Sporting KC
Sporting KC v LAFC: Preview, Predictions, and How to Watch
Sporting KC host defending Champions LAFC on Saturday night during a FIFA international break.
Sporting KC vs LAFC
When: Saturday June 17, 2023 at 7:30 CT
Where:Â Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kansas
How to watch: Apple MLS season passÂ
Sporting Kansas City are at home for the second time out of a four home game stretch. This time they welcome 2022 MLS Cup Champions LAFC. Sporting KC are coming off a 4-1 win against Austin FC and are looking to add on to their amazing form since the start of May. They currently are 5-1-2 since the start of May and are now sitting in the last playoff spot after going ten games winless to open the season. Alan Pulido was the star against Austin FC last week scoring twice and picking up an assist as well which earned him a spot on MLS’ TOTW and MLS player of the match day as well. Pulido has three goals and an assist in his last two games and Vermes says he hasn’t even reached his full potential just yet!
LAFC
LAFC on the other hand are winless in their last six games! Coming off of a pair of losses to the Houston Dynamo getting thrashed 4-0 at Houston and lost at home 1-0. The CCL finalists have really let themselves down as of late and are heading into a rough patch in the schedule where they play six times in seventeen days which started on the 4th of June with the second leg of the CCL final. They haven’t won a league game since May 20th and the current MLS champs are most likely getting desperate for points now, but with fitness now an issue.
Injury Report
Sporting KC
Good news! Russell and Pierre are upgraded to questionable for the big match! Bad news is that they’re questionable and most likely won’t see any game time. Rosero and Fontas are still questionable which isn’t great for the backline. Also Tzionis is out for international duty with Cyprus.
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LAFC
According to the player availability report from LAFC, they are going to be missing a lot of names. Crepeau is still recovering from the broken leg he suffered in MLS Cup. Jose Cifuentes and Denis Bouanga are out on international duty. Sergi Palencia is also out with a lower extremity. Kellyn Acosta and Timothy Tillman are also questionable with lower extremity injuries. LAFC will also be without Opoku who was sent off in the mid week clash against Houston.
Stats
Sporting KC
Goals- Pulido and Salloi (4), Kinda, Russell, Thommy (2), Castellanos, Hernandez, Shelton, Rosero, and Agada (1)
Assists- Thommy (4), Pulido and Salloi (3), Kinda, Leibold, Walter (2), Espinoza, Tzionis, Russell, Voloder, and  Zusi (1)
LAFC
Goals- Bouanga (10), Vela (4), Biuk, Opoku, Tillman (2), Bogusz, Chiellini, and Hollingshead (1)
Assists- Vela (5), Cifuentes (3), Bouanga and Palencia (2), Biuk, Hollingshead, Opoku, and Sanchez (1)
Predictions
With Sporting going on a five game unbeaten run and LAFC going on a six game winless run this game could be a great back and forth game between the two sides. However, with LAFC missing a few of their star players, especially with league leading scorer Denis Bouanga his current ten goals (who scored his last goal against SKC), they may struggle. This will be a really tight match and with both sides not at full strength I think it’ll end as the same result that it was back on May 17. This is also the last time the two sides will see each other until, if they meet in the MLS playoffs.
Prediction 1-1 draw
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A few weeks ago I did some math. If SKC hope to make the playoffs, they pretty much have to win every home game and one on the road. So, I hope they don’t draw in this one because that adds the need to win two of their remaining road games.
With a shortage of available options for the right wing, it will be interesting to see who PV places as the starter. The best choices are clearly — in order of ability — Thommy, Kinda, Duke, or even Zusi. If PV starts Shelton, he’s not playing to win. And every home game is a must win. LAFC are down and without some starters. You have to go for the win by putting out your best players.
Clearly? Na. You can’t tell me a player who has never played right wing for SKC is going to be clearly better than someone who has made their career at that spot.
Khiry is starting and scoring our fourth goal.
Just to make the playoffs? That doesn’t sound right. Maybe you did your math on last year’s playoff format?….lets see, last year the line for 9th place was 43 points in the west and 42 in the east, this year the pace in the west is for it to be just 40 points. sitting at 20 points with 9 home games left, they could get to 43 by going 7-0-2 without a single road point. They are going to get more than 0 road points.
Yeah, the bar is lower. I think Wet Water’s math feels more right to me.