Podcasts
Keys to Sporting KC’s turnaround
After a historically poor start, Sporting KC was the best in the West in the month of May. How have they turned things around this season? We go into the specifics of the impact of players returning from injury.
We’re all still suffering from a bit of PTSD as a result of Sporting KC’s historically awful start to the season. But in the month of May, they were the best in the West.
Are they out of the woods yet? Of course not. But the recent form is undeniable, and this is a fun team to watch again.
Obviously the main key to SKC’s recent success, was the return of several players from injury. Including arguable the two best players on the team. But after the 2-1 win over FC Dallas, the Shades of Blue Soccer Show is talking about the specific impact of players returning.
The defense is far from perfect. But is it exactly good enough for MLS? If you conveniently throw out the STL match, the defense has actually been quite stingy. We discuss the pros and cons of Andreu Fontas, and fantasize about him being the third string centerback. I’m just saying… the transfer window opens in July.
Dany Rosero has still only played a handful of games for Sporting KC, but he’s brought something this team has been missing for as long as I can remember. He has another level of ferocity when it comes to winning headers. He’s desperate, scratching, and clawing to get his head on a cross. While it may have only resulted in one goal so far, this opens things up for other players and SKC is more dangerous on set pieces.
Perhaps an unsung hero of this resurgence has been Nemanja Radoja playing in the holding midfield position. It’s not a glamorous position and he isn’t making headlines. But having a natural #6 entirely changed the midfield. They can play with both Gadi Kinda and Erik Thommy together. It allows Remi Walter to play his stronger position. And it also means we get 30-min Roger Espinoza. Roger off the bench for short spells, making $86k, is a true gift to us all.
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I don’t think it is PTSD. The goals scored against us are still representative of how easily teams can exploit our deficits and errors. The difference is that we aren’t being hammered by a impotent offense as well as these frequent moments of weakness. Scoring goals changes game dynamics and makes opposing teams more desperate – opening them up. Teams know they counter us by bunkering and physical play. They wait for us to make a mistake. When we get a goal it forces them to open up, but we still struggle and make so many mistakes that are easily exploited.
Set piece defending for SKC is remarkably poor. At least we score on them occasionally now, too. But yes, on the main you’re right. The question is, how long can we outscore opposition. We were probably overly bad vs the mean to start the year. I’d say we’re probably overly high vs the mean now. Sooner or later, the next correction comes. Unless the team can figure out a way to plug the holes.
If you exclude StL (and i think you should) we’ve given up 4 goals in the last 5 games. One was a PK.
I don’t see this team getting ripped apart right now. Portland’s wasn’t a bunker and counter but a fortunate bounce off of a throw in. Dallas’ was just kind of junk.
Frankly, with Tim in goal we probably don’t concede to LAFC or Dallas.
Reliance on prime Timmy is also relying on exceptions to the mean, right?
No, Portland wasn’t entirely bunker and counter but we caught more lucky breaks in May than expected. Thinking back to LAFC they had amazing opportunities to make that game 3-0 before we woke up after Johnny’s goal. It was every half-step that we conceded. Every 50-50 lost. Then we have moments like vs FC Dallas where we one touch our way out of the corner, spread the field and get a chance on goal. Physical play on Kinda really throws him off of his game. Same for Pulido. The issue is how we collapse for periods of time when we get thrown off due to internal loss of focus, externally by calls and physicality of other teams, or even by failure to rest people as needed. When we collapse we just lose all fight in us.
Sure, teams won’t punish us 100% of the time for our mistakes (St. Louis coming the closest). But we also got extremely lucky defensively at the same time we got lucky offensively. Like Shawn noted, we are defying the average in more than one metric.