FC Dallas vs. Sporting Kansas City | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

FC Dallas vs. Sporting Kansas City
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 34
Toyota Stadium — Frisco
October 21 — 5 pm ET
WATCH: ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

It’s a top of the table Western Conference clash when FC Dallas host Sporting Kansas City Sunday at Toyota Stadium.

FC Dallas are coming off a 1-0 loss to D.C. United last Saturday that snapped a five-match unbeaten streak, while SKC rallied to defeat the Vancouver Whitecaps, 4-1, on Wednesday to move within one point of the West leaders.

This is the second meeting this season, with FC Dallas winning 3-2 at Children’s Mercy Park on July 28. Michael Barrios scored a hat trick for FC Dallas, while Gerso Fernandes and Daniel Salloi scored for Sporting.

FC Dallas

FC Dallas (16-7-9) suffered their first loss since August 29, losing to D.C. United at Audi Field last Saturday.

Russell Canouse scored the lone goal in the 86th minute, which came 10 minutes after Bill Hamid pushed a Barrios attempt over the crossbar on a counterattack.

“My job is to find solutions, not just reading the problems. Reading the problem, anybody can do it,” Oscar Pareja said. “The job is to give them solutions and answers to the problem and we’re going to do this then to resolve those situations. … I believe in this group mentally and I know the reactions will come. They have the talent and the capacity to do it.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: M - Carlos Gruezo
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D - Kris Reaves (left foot stress fracture), F - Cristian Colman (torn ACL)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Jesse Gonzalez — Ryan Hollingshead, Matt Hedges, Reto Ziegler, Marquinhos Pedroso — Carlos Gruezo, Victor Ulloa — Santiago Mosquera, Maxi Urruti, Roland Lamah — Michael Barrios

Sporting Kansas City

Sporting Kansas City (16-8-8) jumped ahead of LAFC and within one point of FC Dallas with a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place on Wednesday.

Trailing 1-0 at the half, Sporting rallied for four unanswered goals in the second half with Yohan Croizet equalizing in the 62nd minute and Salloi scoring the first of his two goals 20 minutes later. Homegrown Gianluca Busio netted his first MLS goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time and Salloi followed with his brace three minutes later.

“I just told the guys at halftime, there was no tactics, it was more of ‘look, you have to have the desire in this game, you have to have the intensity’, and it was different in the second half,” Peter Vermes said. “We had the desire and intensity. I think it overwhelmed them and put them under pressure. When we scored the first one the momentum came with us and it changed the game.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D - Jimmy Medranda (knee surgery), M - Cristian Lobato (quad injury); QUESTIONABLE: M - Yohan Croizet (quad injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, right to left)
GK: Tim Melia — Graham Zusi, Ike Opara, Matt Besler, Seth Sinovic — Roger Espinoza, Ilie Sanchez, Felipe Gutierrez — Johnny Russell, Krisztian Nemeth, Gerso Fernandes

All-Time Series

Overall: FC Dallas 23 wins, 92 goals … Sporting Kansas City 24 wins, 88 goals … 12 draws
At Dallas: FC Dallas 14 wins, 54 goals … Sporting Kansas City 9 wins, 31 goals … 5 draws
Last meeting at Dallas: FC Dallas 1, Sporting Kansas City 0 (April 22, 2017)