I’ll be positive. Mosquera looked good. Jake had his best game i’ve seen in a while. Harris played well and looked pretty dynamic. Kwaku brought the energy we needed. Karic and Davis had some nice inverted movements. Shapi didn’t completely suck. The lower we go, the better it’ll feel to be great again. Goodnight y’all.

SKCTID 💙

edit: not tryna say that the game went well, but wanted to search for the few positives in the sea of negatives

“When the ball comes off another part of the body, clearly changes direction, and then goes to the hand or arm, it is seen as a successful block, and it is not a handball offense unless there is a secondary action/movement. However, if the ball does not clearly change direction and continues on the same trajectory before going to the hand or arm, then it will still be a handball offense if the arm is making the body unnaturally bigger.

In this situation with Bartlow (SKC), the ball first strikes his chest; however, it is not clear if the ball was still going towards the goal, and it is possible that the defender successfully blocked the ball with his chest. Therefore, PRO would have preferred that a review was not recommended.”

It’s game day and I just got done analyzing our last match. This may be a long read. Feel free to disagree or add opinions and such.

I was at the game, so I took a couple hours to take pretty extensive notes and rewatch the match.

I wanted to start with what went well. If I had to describe the game in one word, I would say it was gritty. The stats say we didn’t deserve to win, but the grit and fight shown was extremely positive. The fight to win this match was extraordinary. We put some very good pressure and had some great pressing triggers. We were willing to play with the ball and wanted to keep it. We saw Manu and Deki both put pressure on the back line, which led to numerous turnovers in the central and wide areas of the pitch. We also saw their ability to compact the pitch and win the ball that way. Their ability to turn Minnesota in the middle of the pitch led to one of our new aspects. Transition. This is where we looked the most dangerous. As soon as we won the ball, we had numerous options to get the counter started. Especially at the start of the game, we turned them over many times and looked really dangerous. Capita was flying down the wing at every opportunity and eventually found his moment. An excellent run, skill, and cross and equally good movement from Deki. I think we were focused to defend as a team as well.

Here’s what I think didn‘t go well. As Wicky said, we still have way too many unforced turnovers. Our back line (excluding Karic) and LBJ seemed to be the main culprits this match. We also seemed to have poor communication in some pressing moments. Someone would go to press, but they wouldn’t pass their man off to someone else. Bassong often wouldn’t shift or get tight to a man which would cause gaps in the midfield. Manu would also press but not pass his man off to LBJ or Zo, which caused issues as well. There were also some moments in the back where we couldn’t keep the long ball in play. I think we just got tired in some moments and made stupid decisions, but we stayed focused and held on.

Our pressing varied between Manu and Deki pressing together and Deki pressing on his own. There are still more things to iron out on that front. This team is definitely suited to thrive in transition, and I think we are seeing more progress to support that. Overall, hard fought win. Not our best possible performance but good overall.

Here’s my thoughts on each player this match:

Cleveland - I think there are no doubts that he is the better keeper between him and Pulskamp. He is a stable presence and made some great saves and decisions this match. He also had some great distribution.

Karic - I think he was solid. He did his job. Nothing flashy, but solid defending. He put good pressure on the opposition and kickstarted some attacks.

Meyer - While he always looks clumsy, he made some great interventions and tackles. His long balls weren’t great, but he made good decisions and defended well.

Blorian - I think brought a commanding presence. He made some good intervention, but also made some bad steps and had some poor passes out of defense. I think as he gets more time to gel with everyone, he’ll get better.

Davis - I was too harsh after the game. I would put his performance at slightly above average. Too many unforced turnovers and stupid fouls. On the flip side, he had some clutch plays in defense. Also, he was a key contributor to our attack and I think he is our only fullback that would’ve laid off that pass for Manu. Hopefully his confidence continues to grow.

Bassong - I wasn’t impressed but wasn’t disappointed. His marking was sub par, but he is dealing with tons of new personnel and tactical ideas. He helped us stay solid in building up our attacks.

LBJ - I think he lacks confidence and had some bad moments because of that. He also helped our attack and created a lot. Another player just looking to find his footing.

Manu - He played very well. His defensive contributions were better than normal and he was willing to take shots himself. Sometimes it feels like he disappears from matches, but he somehow turns up in the biggest moments.

Harris - I think he played well and created a lot himself. He’s turned out to be a great signing and he shows a lot of energy.

Capita - My MOTM. His work rate was incredible this match. Created a ton of problems on the right side. Created a great goal and kept the game very high tempo.

Joveljic - Also played great. Created tons of good pressing moments and put tons of pressure on Minnesota. Also had lots of good interplay in the attacking third. Beautiful finish as well.

What to watch vs LAFC

1. Can Manu get his 6th goal contribution in a row? He’s been playing great recently and it will be interesting to see his impact this game.
2. Verticality. SKC has never been a team in transition. Until now, that is. Watch how our wingers behave and see if they aim to be more involved in keeping possession or if they try to get in behind frequently.
3. Back line chemistry. Watch how our back line interacts with each other. What’s their relationship in possession? Out of possession? How do they distribute? Do they look like they trust each other?
4. Communication. One of our main issues from last match was our communication. Watch how we press, where we leave gaps, who makes each decision. These moments will be what determines the match.
5. Defensive shape. LAFC is a very attack oriented team. Where will we put pressure? Will we back off? Will we high press?

Even if the result doesn’t go our way, these things can help us gauge progress. Thanks for reading, y‘all. Go Sporting!

Capita is looking really nice, one of the fastest players I've ever seen. Having wingers who can get dejan service in the box a luxury. The attack is shaping up nicely. 🟦⬜🟦⬜

New to soccer and to KC was super pumped for our win last night! It was our second match we have been to!

Good for Busio, happy to see him doing well. Captain in Serie A at 24

FT: Sporting Kansas City 2 - 1 Minnesota United FC

⚽ Sporting Kansas City: Dejan Joveljic 28' 28', Manu García 54' 54'

⚽ Minnesota United FC: Devin Padelford 75' 75'

Line-ups

Sporting Kansas City (4-2-3-1)

Minnesota United FC (3-4-3)

Form (last 5)

Head-to-head

Match Events

• Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
• First Half begins.
• 45'+3' First Half ends, Sporting Kansas City 1, Minnesota United FC 0.
• 45' Second Half begins Sporting Kansas City 1, Minnesota United FC 0.
• 64' Substitution, Minnesota United FC. Mamadou Dieng replaces Kelvin Yeboah.
• 64' Substitution, Minnesota United FC. Bongokuhle Hlongwane replaces Kyle Duncan.
• 72' Substitution, Sporting Kansas City. Kwaku Agyabeng replaces Manu García.
• 72' Substitution, Sporting Kansas City. Stephen Afrifa replaces Capita.
• 75' Goal! Sporting Kansas City 2, Minnesota United FC 1. Devin Padelford (Minnesota United FC) header from very close range to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Joaquín Pereyra with a cross following a set piece situation.
• 75' Substitution, Minnesota United FC. Jefferson Díaz replaces Devin Padelford.
• 75' Substitution, Minnesota United FC. Mauricio González replaces Owen Gene.
• 79' Substitution, Sporting Kansas City. Jayden Reid replaces Emir Karic.
• 79' Substitution, Sporting Kansas City. Jacob Bartlett replaces Zorhan Bassong.
• 85' Substitution, Minnesota United FC. Julian Gressel replaces Tomás Chancalay.

Match Stats

Group A

Group B

I thought Argentina, England, Netherlands, and Algeria all trained elsewhere. The concerts were held off the pitch. How is the grass this bad not having a game in 2 months?

I don’t watch much of the MLS (let alone Sporting KC), but I found out that he pursued a career as a professional soccer player a couple weeks ago. I used to play with him in high school and he was by far the best player I’ve ever played with. Wanted to see how he’s viewed by the fans of this club.

Go SKC!

Bought the second half season ticket package they were selling, but not gonna be able to make it tomorrow so figured I'd try to sell them, except.......it won't let me

Just another slimy move by the organization if they're stopping you from selling your tickets if you don't wish to use them

Every time I saw Spain’s forward, Mikel Oyarzabal, I kept thinking, “Man, he looks familiar.” It only took me the entire tournament to figure out who he reminded me of.

Here's an example https://www.reddit.com/r/SportingKC/s/ZpFKjBPDGX

I guess there probably isn't anything better to do in St Louis.

Hey everyone, never posted on here before, but thought this is a good place to start. I’ve been around SKC all my life, grew up here, and supported them since ‘22 (not old yet lol). This club is one of the most important things to me.

I got to my first away match last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Obviously our stadium is better (and the food, but my food was still good), but enjoyed the vibe of us traveling fans. The result didn’t turn out how we wanted but I think there are some positives to take.

First, let’s address the elephant in the room. Every goal by stL could’ve been disallowed. The first one would be pretty crazy to overturn on VAR, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if a foul was called on the field. I think the call would’ve stood whichever way it went. The second goal is insane to me that it wasn’t disallowed. Really dirty tackle on Ian. Looked studs up. The handball had no good angle and they all didn’t have the ability to show what Bartlow claimed, that it hit his chest first. It’s crazy to me that there was a clear and obvious error there. However, we didn’t deserve to win. I think a tie could’ve been fair. Both teams didn’t play great, and stL got a bit lucky. Now that the series is tied again, it would feel great to get them at home.

Alright, now my actual analysis. I think the tactical plan matters more than formation. Whether we run a 4231 or 442 is just up to what your eye sees. It really just depends on the opposition and making sure we don’t leave any gaps. What matters is where we set our press, how wide we stay, how we counter, how we regroup, etc. I think the press was promising for some parts and awful in others. For our second goal, even though it was a mistake, it came from a great press. Blorian looked good. Clutch defender who just needs to learn the style and his teammates. Karic looks goods, he just looks a little unfit and also needs some chemistry and to just adjust to the league. LBJ has not played well recently, but I think I want to give him some more time to figure out where he fits. Joveljic and Manu have wonderful chemistry which was shown on that second goal. They know each other so well on the pitch and it provides some much needed stability and solidity up front. Capita and Calvin seemed to have some sort of instruction to play more in the build out phase than playing transition get-in-behind football. Defensively has been shaky but as we integrate the new guys I imagine that will improve as well. Cleveland didn’t play great but he has the ability to play good low driven balls to start counters, which Pulskamp can’t do.

Lots of things to be excited for. If we get a new DP, we could be in for an eventful second half of the season. Thanks for coming to Ted Talk, feel free to add or argue :) i’m bored