an assist Cal Poly's 2-0 win over Loyola Marymount.

Drew Wilson (Fort Hays State University) - D - Jr - Started Fort Hays' 3-2 win over West Texas A&M, their 2-1 win over Newman, and their 3-0 loss to Texas A&M International.

Kyle Vassar - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - D - RSo - Did not play in UMKC's 3-2 OT loss to Tulsa.

Class of 2014

Darby Cronin (Missouri State)- MF - So - Did not play in Missouri State's 1-0 win over SIUE.

Andrew Dittemore (Missouri State) - GK - RSFr - Did not play in Missouri State's 1-0 win over SIUE.

Andy Ericks (Colorado School of Mines) - MF - So - Did not play in either of Colorado's games.

Heath Honold (West Virginia) - F - So - Did not play in West Virginia's 1-0 win over UNC Greensboro.

Mason Leonard (Drake) - D - So - Started Drake's 3-1 win over Evansville.

Blake Levine (Baker) - F - So - Started and had three goals in #10 Baker's 12-0 win over Evangel. Started and had a goal in Baker's 7-3 win over Culver-Stockton.

Matthew Lewis (Fordham) - D - So - Started Fordham's 1-0 win over Columbia and their 0-0 draw with NJIT.

Andy Lopez (North Carolina) - MF - RSFr - Came on as a substitute in #2 UNC's 2-1 win over North Florida and their 2-1 win over Duke.

Noah Mudd (Trevecca) - D - So -Started Trevecca's 4-2 loss to Cedarville.

Joey Piatczyc (West Virginia) - MF - So - Started and had an assist in Wester Virginia's 1-0 win over UNC Greensboro.

Cole Stevenson (Denver) - F - So - Started Denver's 2-0 win over Western Illinois.

Zach Wright (North Carolina) - F - So - Started #2 UNC's 2-1 win over North Florida and had two assists as a starter in their 2-1 win over Duke.

2015

Andrew Blalock (Drake) - GK - Fr - Did not play in Drake's 3-1 win over Evansville.

Robert DeWitt III (Xavier) - MF - Fr - Did not play in either of Xavier's games.

Jack Freeman (Ohio State) - D - Fr - Did not play in Ohio State's 2-0 win over Dayton.

Bryce Gibson (Creighton) - D - Fr - Did not play in either of #1 Creighton's games.

Nic Jaimes (Drake) - MF - Fr - Started Drake's 3-1 win over Evansville.

Ryan Krutz (Notre Dame) - GK - Fr - Did not play in either of Notre Dame's games.

Zane Moxley (Air Force) - D - Fr - Did not play in Air Froce's 1-0 win over Bradley.

Alexis Quevedo (UNLV) - MF - Fr - Did not play in UNLV's 1-0 win over Gonzaga.

Hector Solorio (Niagara) - MF - Fr - Came on as a substitute in Niagara's 6-1 loss to Iona.

Tucker Stephenson (West Virginia) - F - Fr - Started and had a goal in West Virginia's 1-0 win over UNC Greensboro.

Andy Velez (JCCC) - MF - Fr - Started JCCC's 2-1 loss to Barton and came on as a substitute in their 2-0 win over Neosho.

Bailey Weeks (Northeastern State University) - D - Fr - Started NSU's 3-2 win over Lindenwood and their 1-0 loss to Upper Iowa.

Swope Park Rangers Earn Draw

Sporting KC pulled out a big draw at home today against the Seattle Sounders. While the result still leaves Sporting KC in fifth place in the Western Conference, the 1-1 draw against the Sounders was still a positive result for SKC considering Sporting send out a decidedly B team lineup with the start lineup today. The only two regular starters to start the game were center back Kevin Ellis and midfielder Paulo Nagamura. It took the insertion of Dom Dwyer, but Sporting KC was able to get the 1-1 draw against a Sounders team playing their predominately first team.

The first half though belonged mainly to the Sounders who took advantage of the predominately reserve lineup from Kansas City. A through ball in the 25th found Obafemi Martings behind the defense, but his shot was easily collect by Jon Kempin in the KC goal. In the 31st minute though the Sounders were able to find a way past the KC defense. A long ball over the top by Gonzalo Pineda found Martins who had found space behind Sporting's Ellis. Martins shrugged off a challenge by the home grown player before fire a shot that Kempin got a hand to, but had enough power on it that it carried past him and into the far corner of the net to make it 1-0 Seattle. KC had plenty of possession in the first half but the chances they created were right at Stefan Frei. Their best of the first half came in first half stoppage time when a Connor Hallisey cross pinged around in the box for a minute before falling to Jordi Quintilla, but his shot was also deflected and collect by Frei.

The second half though Sporting KC came out and looked like a much better side. Peter Vermes inserted Soni Mustivar for Paulo Nagamura, but Seattle still had the best early chance. In the 52nd minute a nice cross into the box found Clint Dempsey, but his shot was well saved by Kempin who made a good reaction save to keep it 1-0 Seattle. As the half wore on though KC continued to get more of the ball and more chances. They were just missing that final touch as the front line of Bernardo Anor, Connor Hallisey, and Jacob Peterson couldn't create enough clear chances for KC. In the 74th minute Dom Dwyer entered the game for KC giving them more offense centrally than they had. It took Dwyer only five minutes to make a difference In the 79th minute the ball got played off to Peterson who laid the ball off to Amadou Dia who was making an overlapping run. Dia played a cross into the box and Dwyer was there at the back post to tap the cross home to tie the game at 1-1. With the goal, KC really pushed the game against the Sounders and looked to be the aggressor as the rest of the half continued. KC kept Seattle pinned in but couldn't find a second goal. On the counter the Sounders almost pulled another Seattle on KC as Dempsey put a cross by Martins just wide of the post in the 85th minute. KC's best chances after that came after that chance as Mikey Lopez started to find more space in the midfield. He was able to get forward and create chances but KC couldn't capitalize. The best chance though came in stoppage time at Lopez received the ball and was able to dribble at Seattle's back lin before dishing the ball out wide to Dwyer. Dwyer's shot was saved by Frei but he gave up a rebound. Lopez followed the effort and was able to knock the ball towards goal but the effort was cleared off the line as it trickled towards goal. The two teams had to settle for a draw, but considering the lineup you have to feel that the Swope Park Rangers getting the draw had to feel a lot more like a win even though the game was at home.

Wizards Man of the Match - Dom Dwyer - Completely changed the game when he came in. KC had possession before he came in but were totally lacking in the final third, Dwyer gave KC that last little bit and it paid off with the goal by Dwyer.

Honorable Mention: Jon Kempin, Mikey Lopez

Honorable Mention - Kempin 7, Dia 6, Ellis 6, Palmer-Brown 6, Anibaba 6, Nagamura 6, Lopez 7, Quintilla 6, Anor 5, Peterson 5, Hallisey 5. Subs Mustivar 6, Abdul-Salaam 6, Dwyer 7.

Match Day 30: What Line Up Will We Actually See?

To try to right the ship, or to write this one off and look towards Wednesday. That is the question facing Sporting Kansas City as they head into tomorrow's game against the Seattle Sounders at Sporting Park. Sporting has won just one of their last seven games that have seen them slip from Supporters' Shield favorites to flirting with the red playoff line. Now it becomes a question of what KC does with this game, do they punt it and put all their cards into Wednesday? Or do they push hard to try to get their regular season back on track ahead of the MLS Cup playoffs? The answer to that is probably somewhere in the middle.

Seattle travels to KC having also played a midweek game, theirs was at home against the Vancouver Whitecaps in CONCACAF Champions League play. They played a number of first team players, including Chad Marshall, Brad Evans, and Stefan Frei. They also started designated player, Nelson Valdez, but didn't start Obafemi Martins, who didn't even play, and Clint Dempsey who didn't even dress. So Seattle's high powered offensive players should be well rested to take on KC's makeshift back line.

Speaking of KC's makeshift back line, the biggest question for KC as a whole when it comes to individual players tomorrow is who is going to start at center back for KC. Who does Peter Vermes slot in next to Kevin Ellis, the 18 year old home grown Erik Palmer-Brown, Jalil Anibaba, who hasn't played center back for KC but has played their previously, or Amobi Okugo who also has spent time at center back along with defensive midfielder. Or does he start two of those players and rest Ellis ahead of Wednesday as well? There are a number of questions in tomorrow's lineup especially with Matt Besler and Benny Feilhaber both out due to yellow card accumulation. And certain players resting tomorrow would be a big sign ttowards their inclusion in the starting 11 Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Anor - Dwyer - Peterson

Lopez - Quintilla

Mustivar

Dia - Anibaba - Ellis - Abdul-Salaam

Melia

Number to Remember - 1 - That's the number of home wins that KC has in their history against the MLS version of the Seattle Sounders.

Key Match Up - KC Defense vs Seattle Attack - With Martins and Dempsey not playing on Wednesday there's no reason at all for them to not be in the 11 on Sunday. Those two going up against a makeshift center back pairing and potentially a makeshift back line as a whole could mean disaster for the team.

PREDICTION - KC fans are split on how the team should play this game with Sporting continuing to slide towards the playoff red line. Some want KC to focus completely on Wednesday, some thing that you have to get three points tomorrow. With Feilhaber and Besler out it's going to be an extremely tall task for KC to get all three points tomorrow. It'd be tough even if both players were available. I'm sure there will be some squad rotation with an eye towards Wednesday and I'm just not sure that KC has the firepower to match Seattle. Of course this is MLS where Orlando put 5 past the Supporters' Shield leaders last night.

SKC - 0
SEA - 2 (Martins, Dempsey)

What We Want to Happen Today 9/26

Orlando City pulled out the big win on the road last night. Like I said yesterday, it doesn't directly affect Kansas City, but it does give some potential hope for Sporting KC as they move towards the end of the season. There's a full slate of Saturday games today to keep an eye on for Kansas City.

Chicago at Toronto
What we want to happen - Chicago win

Like most of the games that I've done this for this year this game is about potential MLS Cup hosting if KC happens to make it there. If Chicago can get a win it'll keep Toronto four points behind KC. I'm not sure it's a likely scenario though with Chicago having come from the midweek loss in Montreal.

DC at Montreal
What we want to happen - draw

DC is one point clear of KC, Montreal is five points behind, this is also all about potential MLS Cup hosting. With the games in hand you don't want Montreal to move closer to KC, but with so few games left, you don't want DC moving four points clear of KC. So the point for each may be the safer option, keeping both teams close.

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

I'm never one to wish injuries on people, so I won't for Philadelphia a few days before the US Open Cup final. From reports it also sounds like they'll be resting a number of players for the Open Cup final, which will make this result tough to happen. New England is two points clear of KC, so keeping them close is important in terms of MLS Cup hosting if KC can make it. On the other hand a loss for Philadelphia may not be bad either in terms of confidence heading into Wednesday's game.

Portland at Columbus
What we want to happen - Columbus win

I'm going against some of my comments earlier and not worrying about MLS Cup hosting with this one. Portland sits three points behind KC in sixth place in the Western Conference. KC wants Portland to keep that three point gap with KC and not make things tighter for them with their focus likely elsewhere.

Colorado at Houston
What we want to happen - Colorado win

A Colorado win, while it would allow the Rapids to pull closer to KC, would keep Houston from getting even close. Colorado currently sits on 34 while Houston is on 38. A loss by Houston would leave them six points back with them only having three games to play, still able to catch KC, but a bit harder.

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

It'll be difficult for NYCFC to make the playoffs at this point, but a win here would leave Vancouver still just four points ahead of KC in the Western Conference.

What We Want to Happen Today 9/25

Wednesday beside KC losing, Montreal won too, basically guaranteeing the top six teams in the Eastern Conference. It also allowed Montreal to close the gap on KC, which really only matters for MLS Cup hosting should KC find a way to make it. There's one MLS game tonight that could have some bearing on Sporting KC's season, but likely won't.

Orlando at New York
What we want to happen - Orlando win.

Orlando City is close to elimination from the playoff race, with Montreal four points clear and two games in hand Orlando doesn't have much time to make up the gap, and they'd need help to do it. That said, if they can win on the road tonight, they'll be helping KC out a little when it comes to MLS Cup hosting, as New York is four points clear of them. It's a very tall order for not only Orlando, but for KC to also catch the Red Bulls anyway.

Bliss Named Interim Coach of Chicago - Former SKC Wizards Update

The Chicago Fire fired head coach Frank Yallop this past week after the team had amassed a 7-16-6 record this season. Taking Yallop's place on the bench is former Kansas City defender, assistant coach, and interim head coach, Brian Bliss takes over. This will be Bliss' third stint as the interim boss of a team after having also been interim boss of the Columbus Crew.

Here's the rest of this week's update.

Active without a club or unknown
Mitchell Cardenas
Michael Kafari
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Kyle Miller
Lawrence Olum
Nelson Pizarro
Yann Songo'o

MLS
Davy Arnaud - DC - Did not dress in either of DC's games.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Came off the bench and played 11 minutes in New England's 2-1 win over New York. Started and played 61 minutes in New England's 3-0 loss to Montreal.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 1-0 win over Chicago.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City -  Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 1-0 win over Chicago.
Daneil Cyrus - Chicago (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Chicago's 1-0 loss to Orlando.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Did not dress in RSL's 3-0 win over LA.
Herculez Gomez - Toronto - Came off the bench and played 7 minutes in Toronto's 2-0 loss to NYCFC. Dressed but did not play in TFC's 3-1 win over Colorado.
Michael Harrington - Colorado - Did not dress in Colorado's 3-1 loss to Toronto.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Dressed but did not play in Portland's 2-0 loss to New York.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Columbus' 2-1 win over DC.
Chris Konopka - Toronto - Started and played 90 minutes in Toronto's 2-0 loss to NYCFC. Started and played 90 minutes in Toronto's 3-1 win over Colorado.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Started and played 90 minutes in Montreal's 1-1 draw with San Jose. Dressed but did not play in Montreal's 3-0 win over New England.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Philadelphia's 2-0 win over Houston.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Loaned to San Antonio.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes, recording an assist in Columbus' 2-1 win over DC.
Sal Zizzo - New York - Dressed but did not play in New York's 2-1 loss to New England. Started and played 85 minutes, recording an assist in New York's 2-0 win over Portland.

NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Dressed but did not play in Tampa's 2-0 win over San Antonio.
James Marcelin - Fort Lauderdale - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Fort Lauderdale's 2-0 win over Jacksonville. Started and played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 2-0 loss to Ottawa.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Atlanta - Did not dress in Atlanta's 2-1 win over Carolina.
Michal Mravec - Atlanta - Came off the bench and played 16 minutes in Atlanta's 2-1 win over Carolina.
Khari Stephenson - San Antonio - Did not dress in San Antonio's 2-0 loss to Tampa.

USL
Christian Duke - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 1-0 win over Arizona.
Brian Fekete - Austin - Did not dress in either of Austin's games.
Adnan Gabeljic - Sacramento - Did not play in either of Sacramento's games.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 1-0 win over Arizona.
Mechack Jerome - Charlotte - Started and played 90 minutes in Charlotte's 3-1 loss to Charleston.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Did not dress in Charlotte's 3-1 loss to Charleston.
Victor Munoz - Arizona - Did not dress in either of Arizona's games.
Tony Rocha - Austin - Started and played 90 minutes in Austin's 3-2 loss to Seattle. Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Austin's 3-2 win over Vancouver.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 1-0 win over Arizona.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 2-1 win over Toronto.

Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Ontario - Offseason.
Adnan Gabeljic - St. Louis - Offseason.
Josh Gardner - Missouri - Offseason.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Offseason.
Mike Jones - Dallas - Offseason.
Michal Mravec - Tacoma - Offseason.
Boris Pardo - Missouri - Offseason.

International
Korede Aiyegbusi - AFC United - Sweden - Started and played 90 minutes in AFC's 1-1 draw wtih Frej.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - Dressed but did not play in KPV's 2-1 loss to OPS.
Vicente Arze - Blooming - Bolivia - Did not dress in Blooming's 3-2 win over Nacional Potosi.
Claudio Bieler - Quilmes - Argentina - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Quilmes' 1-0 win over Colon.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Chivas' 2-1 win over Queretaro.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - Dressed but did not play in Belen's 2-2 draw with Perez Zeledon.
Sunil Chhetri - Bengaluru - India - Offseason.
Jorge Claros - Qingdao Jonoon - China - Lost 1-0 to Hebei China Fortune.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Lost 3-1 to Deportivo Laferrere and drew 1-1 with San Miguel.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Did not dress in Leganes' 0-0 draw with Lugo.
Pablo Escobar - Cúcuta Deportivo - Colombia - Started and played 90 minutes in Cucuta's 4-0 win over Jaguares de Cordoba.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Drew 1-1 with Reno.
Jeferson - Boavista - Brazil - Offseason.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Started and played 90 minutes in RoPS 2-0 win over HJK.
Peterson Joseph - Azam FC - Tanzania - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - ABC (Fluminense) - Brazil - Did not dress in ABC's 0-0 draw with Vitoria.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - Started and played 67 minutes in Dinamo's 2-1 loss to Milsami.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - No game this week.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - Started and played 90 minutes in Lechia's 2-1 loss to Piast Gliwice.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Did not dress in Spartak's 3-0 loss to Kuban Krasnodar.
Akeem Priestley - Sheikh Russel KC - Bangladesh - Offseason.
Pablo Punyed - Stjarnan - Iceland - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Stjarnan's 3-0 win over KR.
Oriol Rosell - Sporting Club de Portugal - Portugal - Did not dress in either of Sporting's games.
Soony Saad - BCC Tero (loaned from BEC Tero Sasana FC) - Thailand - Offseason.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - Started and played 33 minutes in Wuppertaler's 3-2 win over Rot-Weiß Oberhausen II.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Offseason.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - No game this week.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - Did not dress in Saarbrucken's 3-1 win over Hoffenheim II.

S.A.S. Thursday After Stats

Paulo Nagamura made his 100th appearance in all competitions for KC, he's the 37th player to hit that mark for KC.

Seth Sinovic started his 150th game for KC in all competitions, he's the 13th player to hit that mark.

Sinovic made his 123rd appearance in league play for KC, tying him with Chris Brown for 18th place on that list.

Priorities for Sporting KC

I've spent much time over the last few years being critical of some of the opinions on the Cauldron Facebook page, including mocking some opinions there with the hashtag #CFBLogic. The page can be a dumpster fire after any loss, like I would think many fan pages for teams all over the internet are. Occasionally though it actually brings some interesting conversations, and while the conversation that led to this post hasn't been overly interesting, the premise of it has been. The idea is the priority of the US Open Cup over Sunday's league game against the Seattle Sounders, and vice versa.

In last night's game, both Matt Besler and Benny Feilhaber picked up suspensions due to yellow card accumulation. The two will now miss Sunday's game against the Seattle Sounders. Feilhaber's yellow was particularly interesting as he seemed to be arguing to receive a yellow card from referee Sorin Stoica, who did after Feilhaber walked away and proceeded to kick the ball away. With Feilhaber one game away from an accumulation suspension it almost seemed that he was intentionally trying to get that yellow card and miss Saturday's game against Seattle. Almost like he knew he wouldn't be playing so he wanted to get his suspension cleared out so he didn't have to worry about missing another game later in the season.

This leads to the question of priorities between a league game that has turned into a very important match Sunday against the Seattle Sounders and the US Open Cup final on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Union. When Kansas City beat Real Salt Lake 3-1 to make the US Open Cup final, KC looked to be in fantastic shape, a Supporters' Shield favorite and looked to be cruising to a playoff berth at the least. Since that game though KC has gone 1-5-1 in league play, picking up just four points, and dropping in the standings to fifth place, just four points above the playoff line.

This makes Sunday's game against Seattle all the more important. A win and KC can solidify their playoff spot; a loss and they will root themselves deeper into the fifth or sixth place spot and by the end of the weekend could see themselves just one point above the playoff line. Three points are almost a must for KC at this point. Unfortunately KC has a game that is just as, if not more, important on Wednesday against Philadelphia. In a normal league situation, Peter Vermes would likely just do a little rotation to give a few guys a break, but keep the majority of the starting lineup available. With a cup final in the middle of the week though KC likely has plenty of attention turned toward that game and more substantial rotation seems a good possibility for the game Sunday at home.

The question fans ask is where should their priorities lie? On the one hand you have a cup final, another chance to "paint the wall," to win their third trophy in the last four years, to get back into the CONCACAF Champions League, and to get that extra allocation money that comes with the spot in the 2016-2017 version of the competition.

On the other, the US Open Cup is still a fringe competition that doesn't have mass appeal to the majority of fans. This is especially true in the US and KC where you have a large number of "young" soccer fans who are not used to leagues that have multiple competitions going on at one time. Those fans see the league as being a much, much more important priority for KC and see the playoffs as being more important for KC to focus on at this point. This view point is helped by the fact that the final still has no announced televised schedule for the game just six days before the final (although there are current reports the game will be on ESPN2).

With that first view point, it's easy to see why the Besler and Feilhaber suspensions aren't a huge deal. Fans that subscribe to that view point were hoping and expecting that Vermes would sit the two anyway, along with other players to get them rest for the final. Many fans that subscribe heavily to this view point wouldn't be disappointed if KC threw out a completely different 11 from the one that eventually takes the field on Wednesday against the Union. They understand that they're sacrificing this game to have the team better ready for the final.

With the league priority, it's all about getting that playoff spot. The form over the last month has been horrible for KC; the drop in the standings has many people on both sides of the priority line concerned, at least a little, about the playoffs. The main feeling is that KC really needs to right the ship that is their season, and get the opportunity to win the bigger trophy, MLS Cup. Some also point to Vermes' tactics of playing guys multiple times in a week as proof that KC could do something similar on Sunday against Seattle.

I personally lean towards the priority of the US Open Cup, but I understand the frustration on the other side, especially with Sunday's game at home. People don't want to go to a game to watch a bunch of "second teamers" run out there, its part of why so many fans leave NFL preseason games early once the starters are out. You especially don't want to see it at home in a competitive game when you've paid money to attend the game. You go with the expectation of a certain level and some people I've already seen state their frustration in Sunday's game if KC does indeed field a weakened side to face the Sounders.

If KC does field a weakened team, as weakened as some want, those on the USOC side of priorities have to be ready for the consequences, should the Sounders walk all over a weakened SKC team. On the other side of things, this is MLS we're talking about, where a San Jose Earthquakes team that looked dead in the water walked into a stadium where a team hadn't lost all season, and put five goals past them in route to a 5-0 win.

A Game KC Deserved Nothing From

Sporting Kansas City is limping through the later half of the season once again and tonight in Houston, KC hit another low with an extremely uninspiring effort at BBVA Compass Stadium as KC fell 1-0 to the Dynamo. Peter Vermes may have said it best after the game, saying that it was horrific, and that KC didn't deserve anything out of the game, cause they really didn't.

The first half was dull half for both teams that was only highlighted by the fact that both teams combined for a total of 24 fouls. On top of the fouls there were three yellow cards, two to Kansas City, including Matt Besler who picked up his fifth yellow of the season and will have to sit out Sunday's game against the Sounders. The Dynamo controlled the half possession wise and KC really had struggles even stringing passes together as the two played a first half that could have put even the most die hard of soccer fans to sleep.

The second half saw Houston continue to control the game and began to stretch the KC defense. In the 52nd minute after a nice long ball over the KC back line the ball got played back to Ricardo Clark whose shot was blocked out for a corner by Benny Feilhaber was headed towards the lower corner. Ten minutes later the Dynamo had the best chance of the game up to that point. Clark made a good run down the KC right side with the ball. When Kevin Ellis seemed to freeze in place Clark ran by him and laid a ball off the Giles Barnes. Barnes one timed his effort on goal but Melia made a nice reaction save. the rebound fell to Davis who mishit his effort and Melia easily collected the ball. Five minutes later, the Dynamo got the goal that they deserved. And it again came from the Dynamo attacking the KC right side of defense. This time it was DaMarcus Beasley and Brad Davis playing a 1-2 around Jacob Peterson and Chance Myers to allow Beasley space to get to the end line. Beasely crossed the ball across the box. Melia got his hand on the ball but it fell to Will Bruin who calmly placed the ball into the corner to give Houston the 1-0 lead. Three minutes later, in the 70th it looked like KC might just get a life line, because for the fourth time in four meetings this year, the Dynamo picked up a red card against KC. Oscar Boniek Garcia picked up a second yellow card for an elbow to the face of Dom Dwyer. Garcia was given his marching orders and Houston was down to 10 men. Unfortunately all the man advantage did was help KC make the possession and passing accuracy stats look better for KC than they did in the first 70 minutes. KC also finally got a shot on goal after going up a man, but they never really threatened Tyler Deric in the Houston goal. In the 88th minute, KC got another blow for their game on Sunday as Feilhaber picked up his fifth yellow of the season for dissent. His certainly appeared to be a yellow card that he was trying to get, as if he was already planning on missing Sunday's game against Seattle to rest and be ready for Philadelphia and the US Open Cup final.

Wizards Man of the Match - Tim Melia - Cause really there's no one that played in front of him tonight that I can think to give it to. Made three saves tonight and there wasn't much he could have done with the goal that Houston did score.

Player Ratings - Melia 5, Sinovic 4, Besler 4, Ellis 2, Myers 3, Mustivar 4, Nagamura 3, Feilhaber 4, Zusi 3, Dwyer 3, de Jong 2. Subs Peterson 3, Quintilla 4, Anor NR.

What We Want to Happen 9/23

It's time for the return of the posts that try to give Sporting KC fans an idea of what they want to happen in the other games around MLS. I meant to start this last weekend but ran into other issues. As it turns out, results almost couldn't have gone better for KC this past weekend. The only playoff team in the West to win beside KC was Seattle who took down first place Vancouver. KC also got some help below the line too with San Jose falling to New York City. Along with KC's match up tonight there is one other MLS game along with two CONCACAF Champions League games. I'll only look at the MLS game, but with Seattle hosting the Whitecaps and LA in the Caribbean tonight, KC just wants those teams to tire themselves out heading into the end of the season. Especially Seattle, who travel to KC on Sunday.

Chicago at Montreal

What we want to happen - Chicago win

There's not a lot in this one for KC fans. A Chicago win would keep Montreal from gaining ground on Kansas City as they sit eight points behind KC but have played one less game. The dreaded games in hand. Certainly it's better to have the points, but it's something to keep an eye on, especially with hosting MLS Cup chances on the off chance both teams make it.

On the other hand if you really want to be anti-Chicago and root for them to lose, a loss would leave them on the verge of elimination from playoff contention as they'd be 12 points behind sixth place Montreal with only four games left.

Match Day 29: Making Up a Game in Hand

Tomorrow Sporting KC make up another one of their games in hand on the rest of the Western Conference. In fact after tomorrow KC will actually have played more games than second place FC Dallas. KC can move into a tie for second place with a win tomorrow in Houston. They would only move up to fourth place though as they lose out to FC Dallas on the first tiebreaker, wins, and to LA on the second tiebreaker, goal difference. To get to that point though they'll have to get by a Houston Dynamo team that will virtually be fighting for their playoff lives. Houston currently sit in ninth place in the Western Conference on 35 points through 29 games. A loss would leave them six points adrift of Portland for the sixth and final playoff spot, with just four games left. So while a win is a big need for KC, it's a must win for the Dynamo.

Houston though has been dealing with a number of injury issues, over the past few weeks, especially on their back line. US international, DaMarcus Beasley has missed time with a calf strain, while another outside back, Kofi Sarkodie has a bone bruise that caused him to be subbed out at half time of their 2-0 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday. That will leave Houston short at the outside back position, but they will welcome back Raul Rodriguez in the center of defense after serving a one game suspension for yellow card accumulation on Sunday. On the other side though they'll lose midfielder, Luis Garrido who will serve a suspension for accumulation tomorrow.

KC, while getting healthier, faces their own selection issues for this game. KC has a very busy stretch right now, they have Houston tomorrow, Seattle Sunday, and then the US Open Cup final on Wednesday next week. To avoid completely exhaustion for the cup final as we saw a bit during the winless streak, KC might need to use a little more squad rotation to handle this stretch. The problem is I'm not sure that KC is deep enough to handle that much rotation. Plenty of players have gotten time over the course of the season that haven't been seeing much time lately, the likes of Jimmy Medranda, Marcel de Jong, and Amabou Dia just to name a few. Tomorrow may see some rotation with different rotation occurring on Sunday ahead of the final. With Krisztian Nemeth picking up a minor knock on Friday, resting him for the game tomorrow wouldn't be a surprise, but than again Peter Vermes may not do much of any rotation.

Anor - Dwyer - Zusi

Feilhaber - Nagamura

Mustivar

Sinovic - Besler - Ellis - Myers

Kempin

Number to Remember - 4 - Four of the last five games between these two teams across all competitions, have seen a red card issued. All three this season have been handed out to Houston Dynamo players, with the one to KC coming in the club's 2-0 win in Houston early in the 2014 season.

It's also the number of points that each team has over the last six games.

Key Match Up - KC Defense vs Brad Davis set pieces - In the three games this year, Brad Davis has three assists for Houston against KC all on set pieces, with a fourth goal coming immediately after a Davis set piece. KC has had a problem dealing with set pieces and while over the last couple games they haven't been made to pay too much for them (Adrian Winter goal in Orlando aside), Davie will certainly make KC pay for giving them too many set pieces within range of his left foot. KC's lack of height on the field for the most part could be a big disadvantage in this one.

PREDICTION - Both teams really could use three points in this game, KC to build momentum towards the US Open Cup final and continue to move up the playoff table, while Houston need this game to keep their playoff hopes alive. Both teams have won just one of their last six games, so neither team's form is in good shape right now. With the way both teams looked in their last game though, Houston is in a much worse place at this point. That said, KC has been making teams that have been playing bad look extremely good this season (San Jose...). And their road form that had carried them at times last year has fallen closer to normal in MLS as KC has won just three games on the road this year. These two teams combined for eight goals the last time these two teams met, it was the end of the Luis Marin era for KC. Tomorrow I don't think will have that many goals, but I think we'll end up seeing another draw.

SKC - 1 (Feilhaber)
HOU - 1 (Bruin)

Wright Helps UNC Top Notre Dame - SKC Academy Graduates in College

The big match up this week for Sporting KC academy players in college featured the third ranked UNC Tar Heels facing off against the second ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. UNC's team features two academy graduates getting time with Andy Lopez and Zach Wright. In the game, Wright played a very big role for UNC in their 4-2 win as he assisted on both the third and fourth goals for UNC.

Here's this week's update.

Class of 2012

Andrew Brown (Bradley University) - MF - Sr - Did not play in Bradley's 3-2 loss to Omaha.

Eric DeJulio (Creighton University) - D - Sr - Started in #1 Creighton's 1-0 win over Tulsa.

Daniel Hare (Loyola University in Chicago) - D - Sr - Started in Loyola's 1-1 draw with Butler.

Andrew Lightner (Dayton) - D - RJr - Started in Dayton's 4-0 win over Northern Kentucky. Started in Dayton's 1-1 draw with #20 Western Michigan.

Andrew Miller (Baker University) - D - Sr -  Started and had an assist in Baker's 2-1 win over #17 Hastings. Started and had an assist in Baker's 3-0 win over Central Methodist.

Nate Opperman (University of Evansville) - F - Sr - No game this week.

Derek Schrick (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF - Sr - Did not play in either of UMKC's games.

Class of 2013

Joe Amico (Jacksonville) - D - Jr - Started and scored a goal in Jacksonville's 4-3 OT loss to Campbell. Started in Jacksonville's 1-0 loss to UNC Greensboro.

Matt Bernard (Cal Baptist) - MF - RSo - No game this week.

Paul Dean (Rockhurst University) - D - Jr - Started in Rockhurst's 2-0 win over Illinois Springfield and their 2-1 win over McKendree, scoring a goal in the game against McKendree.

Seo-In Kim (UCSB) - MF - Jr - Came on as a substitute in UCSB's 3-1 win over College of Charleston.

Adam Lightner (Northern Illinois University) - D - Jr - Did not play in Northern Illinois' 3-2 OT win over Marquette.

Clay Stewart - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF/D - Jr - Came on as a substitute in UMKC's 4-0 loss to Drake and 4-1 loss to Western Illinois.

Wes White (University of Missouri Kansas City) - F - RSo - Started in UMKC's 4-0 loss to Drake. Started and recorded an assist in UMKC's 4-1 loss to Western Illinois.

Austin Wilcox (Cal-Poly) - MF - Jr - Started Cal-Poly's 4-1 loss to UCLA and their 2-1 win over the College of Charleston.

Drew Wilson (Fort Hays State University) - D - Jr - Started Fort Hays 4-0 win over Lubbock Christian.

Kyle Vassar - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - D - RSo - Did not play in either of UMKC's games.

Class of 2014

Darby Cronin (Missouri State)- MF - So - Did not play in either of Missouri State's games.

Andrew Dittemore (Missouri State) - GK - RSFr - Did not play in either of Missouri State's games.

Andy Ericks (Colorado School of Mines) - MF - So - Came on as a substitute in Colorado's 6-0 win over Colorado Christian and their 7-0 win over CSU-Pueblo.

Heath Honold (West Virginia) - F - So - Did not play in West Virginia's 3-1 loss to Wright State. Came on as a substitute in West Virginia's 3-1 loss to #18 Georgetown.

Mason Leonard (Drake) - D - So - Started Drake's 4-0 win over UMKC and their 3-2 win over DePaul.

Blake Levine (Baker) - F - So - Did not play in Baker's 2-1 win over #17 Hastings. Came on as a substitute in Baker's 3-0 win over Central Methodist.

Matthew Lewis (Fordham) - D - So - Started both Fordham's 1-1 draw with Army and their 3-2 win over Fairfield.

Andy Lopez (North Carolina) - MF - RSFr - Came on as a substitute in #3 UNC's 4-2 win over #2 Notre Dame.

Noah Mudd (Trevecca) - D - So - Came on as a substitute in Trevecca's 4-2 win over Ohio Valley and started their 3-2 loss to Salem International.

Joey Piatczyc (West Virginia) - MF - So - Started and had an assist in West Virginia's 3-1 loss to Wright State and their 3-1 loss to #18 Georgetown.

Cole Stevenson (Denver) - F - So - Started and scored a goal in Denver's 1-0 win over Saint Louis. Started and had an assist in Denver's 2-1 win over Utah Valley.

Zach Wright (North Carolina) - F - So - Started and had two assists in #3 UNC's 4-2 win over #2 Notre Dame.

2015

Andrew Blalock (Drake) - GK - Fr - Did not play in either of Drake's games.

Robert DeWitt III (Xavier) - MF - Fr - Did not play in either of Xavier's games.

Jack Freeman (Ohio State) - D - Fr - Did not play in either of Ohio State's games.

Bryce Gibson (Creighton) - D - Fr - Did not play in Creighton's 1-0 win over Tulsa.

Nic Jaimes (Drake) - MF - Fr - Came on as a substitute in Drake's 4-0 win over UMKC. Started and scored a goal in Drake's 3-2 win over DePaul.

Ryan Krutz (Notre Dame) - GK - Fr - Did not play in either of Notre Dame's games.

Zane Moxley (Air Force) - D - Fr - Did not play in either of Air Force's games.

Alexis Quevedo (UNLV) - MF - Fr - Did not play in UNLV's 3-2 win over San Diego State.

Hector Solorio (Niagara) - MF - Fr - Came on as a substitute in both Niagara's 4-0 win over St. Bonaventure and their 2-2 draw with Buffalo.

Tucker Stephenson (West Virginia) - F - Fr - Came on as a substitute in West Virginia's 3-1 loss to Wright State. Started in West Virginia's 3-1 loss to #18 Georgetown.

Andy Velez (JCCC) - MF - Fr - Did not play in JCCC's 2-1 loss to Garden City.

Bailey Weeks (Northeastern State University) - D - Fr - Started NSU's 5-1 win over Oklahoma Baptist. Came on as a substitute in NSU's 1-0 loss to Oklahoma Christian.

S.A.S. Saturday After Stats

Benny Feilhaber's two goals gave him 10 on the season, he's the first player since Josh Wolff in 2005 to hit double digits in both goals and assists in league play for KC.

Feilhaber's two goals give him 17 in league play for his KC career, tying him with Eddie Johnson and Jimmy Conrad for 14th all time on that list.

The goals gave him 20 in all competitions, tying him wtih Igor Simutenkov and Chris Brown for 14th all time on that list.

The two goals give Feilhaber 11 in his career at home for KC in all competitions, tying him with Jack Jewsbury, Miklos Molnar, and Teal Bunbury for 17th on that list.

They gave him 9 at home in league play for KC, tying him with Claudio Bieler for 18th on that list.

Dom Dwyer's goal gave him 43 in all competitions for KC, tying him with Chris Klein for 4th all time on that list.

Dwyer's goal was his 20th in league play at home, tying him with Josh Wolff for 6th all time on that list.

In the 54th minute, Seth Sinovic moved past Michael Harrington and into 13th place for minutes played in all competitions for KC, Sinovic finished the game with 13,313 minutes played.

Sinovic made his 151st appearance in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Brown and Roger Espinoza for 16th place on that list.

Chance Myers made his 157th appearance for KC in all competitions, breaking his tie with Tony Meola for 14th place on that list.

Myers started his 127th game in all competitions, breaking his tie with Espinoza for 19th place on that list.

Kevin Ellis started his 50th game in all competitions for KC, he's the 55th player to hit that mark.

Graham Zusi made his 160th start in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Matt McKeon for 9th all time on that list.

The Winless Streak Stops

Sporting Kansas City finally ended their winless streak with a 3-1 win at Sporting Park over FC Dallas allowing them to jump back into the middle of the Western Conference playoff teams. KC now is sitting in fourth place in the West three points behind second place Dallas.

The first half didn't see any scoring but there were chances for both sides, Michael Barrios forced a save from Jon Kempin in only the first minute after he got space down KC's left side. KC controlled much of the half creating a few half chances, but for the most part kept Dallas pinned back in their own end. While Dallas had their chance early, KC's best chance came out the end of the half on a corner by Graham Zusi. Chance Myers beat his mark and put a nice header on goal but Dallas home grown goalkeeper, Jesse Gonzalez made a finger tip save to push the ball away.

In the second half the action opened up a lot more for both teams, as there was more action at both ends of the field. In the 53rd minute Gonzalez was in top form to twice deny Zusi. First with a flicked header off a cross from Seth Sinovic. Gonzalez got down and knocked the ball away, then got back on his feet and denied the second effort from Zusi knocking the ball out for a corner kick. KC finally broke through in the 65th minute off a free kick from the top of the box. Benny Feilhaber did the honors of taking the kick and curled his effort around the wall and into the far post. Gonzalez seemed to get caught leaning a bit towards Feilhaber going over the wall and couldn't make a diving save as the ball went in off the post and into the net to put KC up 1-0. KC was given a chance to double the lead in the 76th minute. A long ball was played over the top to Dwyer, Gonzlez came out for it at the same time. Dwyer beat him to the ball and Gonzalez knocked into him, referee, Mark Geiger pointed to the spot giving KC a penalty kick. Feilhaber stepped up again and sent Gonzalez the wrong way putting KC up 2-0. Dallas stepped up the effort again after that and cut the lead in half four minutes after KC made it 2-0. Victor Ulloa picked up a give and go with Fabian Castillo. Ulloa fired a shot from outside the box that Kempin got his hands on, but it hit up into the air behind Kempin and bounced into the net. It's a goal that Kempin will certainly want back, and be extremely upset with himself for not keeping it out. The hope for Dallas was ended three minutes later though by KC. Paulo Nagamura took the ball down the right before playing a ball in to Dwyer, who took a touch and opened himself up then fired a shot past Gonzalez and into the net making it 3-1 KC. Sporting killed off the rest of the game and finally ended the long winless streak. Hopefully it's the start of a return to form for the team.

Wizards Man of the Match - Soni Mustivar - While Feilhaber had the brace and did well, Mustivar was the man of the match last night. He controlled the center of midfield again in a way he hasn't since Roger Espinoza went out with injury. He kept Dallas from really getting much going over the course of the game.

Honorable Mention: Benny Feilhaber

Player Ratings - Kempin 5, Sinovic 6, Ellis 6, Besler 6, Myers 6, Mustivar 8, Nagamura 7, Feilhaber 8, Zusi 7, Dwyer 6, Nemeth 6. Subs Abdul-Salaam 6, Anor NR, Anibaba NR.

Match Day 28: Friday Night Lights

Sporting KC get the Friday night match up this week on national television on Unimas. They'll welcome FC Dallas to Sporting Park for the third time this season and based on Dallas' first two trips to KC this might be just the opponent KC's needs to get out of their five game winless run. KC has won the two priors trips by Dallas this year by a combined 10-2 scoreline. But unlike last time when KC's has been in form heading into these games, they're trying to pull themselves out of their funk.

Dallas comes into tomorrow's game with a three game winning streak that has seen them jump back into the Supporters' Shield race and the race for the top seed in the West. They sit just one point behind Vancouver with a game in hand on the Whitecaps. Questions remain for Dallas regarding injuries to midfield Mauro Diaz and goalkeeper Dan Kennedy. Replacing Kennedy has been going quite well for Dallas though as 20 year old home grown goalkeeper, Jesse Gonzalez has started Dallas' last four games, allowing just two goals. Dallas has also been able to compensate for the absence of Diaz as well, scoring seven goals in their current stretch, all without the playmaker on the field.

Kansas City really needs to find a way to end their winless run, they've fallen to the verge of being outside of the playoffs looking in as the likes of San Jose have really started to pick up their play. KC is running out of excuses to use, yes the team is without Roger Espinoza, but one player can't be the excuse. And while Chance Myers is recovering, neither Jalil Anibaba nor Saad Abdul-Salaam have done poorly replacing him. The team was without Tim Melia on Sunday in Orlando, but Melia practiced this week and I would think he'd be available to go tomorrow. KC will also have the team's leading scorer in all competitions, Dom Dwyer in the line up after his red card was overturned, which will be a boost to KC's attack, which has only scored four times in the five game winless run.

Nemeth - Dwyer - Zusi

Feilhaber - Nagamura

Mustivar

Sinovic - Besler - Ellis - Abdul-Salaam

Melia

Number to Remember - 13 - That's the number of goals that KC has allowed in the last five games. That's the same number of goals that KC has allowed in the previous 14 league games since Tim Melia took over in goal for Luis Marin.

Key Match Up - Saad Abdul-Salaam vs Fabian Castillo - Castillo ran over KC in their first match up in Dallas earlier this year. In KC's two wins against Dallas this year Castillo did not play at all. He'll be in the lineup tomorrow though and his speed could once again cause KC plenty of fits for their back line.

PREDICTION - This may be a must win for KC at this point of the season if they want to make the playoffs. Taking all three points in your home games is crucial at this point in the season. But with the way that KC has played recently I'm not sure how they're going to beat a Dallas team that is riding a good three game win streak. Then again this is MLS, where a San Jose team that was basically dead and buried came into KC and put 5 past KC a few weeks ago.That said I don't see KC ending the winless streak tomorrow.

SKC - 1 (Dwyer)
FCD - 1 (Castillo)

Preki is Found - Former SKC Wizards Update

Back when Preki resigned as head coach of the Sacramento Republic of the USL, the announcement had stated that he was headed to England to take a position. At the time that had shot him to the top of the list to take over the position at Leicester City in the Premier League. In the end though Preki didn't get that job, and since then, people have been wondering, "where is Preki?"

That question was answered this week when SI caught up with Preki. He is in fact in England, but has not taken a position yet. In fact, he's working with friend Milan Mandaric, who has made a career buying clubs and later selling them. He is on the look out for the next club he'll purchase and Preki is helping him. Eventually Preki would take a position at whichever club Mandaric purchases.

Here's the rest of this week's update.

Active without a club or unknown
Mitchell Cardenas
Michael Kafari
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Kyle Miller
Lawrence Olum
Nelson Pizarro
Yann Songo'o

MLS
Davy Arnaud - DC - Did not dress in DC's 1-1 draw with Colorado.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Started and played 62 minutes in New England's 3-1 win over Toronto.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over KC.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over KC.
Daneil Cyrus - Chicago (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Chicago's 3-2 loss to New York.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Dressed but did not play in Salt Lake's 3-1 win over Houston.
Herculez Gomez - Toronto - Came off the bench and played 13 minutes in Toronto's 3-1 loss to New England.
Michael Harrington - Colorado - Did not dress in either of Colorado's games.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 0-0 draw with KC.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring 2 goals in Columbus' 2-1 win over Philadelphia.
Chris Konopka - Toronto - Started and played 90 minutes in Toronto's 3-1 loss to New England.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Dressed but did not play in Montreal's 0-0 draw with LA.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Philadelphia's 2-1 loss to Columbus.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Loaned to San Antonio.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 2-1 win over Philadelphia.
Sal Zizzo - New York - Did not dress in New York's 3-2 win over Chicago.

NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Dressed but did not play in Tampa's 1-0 loss to Edmonton.
James Marcelin - Fort Lauderdale - Did not dress in Fort Lauderdale's 0-0 draw with Ottawa.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Atlanta - Started and played 4 minutes before being red carded in Atlanta's 2-1 loss to Minnesota.
Michal Mravec - Atlanta - Started and played 75 minutes in Atlanta's 2-1 loss to Minnesota.
Khari Stephenson - San Antonio - Did not dress in either of San Antonio's games.

USL
Christian Duke - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 3-3 draw with Colorado Springs.
Brian Fekete - Austin - Did not dress in Austin's 3-0 loss to Colorado Springs.
Adnan Gabeljic - Sacramento - Did not dress in Sacramento's 3-0 win over Portland.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 3-3 draw with Colorado Springs.
Mechack Jerome - Charlotte - Did not dress in Charlotte's 4-1 win over Toronto. Started and played 90 minutes in Charlotte's 2-0 loss to Saint Louis.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Did not dress in either of Charlotte's games.
Victor Munoz - Arizona - Did not dress in Arizona's 1-0 loss to Real Monarchs.
Tony Rocha - Austin - Did not dress in Austin's 3-0 loss to Colorado Springs.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 3-3 draw with Colorado Springs.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 1-1 draw with Harrisburg.

Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Ontario - Offseason.
Adnan Gabeljic - St. Louis - Offseason.
Josh Gardner - Missouri - Offseason.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Offseason.
Mike Jones - Dallas - Offseason.
Michal Mravec - Tacoma - Offseason.
Boris Pardo - Missouri - Offseason.

International
Korede Aiyegbusi - AFC United - Sweden - Started and played 90 minutes in AFC's 3-0 win over Assyriska.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - Dressed but did not play in KPV's 5-1 win over TP-47.
Vicente Arze - Blooming - Bolivia - Did not dress in either of Blooming's games.
Claudio Bieler - Quilmes - Argentina - Started and played 90 minutes in Quilmes' 0-0 draw with Temperley.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Chivas' 2-1 loss to Tijuana. Came off the bench and played 31 minutes in Chivas' 1-0 Copa MX loss to Morelia.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - Dressed but did not play in Belen's 5-1 win over Santos de Guapiles. Came off the bench and played 4 minutes in Belen's 2-1 loss to Carmelita.
Sunil Chhetri - Bengaluru - India - Offseason.
Jorge Claros - Qingdao Jonoon - China - Lost 1-0 to Jiangxi Liansheng.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - No game this week.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Started and played 90 minutes in Legenaes' 2-0 win over Tenerife. Did not dress in Leganes' 2-1 loss to Osasuna.
Pablo Escobar - Cúcuta Deportivo - Colombia - Started and played 90 minutes in Cucuta's 1-0 loss to Alianza Petrolera. Started and played 90 minutes in Cucuta's 4-1 loss to Medellin.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Drew Humble Lions 1-1.
Jeferson - Boavista - Brazil - Offseason.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Started and played 76 minuters in RoPS' 0-0 draw wtih Jaro. Started and played 90 minutes, scoring two goals in RoPS 4-0 win over KTP.
Peterson Joseph - Azam FC - Tanzania - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - ABC (Fluminense) - Brazil - Did not dress in either of ABC's games.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - Started and played 90 minutes in Dinamo's 1-1 draw with Sheriff.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - Started and played 90 minutes in Palestino's 2-0 win over Santiago Wanderers.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - Started and played 90 minutes in Lechia's 0-0 draw with Korona Kielce.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Started and played 61 minutes in Spartak's 1-0 win over Rostov.
Akeem Priestley - Sheikh Russel KC - Bangladesh - Offseason.
Pablo Punyed - Stjarnan - Iceland - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Stjarnan's 1-0 win over Fylkir.
Oriol Rosell - Sporting Club de Portugal - Portugal - Did not dress in Sporting's 2-1 win over Rio Ave.
Soony Saad - BCC Tero (loaned from BEC Tero Sasana FC) - Thailand - Offseason.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Wuppertaler's 1-1 draw with SpVg Schonnebeck.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Offseason.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - Came on the bench and played 23 minutes in Atromitos' 1-0 loss to Xanthi.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - Did not dress in Saarbrucken's 3-1 lossto Waldhof Mannheim.

Dwyer Red Card Rescinded

In a move that surprised me, Sporting KC not only appealed the red card that was handed out to Dom Dwyer in the 87th minute of their 3-1 loss to Orlando on Sunday, but the independent review panel that hears the appeals rescinded the red card.

The appeal process required unanimous approval from review panel which includes a representative from US Soccer, the Canadian Soccer Association, and PRO, the Professional Referees, Organization. This means that Dwyer will be available for KC on Friday when Sporting take's on FC Dallas at Sporting Park.

The rescinding of the red card certainly had something to do with the reaction of Orlando's defender, David Mateos, who when Dwyer gave him a chest bump immediately grabbed his face like Dwyer had punched him or put his hands to Mateos' face and embellishing the contact falling to the ground. The incident brings back memories from earlier this season when Orlando's Cyle Larin was sent off for a challenge against Sacha Kljestan when Kljestan sold the contact when there was none. Larin's red card was rescinded as well.

Besler, Zusi on US Roster. New Assistant for SKC?

Two bits of news today regarding Sporting Kansas City. The first is that Sporting KC's Matt Besler and Graham Zusi have both been named to the US national team provisional roster ahead of the USA's CONCACAF Cup match up against Mexico at the Rose Bowl on October 10th. The match will decide which country will represent CONCACAF in Russia at the 2017 Confederations Cup. The team will be cut down to 23 later. The good news for KC is that they are off from MLS play that weekend which means Besler and Zusi wouldn't miss any league games for Kansas City while away if they make the final roster for the game.

The other news today is that it appears that KC will have a new assistant coach next season. Today the head coach of the Ottawa Fury, Marc dos Santos announced that he would be stepping down at the end of the season to pursue a coaching position within MLS. Immediately speculation turned to Montreal, where dos Santos had been an assistant and head coach back when the club had been in the lower divisions. It appears though that dos Santos is instead heading to Kansas City to join Sporting KC's technical staff as an assistant coach.

If nothing else changes, it'd be the first time that KC has four assistant coaches since Octavio Zambrano left after the 2011 season. Since then, Peter Vermes' assistants have been Kerry Zavagnin, Zoran Savic, and John Pas. The other option is that KC could do something similar to what the LA Galaxy did when they set up "Los Dos." Rumors have been around for a while that KC will be fielding a "two" team in the USL next season instead of having an affiliation with the Oklahoma City Energy. When LA added their USL team last year, assistant coach Curt Onalfo moved from being an assistant under Bruce Arena to being the head coach of "Los Dos." It wouldn't surprise me if KC does something similar with Zavagnin and he gets his first head coaching job with the USL team. With Zavagnin's tenure under Vermes it would probably create an easier transition between the second and first team as Zavagnin would likely be instituting the same style as Vermes uses with the first team.

Dos Santos on the surface appears to be a solid hire for Kansas City. I don't follow the NASL a whole lot, but from reading people that do, this is a good move for Kansas City.

S.A.S. Monday After Stats

Benny Feilhaber's assist was his 19th of the season in all competitions, setting a new team record for assists in a season, breaking his tie with Preki's 2003 season.

Seth Sinovic made his 150th appearance in all competitions for KC, he's the 18th player to hit that mark.

The 150 appearance tie Sinovic with Chris Brown and Roger Espinoza for 16th on that list for games played in all competitions.

Krisztian Nemeth's goal was his 13th in all competitions for KC, that's good for the fourth most in a player's debut season for KC.

In the 15th minute Graham Zusi moved past Matt McKeon and into 9th place for minutes played in all competitions for KC. He finished the game with 14,678 minutes played.

Zusi made his 159th start in all competitions, tying him with McKeon for 9th all time on that list.

Creighton to Number 1 - Sporting Academy Graduates in College

The college season is still early but is really winding up, and the new number one team in the country has two Sporting academy graduates in the program. Creighton is the number one team in the country and senior Eric DeJulio helps to anchor the defense that is now 5-0 on the season. The other SKC academy graduate, Bryce Gibson has yet to play for Creighton this season.

Creighton isn't the only top five team with SKC academy graduates though, the number three team in the country, UNC has both Andy Lopez (brother of KC's Mikey Lopez) and Zach Wright are both getting plenty of time for the Tar Heels. And while he's not playing, number 2 seeded Notre Dame also has a KC academy graduate in goalkeeper Ryan Krutz.

Class of 2012

Andrew Brown (Bradley University) - MF - Sr - Started both Bradley's 4-1 loss to Utah Valley and their 4-1 loss to UNLV.

Eric DeJulio (Creighton University) - D - Sr - Started in #1 Creighton's 1-0 win over Michigan State.

Daniel Hare (Loyola University in Chicago) - D - Sr - Started Loyola's 0-0 draw with Valparaiso, their 1-0 OT win over Stetson, and their 1-0 win over Florida Atlantic.

Andrew Lightner (Dayton) - D - RJr - Started Dayton's 3-2 loss to Marquette. Started Dayton's 2-1 win over High Point. Started their 2-0 loss to Oakland.

Andrew Miller (Baker University) - D - Sr - Started Baker's 1-1 draw with Park and their 1-0 loss to Doane.

Nate Opperman (University of Evansville) - F - Sr - Started Evansville's 3-1 loss to Bowling Green. Came on as a substitute and scored a goal in Evansville's 1-0 win over Marshall.

Derek Schrick (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF - Sr - Did not play in either of UMKC's games.

Class of 2013

Joe Amico (Jacksonville) - D - Jr - Started both Jacksonville's 4-0 loss to Old Dominion and their 3-0 loss to VCU.

Matt Bernard (Cal Baptist) - MF - RSo - Started Cal Baptist's 3-1 loss to Cal State Dominguez Hills and their 3-2 loss to Cal Poly Pomona. Came on as a substitute in Cal Baptist's 3-0 win over UC San Diego.

Paul Dean (Rockhurst University) - D - Jr - Started in Rockhurst's 5-5 draw with Lindenwood, 1-0 win over Missouri S&T, and 1-0 win over Drury.

Seo-In Kim (UCSB) - MF - Jr - Came on as a substitute in UCSB's 2-0 win over Yale and their 2-1 loss to UConn.

Adam Lightner (Northern Illinois University) - D - Jr - Did not play in either of Northern Illinois' games.

Clay Stewart - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF/D - Jr - Came on as a substitute in both UMKC's 0-0 draw with Missouri State and their 2-1 win over Central Arkansas.

Wes White (University of Missouri Kansas City) - F - RSo - Started both UMKC's 0-0 draw with Missouri State and their 2-1 win over Central Arkansas.

Austin Wilcox (Cal-Poly) - MF - Jr - Started in both Cal Poly's 1-0 win over Air Force and 1-0 loss to Santa Clara.

Drew Wilson (Fort Hays State University) - D - Jr - Started both Fort Hays' 4-2 loss to UC Colorado Springs and their 2-1 win over CSU Pueblo.

Kyle Vassar - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - D - RSo - Did not play in either of UMKC's games.

Class of 2014

Darby Cronin (Missouri State)- MF - So - Did not play in either of Missouri State's games.

Andrew Dittemore (Missouri State) - GK - RSFr - Did not play in either of Missouri State's games.

Andy Ericks (Colorado School of Mines) - MF - So - Did not play in either of Colorado's games.

Heath Honold (West Virginia) - F - So - Came on as a substitute in both West Virginia's 1-0 loss to Michigan State and their 6-2 win over James Madison.

Mason Leonard (Drake) - D - So - Started Drake's 4-0 loss to Butler.

Blake Levine (Baker) - F - So - Started Baker's 1-1 draw with Park and their 1-0 loss to Doane.

Matthew Lewis (Fordham) - D - So -Started in Fordham's 0-0 draw with Lafayette.

Andy Lopez (North Carolina) - MF - RSFr - Came on as a substitute in #3 UNC's 2-0 win over Virginia Tech.

Noah Mudd (Trevecca) - D - So - Started Trevecca's 2-0 win over St. Catharine, 2-1 loss to Alderson Broaddus, and 2-1 win over Davis & Elkins

Joey Piatczyc (West Virginia) - MF - So - Started both West Virginia's 1-0 loss to Michigan State and 6-2 win over James Madison, recording an assist in that game.

Cole Stevenson (Denver) - F - So - Came on as a substitute, scoring a goal in #19 Denver's 2-1 win over St. John's.

Zach Wright (North Carolina) - F - So - Started in #3 UNC's 2-0 win over Virginia Tech.

2015

Andrew Blalock (Drake) - GK - Fr - Did not play in Drake's 4-0 loss to Butler.

Robert DeWitt III (Xavier) - MF - Fr - Did not play in Xavier's 2-1 win over Cincinnati.

Jack Freeman (Ohio State) - D - Fr -     Did not play in Ohio State's 2-1 loss to Northwestern.

Bryce Gibson (Creighton) - D - Fr - Did not play in Creighton's 1-0 win over Michigan State.

Nic Jaimes (Drake) - MF - Fr - Did not play in Drake's 4-0 loss to Butler.

Ryan Krutz (Notre Dame) - GK - Fr - Did not play in #2 Notre Dame's 1-0 win over Clemson.

Zane Moxley (Air Force) - D - Fr - Did not play in Air Force's 1-0 loss to Cal Poly.

Alexis Quevedo (UNLV) - MF - Fr - Did not play in UNLV's 2-0 win over Mercer. Came on as a substitute in UNLV's 4-1 win over Bradley.

Hector Solorio (Niagara) - MF - Fr - Came on as a substitute in both of Niagara's losses, 3-2 to New Jersey IT and Saint Francis.

Tucker Stephenson (West Virginia) - F - Fr - Started West Virginia's 1-0 loss to Michigan State. Came on as a substitute, recording an assist in West Virginia's 6-2 win over James Madison.

Andy Velez (JCCC) - MF - Fr - Started in JCCC's 4-0 win over Maple Woods. Did not play in JCCC's 3-0 win over Southwestern Illinois.

Bailey Weeks (Northeastern State University) - D - Fr - Came on as a substitute in both Northeastern's 2-1 loss to CSU-Pueblo and their 2-1 loss to MSU Denver.

Have the Wheels Officially Come Off?

For the fourth time in five games KC failed to get a win, and ran their winless streak up to five after they ended their cross country road trip with a 3-1 loss tonight in Orlando. The mistakes by the team are really starting to pile up and the number of games getting played by players who should be primarily back ups are starting to show. Sporting is now limping into a very important part of their schedule that isn't just important, but crowded as they'll play five games in 16 days, including the US Open Cup final. The wheels for the team certainly appear as though they are coming off.

KC was dealt a blow before the game even started as goalkeeper Tim Melia was held out of the game because of a leg injury, handing home grown goalkeeper Jon Kempin his first start of the season. Unfortunately one of the first things he had to do in the game was get the ball out of his own net. A foul 40 yards from goal gave Orlando a decent free kick from distance. Luke Boden played a ball to the back post where Adrian Winter lost Jacob Peterson and headed an uncontested header into the net past Kempin to give Orlando the early 1-0 lead. KC were shouting for an offside call that never came and very early KC was down 1-0. Two minutes later Orlando should have made it 2-0 as Kempin got a hand to a cross but it deflected off of Matt Besler and into the path of Lewis Neal who put his shot just wide of the post to keep the score at 1-0. KC had plenty of possession in the first but struggled to create chances. Their best came off the foot of Krisztian Nemeth who got just a little bit of space when cutting in from the left and tried to place a shot into the corner, but put it just wide of the far post.

The second half almost started as badly as the first as a poor give away by Graham Zusi allowed a 2v1 break against Besler. The ball came to Cyle Larin as Kempin rushed out to close down the angle. Larin tried to chip Kempin but sailed his shot over the bar keeping the score at 1-0. Orlando continued to come forward and in the 55th, after working down KC's left the ball got crossed into the middle for Neal who fired a shot on goal but Kempin got a big hand to the shot tipping it over the cross bar to keep KC alive. From there KC started to get more of the game and started to really come alive. Just four minutes after Kempin's save, KC was level. Nemeth received a ball from Benny Feilhaber and proceeded to dribble at former KC defender Aurelien Collin. Nemeth got some luck as the ball knocked off Collin right into Nemeth's path again, but Nemeth got into the box and fired a shot into the upper 90 to tie the game at 1-1. A minute later KC had a great chance to make it 2-1 as Zusi got played down the line. Zusi crossed into the middle for Dom Dwyer but he couldn't get the effort directed on goal with enough pace to beat Tally Hall. Orlando inserted US national team player, Brek Shea and he changed the game back in Orlando's favor. Defender, David Mateos played a long ball over the top towards Bryan Rochez who was challenged by Kevin Ellis. Ellis couldn't get enough of a jump to get his head on the ball and it went past both players into the path of Shea who had raced down the line. Shea dribbled the ball into the box before rolling it back for Rochez who had continued his run and he knocked it past Kempin to make it 2-1 Orlando. From there KC's heads seemed to go down and they seemed to really stop playing. They didn't really look likely to find a second equalizer. In fact it was Orlando that would go on to find a third goal. In the 72nd minute Rochez got played in behind the KC back line but Ellis did a good job of recovering and cutting the play out. From there though Ellis took a big touch looking to clear the ball up field and Rochez won the ball back off the KC center back. Rochez played the ball back to Winter who played a give and go with Neal and fired a shot past Kempin to make it 3-1 Orlando. Down two goals the game again appeared over for KC, but things would get worse late on as in the 87th minute Dwyer and Mateos got into a shoving match in the box behind the play. On replays after some shoving, Dwyer bumps Mateos in the chest which Mateos oversold as a shot to the head, going down holding his face. Referee Jair Marrufo produced the red card at the urging of his assistant referee and now KC not only finished the game with 10 men, but will now go into Friday's game against FC Dallas without their leading scorer.

Wizards Man of the Match - Krisztian Nemeth - The bright spot for KC tonight, was getting all kinds of space down the wing to work with and his goal was extremely well taken.

Player Ratings - Kempin 4, Abdul-Salaam 4, Ellis 3, Besler 4, Sinovic 4, Mustivar 4, Feilhaber 5, Zusi 4, Nemeth 5, Dwyer 3, Peterson 3. Subs Anor 4, Quintilla 4.

Match Day 27: Many Familiar Faces Meet

Sporting Kansas City and Orlando City meet for the first time as MLS opponents and on both sides there will be plenty of players who have spent time in the others colors. This is mainly thanks to the teams' affiliation when Orlando was still in the USL. Particularly welcoming for Orlando fans is the return of Dom Dwyer to his "spiritual home" as Orlando head coach Adrian Heath put it earlier this year. Dwyer had spent most of 2013 with Orlando, setting the USL scoring record and scoring four goals in the finals to help Orlando win the USL crown. But the likes of Mikey Lopez, Jon Kempin, Kevin Ellis, and Amobi Okugo have all played games for Orlando, while Jalil Anibaba was an Orlando player for a few minutes after the expansion draft. Meanwhile on the other side line, Aurelien Collin and Servando Carrasco will face their former club for the first time.

Orlando comes into this game desperately needing a win to start a playoff push. They are currently two points behind sixth place Montreal, but have played four more games than the Impact have, putting them in a difficult situation. They are also suffering from injury issues, especially after this last international window, when Kaka and Darwin Ceren both picked up injuries with their respective countries. Neither has officially been ruled out this weekend, but earlier this week, the Orlando DP, Kaka was apparently doubtful to play in the game. The loss of both of them would be a big blow,

While Kansas City seems to be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in regards to injuries, unlike Orlando KC is coming into tomorrow's game after a midweek encounter with Portland. The good news is that KC will be welcoming back their internationals from duty tomorrow. Krisztian Nemeth is with the club in Orlando having traveled from Northern Ireland to join up with the team there. Nemeth should be able to add some attacking options to KC after a midweek game in Portland that saw KC's most dangerous chances come from Matt Besler long throws.

Nemeth - Dwyer - Zusi

Feilhaber - Nagamura

Mustivar

Dia - Besler - Ellis - Anibaba

Melia

Number to Remember - 1 - That's the number of losses that KC has this year vs the Eastern Conference, unfortunately it was their last time out against an Eastern Conference foe, losing 3-2 against the Columbus Crew, twice blowing a lead in that game. One is also the number of losses KC has in their first match up against expansion sides. KC's lone loss came in 2012 against the Montreal Impact, KC is 7-1-2 in those match ups.

Key Match Up - Dom Dwyer vs Aurelien Collin - A match up of the former KC teammates, the two will certainly go at each other tomorrow. Unfortunately a lot of KC's strategy has been to lob the ball up to Dwyer to lose against his taller marker, but to recover the secondary ball and attack from there. With Collin's penchant for raising his arm for an offside call on close plays, hopefully Dwyer can get the opportunity to get behind the Frenchman tomorrow.

PREDICTION - Even with KC's games in hand still, if Sporting wants a shot at the Supporters' Shield, KC needs to get all three points at home tomorrow. Orlando has just four home wins on the season. But after a few years of being road warriors, KC has just three wins on the road this year. Against a back line that has allowed the most goals in the league this year, 50, KC should be able to find some space to operate and score. It'll be a question of whether Wednesday night's shutout against Portland was a blip on the radar that has been KC's defensive struggles lately or if KC may have finally righted the ship in the back. Could certainly be a high scoring game.

SKC - 3 (Dwyer x2, Nemeth)
OCSC - 1 (Larin)

S.A.S. Thursday After Stats

Last night was Peter Vermes' 52nd draw in league play as KC's head coach, breaking his tie with Bob Gansler for the most draws in team history.

Graham Zusi started his 158th game in all competitions for KC, breaking his tie with Mo Johnston for 10th place all time on that list.

Seth Sinovic made his 120th appearance in league play for KC, breaking his tie with Diego Gutierrez and Uche Okafor for 19th on that list.

Melia Shows Why He Deserved First Rose in Rose City Draw

Earlier this week, Sporting KC did a spoof on the Bachelor where Peter Vermes handed out roses to players that would be making the trip to the Rose City to take on the Portland Timbers. During that it was said that Tim Melia had already received his rose and would be going to the Rose City. Last night against the Timbers, Melia proved why he'd been the first rose recipient as the KC goalkeeper came up with seven saves as KC ended their three game losing streak with a 0-0 draw in Portland.

The first half saw both teams really struggle to create much in the way of offense. Jacob Peterson had an early chance when goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey and defender Norberto Paparatto didn't communicate well enough, but Kwarasey recovered to knock the ball out. The best chance in the first half came in the 29th when Fanendo Adi was played through on goal. Out racing Matt Besler, Adi got a shot off but Melia made a nice kick save to knock the ball away. KC's best first half chance came in the 33rd off a Besler long throw. Saad Abdul-Salaam got his head on it and tried to flick it on goal but it ended up being easily collected by Kwarasey.

The second half though things really opened up, especially for the Timbers who really started to fly forward countering Kc's possession. In the 49th Adi had another really good opportunity down KC's right a cross came into Adi in the box and he got a free header on net but Melia made a nice diving save stopping the ball on the line and not allowing a rebound. Portland continued to keep Melia busy in the second half with Melia forced to make a diving save on Lucas Melano after he was played in on goal in front of Abdul-Salaam. KC for having possession really struggled to create many chances, their best chances were coming off of Besler long throws and it almost saw KC grab the lead in the 64th when a ball sailed through the box and bounced in front of Graham Zusi. The midfielder brought it down and fired a low shot that beat Kwarasey but not the post as the ball bounced into play and eventually away. That chance led to a counter at the other end as KC got caught forward, but again Melia came to the rescue taking the ball off of Melano's foot as he received a pass into KC's box. Two minutes later, in the 66th, Melano was again played into the box, this time he touched it around an oncoming Melia and tried to play a ball across the face of goal, but Kevin Ellis had recovered at the near post and knocked the ball out for a corner. Portland continued to come forward, mainly on the counter or from set pieces but Melia and the KC defense was able to hold them off. KC had some half chances with Abdul-Salaam playing a cross that went through the entire box with a KC player not able to get their foot on the ball. Meanwhile Melia was denying Diego Valeri and Maximiliano Urruti to keep the shut out. It certainly wasn't pretty from KC, but it was a vast improvement from the KC defense with Soni Mustivar slotted back in front of them, as they were able to keep their first shutout since early July.

Wizards Man of the Match - Tim Melia - Really it's not even a contest, Melia with his seven saves was immense for Kansas City last night. He made a number of strong saves and was good coming off his line as well to stop other chances throughout the night.

Player Ratings - Melia 9, Abdul-Salaam 6, Ellis 6, Beslser 7, Sinovic 6, Mustivar 7, Nagamura 6, Feilhaber 5, Zusi 6, Dwyer 4, Peterson 4. Subs Anibaba 6, Anor 5, Quintilla NR.

Pardo Returns to the Comets - Former SKC Wizards Update

The new indoor soccer season is a little under two months away, and after letting goalkeeper Danny Waltman go to the Tacoma Stars, the question was who would take over in goal for him for the Missouri Comets. This week it was announced that the team had re-signed Boris Pardo who had played with the Wichita B-52s last season. He'd played with the Comets back when they'd originally reformed and will now return, likely as the number one.

Here's the rest of this week's update.

Active without a club or unknown
Mitchell Cardenas
Michael Kafari
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Kyle Miller
Lawrence Olum - Started and played 90 minutes in Kenya's 2-1 loss to Zambia.
Nelson Pizarro
Yann Songo'o

MLS
Davy Arnaud - DC - No game this week.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Came off the bench and played 13 minutes, recording an assist in New England's 3-0 win over Orlando.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-0 loss to KC.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-0 loss to KC.
Daneil Cyrus - Chicago (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Trinidad's 3-3 draw with Mexico.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Away with US U23 team.
Herculez Gomez - Toronto - Started and played 74 minutes in Toronto's 2-1 loss to Chicago.
Michael Harrington - Colorado - No game this week.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - No game this week.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Sierra Leone's 0-0 draw with the Ivory Coast.
Chris Konopka - Toronto - Started and played 90 minutes in Toronto's 2-1 loss to Chicago.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Dressed but did not play in Montreal's 4-3 win over Chicago.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Started and played 90 minutes in Philadelphia's 2-1 win over San Jose.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Loaned to San Antonio.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Came off the bench and played 83 minutes in Columbus' 3-0 loss to Dallas.
Sal Zizzo - New York - No game this week.

NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Did not dress in Tampa's 2-0 win over New York.
James Marcelin - Fort Lauderdale - No game this week.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Atlanta - Started and played 90 minutes in Atlanta's 2-0 loss to Carolina.
Michal Mravec - Atlanta - Did not dress in Atlanta's 2-0 loss to Carolina.
Khari Stephenson - San Antonio - Did not dress in San Antonio's 1-0 loss to Ottawa.

USL
Christian Duke - Oklahoma City - Started and played 87 minutes in OKC's 2-0 loss to Real Monarchs. Started and played 69 minutes in OKC's 2-1 loss to Tulsa.
Brian Fekete - Austin - Did not play in Austin's 2-1 win over Seattle.
Adnan Gabeljic - Sacramento - Did not play in Sacramento's 2-1 win over Vancouver.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 2-0 loss to Real Monarchs. Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 2-1 loss to Tulsa.
Mechack Jerome - Charlotte - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Haiti's 3-1 win over Grenada. Started and played 90 minutes in Haiti's 3-0 win over Grenada.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Did not play in either of Charlotte's games.
Victor Munoz - Arizona - Did not play in Arizona's 3-2 loss to Real Monarchs.
Tony Rocha - Austin - Started and played 90 minutes, recording an assist in Austin's 2-1 win over Seattle.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 2-0 loss to Real Monarchs. Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 2-1 loss to Tulsa.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 0-0 draw with Rochester.

Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Ontario - Offseason.
Adnan Gabeljic - St. Louis - Offseason.
Josh Gardner - Missouri - Offseason.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Offseason.
Mike Jones - Dallas - Offseason.
Michal Mravec - Tacoma - Offseason.
Boris Pardo - Missouri - Offseason.

International
Korede Aiyegbusi - AFC United - Sweden - No game this week.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - Lost 3-1 to Kiisto.
Vicente Arze - Blooming - Bolivia - No game this week.
Claudio Bieler - Quilmes - Argentina - Started and played 79 minutes in Quilmes' 1-1 (3-1) PK loss to Estudiantes. Started and played 90 minutes, scoring two goals in Quilmes' 4-2 win over Atletico Rafaela.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - No game this week.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - Came off the bench and played 10 minutes in Belen's 1-1 draw with Uruguay.
Sunil Chhetri - Bengaluru - India - Started and played 90 minutes in India's 3-0 loss to Iran.
Jorge Claros - Qingdao Jonoon - China - No game this week.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Lost 2-0 to Dock Sud.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Did not dress in Leganes' 1-1 draw with Real Zaragoza.
Pablo Escobar - Cúcuta Deportivo - Colombia - Started and played 90 minutes in Cucuta's 2-1 loss to Alianza Petrolera.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Tied Boys' Town 1-1.
Jeferson - Boavista - Brazil - Offseason.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - No game this week.
Peterson Joseph - Azam FC - Tanzania - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - ABC (Fluminense) - Brazil - Did not dress in either of ABC's games.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - No game this week.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - No game this week.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - No game this week.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Started and played 90 minutes in Armenia's 2-0 loss to Serbia. Started and played 83 minutes in Armenia's 0-0 draw with Denmark.
Akeem Priestley - Sheikh Russel KC - Bangladesh - No game this week.
Pablo Punyed - Stjarnan - Iceland - Dressed but did not play in El Salvador's 1-0 win over Curacao. Started and played 45 minutes in El Salvador's 1-0 win over Curacao.
Oriol Rosell - Sporting Club de Portugal - Portugal - No game this week.
Soony Saad - BCC Tero (loaned from BEC Tero Sasana FC) - Thailand - Offseason.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Wuppertaler's 5-0 win over KFC Uerdingen 05.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Started and played in the Philippines' 2-0 win over Maldives. Started and played 90 minutes in the Philippines' 5-1 loss to Uzbekistan.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - No game this week.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - Did not dress in Saarbrucken's 3-1 win over Saar Saarbrucken.