Sporting knows Whitecaps can kick it up a notch
It’s one thing to know what your opponent is going to do. It’s another to stop it.
That’s what Sporting Kansas City is facing Friday when the Vancouver Whitecaps come a-calling to Children’s Mercy Park.
They know all about the Caps, their style and their away-game lethality.
They’ve also lost four consecutive Major League Soccer games to Vancouver, including two at home, one of which ended their team-record 24-game home unbeaten streak.
“It is a big game,” defender Matt Besler told reporters this week. “We always say that ... but if you look at the standings, we’re right up there at the top with Vancouver. Last year, they beat us both times, they came into our place, and they were the team that snapped our unbeaten streak. It’s a team that we respect; we know they’re dangerous.
“Over the last couple years, they’ve had the best road record in the league, so we know they’re a team that has a lot of confidence going into somebody else’s stadium.”
The Whitecaps (3-3-1, 10 points) also won both their CONCACAF Champions League group stage games in 2016-17. This season, Sporting (4-1-2, 14 points) is unbeaten in six games and tops the Western Conference in points and goals, with a league-high seven players scoring.
It has been a roller-coaster start for Vancouver, who have dropped two straight after a strong takeoff.
The Caps haven’t led a game at halftime this season. And as has become the norm, the Caps’ road
numbers are minimal. They ’re last in MLS in shots per game (seven) and shots on target per game (three), as well as away possession (40.2), though they rank sixth in goals (six) and lead the league in away wins with 19 since 2015.
In Vancouver’s 1-0 victory last September — their first league win in six games in Kansas City — their possession-light away philosophy was pushed to absurd levels. They had the ball 26.3 per cent of the time while being outshot 18-11, 7-3 on target.
It didn’t matter. When Jordan Harvey struck a long ball from near half into the box where Erik Hurtado volleyed it home in the 53rd minute, it clinched a playoff berth for Vancouver.
“They’re really quick on the counter. They are a very aggressive team going forward. So if you’re not good on the ball, that’s where you can get exposed big time,” said Sporting coach Peter Vermes
Vermes places equal importance on going forward.
“Like I said … you have to be good with the ball, you can’t give it up in critical areas, but more importantly, you also have to be able to put them under pressure. You have to go and attack them.
“The other side of it is, if you have good position allocation on the field, when you lose it, you can put pressure on the ball quickly so that they can’t now serve somebody in from distance and now you’re on the defensive.”