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)