Sporting Kansas City vs. Houston Dynamo | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

Sporting Kansas City vs. Houston Dynamo
2018 MLS Regular Season - Week 17
Children’s Mercy Park — Kansas City
June 23 - 8:30 pm ET
WATCH: ESPN+ MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

Sporting Kansas City have a six-game undefeated streak in MLS play and defeated FC Dallas in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16, while the Houston Dynamo also booked their Quarterfinal berth following a win over Minnesota United FC.

They’ll face each other with a spot in the Semifinals on the line, but first they meet in MLS where Houston is unbeaten in in their last eight games against Sporting Kansas City, (4W-4D). The Dynamo have scored multiple goals in five of the eight matches, per Opta.

Sporting Kansas City

Sporting (8-2-5) continued defense of their USOC title with a dramatic 3-2 win over Dallas at home Saturday night. Daniel Salloi struck for a brace after Carlos Gruezo gave the visitors a lead. And after Roland Lamah leveled, Yohan Croizet scored a sensational 89th-minute winner as Sporting captured a seventh straight Open Cup win.

“It’s great for us to go onto the next round,” Peter Vermes said. “I think we deserve it. We were good tonight. Don’t get me wrong, Dallas is a great team. They had their full lineup out there. It was a tough match.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: M - Felipe Gutierrez (sports hernia surgery), D - Jimmy Medranda (knee injury), D/M - Brad Evans (thigh injury), M/D - Cristian Lobato (knee injury), M - Gianluca Busio (hamstring injury); QUESTIONABLE: D - Matt Besler (undisclosed injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, right to left)
GK: Tim Melia — Graham Zusi, Ike Opara, Emillano Amor, Jaylin Lindsey — Roger Espinoza, Ilie Sanchez, Daniel Salloi — Johnny Russell, Diego Rubio, Gerso Fernandes

Notes: Roger Espinoza is tied for 10th in both chances created (19) and assists (four) in home matches. … Sporting Kansas City have kept four clean sheets in eight games at home this season, tied for the most in the league. They kept seven clean sheets in 17 home matches in 2017.

Houston Dynamo

For the third time in four years, Houston (6-5-3) has reached the quarterfinals of the USOC following a 1-0 win over Minnesota Monday night at BBVA Compass Stadium. Mauro Manotas scored the winner just after the halftime break, heading in an Adam Lundkvist corner kick.

The Loons had a chance to equalize in the dying minutes, but Darwin Quintero clanged his penalty kick off the post as the Dynamo held on.

“We were a little bit erratic with the ball when passing and with our movements,” Wilmer Cabrera said after the game. “You can consider that normal because some of the guys haven’t been able to play consistently, but they worked hard. In the second half, I think we improved. We came off much better — more energetic, sharper. We created some options.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: M - Tomas Martinez, F - Alberth Elis
International duty: D - Adolfo Machado
Injury Report: OUT: D - A.J. DeLaGarza (torn left ACL), D - Dylan Remick (concussion), M - Darwin Ceren (leg injury), M - Juan David Cabezas (left quad injury), F - Mac Steeves (left hip injury), M/D - Andrew Wenger (calf injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Joe Willis — Kevin Garcia, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Philippe Senderos, DaMarcus Beasley — Eric Alexander, Oscar Boniek Garcia — Alberth Elis, Tomas Martinez, Romell Quito — Mauro Manotas

Notes: Houston have won just one game on the road the season, matching their total from last year. They have conceded 1.9 goals per game on the road this season after conceding 1.6 on the road last season.

All-Time Series

Overall: Sporting Kansas City 5 wins, 31 goals … Houston Dynamo 10 wins, 38 goals … 12 draws
At Kansas City: Sporting 2 wins, 16 goals … Dynamo 4 wins, 17 goals … 7 draws
Last meeting at Kansas City: Sporting Kansas City 0, Houston Dynamo 0 (Oct. 15, 2017)