“Win and we’re in” have been the words on the lips of Minnesota United fans ahead of tonight’s matchup with Sporting Kansas City. After the Loons squandered the chance to win and clinch a playoff berth in Sunday’s 0-0 goalless draw against the Portland Timbers, they are now presented with a much more straightforward scenario. Regardless of how any other result finishes in the west, an MNUFC win against SKC will secure it a spot in the 2019 MLS Playoffs. Sporting KC enters tonight’s match as a side devoid of confidence and letting goals in left and right. Nevertheless, Sporting still have a mathematical chance of finishing above the playoff line so the visitors will come into Allianz Field desperate for a result that could give them a glimmer of hope in the final stretch of the season. The nicest rivalry in sports has produced some thrilling moments this year and with everything on the line, tonight promises more of the same.
A Tale of Two Halves
In the second half of August, Sporting Kansas City picked up three wins in a row — including a 1-0 win at Children’s Mercy Park against MNUFC — and looked to be making a dark horse playoff push. But since then, Sporting has dropped its last three MLS games, all in disappointing fashion. While SKC have struggled to put a finger on what has gone wrong in a wildly inconsistent 2019 season, its last three games have definitively written the story of a team that can look defensively organized and offensively sound in one moment and then embody the opposite in the next. Against the Colorado Rapids, SKC got off to a great start, going two goals up in the first 15 minutes but were then reduced to 10 men after only 20 minutes. The numerical advantage allowed the Rapids to score three unanswered goals and escape Children’s Mercy Park with all three points. In similar fashion, last Saturday, SKC went into the break tied 1-1 with the LA Galaxy but then fell apart, conceding six second-half goals in a 7-2 drubbing. In their last three games combined, Sporting KC have scored three goals and conceded only two in the first half of play but scored only two goals and conceded a whopping 10 goals in second half action – four of those goals coming in the 80th minute or later. If Minnesota United can battle SKC in what will likely be a first half filled with emotion, look for the Loons to jump out and apply the pressure to send the visitors packing in the second half.
Besler-Less
In Sporting Kansas City’s 3-2 loss at the hands of the Colorado Rapids, its captain and defensive talisman Matt Besler was sent off in just the 20th minute after receiving two early yellow cards. In the absence of Besler, Colorado wiped away SKC’s two-goal advantage and scored three unanswered goals to take all three points. Without Besler for 70 minutes in Saturday’s loss, the team struggled mightily without their captain. This season, SKC has failed to win in any of the seven MLS games that Matt Besler has not seen action or started on the bench. With Besler missing due to suspension tonight, SKC will be looking to better their 0-3-4 record without him. Coincidentally, the last time Matt Besler didn’t start a game across all competitions this season was on June 12 — Minnesota United’s 4-1 U.S. Open Cup rout of SKC. Aware of Besler’s absence from tonight’s game, Head Coach Adrian Heath will look for his front line to directly attack a back four that may still be reeling from conceding 12 goals in its last three games and has not won this season without its captain.
Playoff Watch
In what has become a game highly scrutinized for its playoff implications, a win tonight presents Minnesota United with three different invaluable outcomes. First, three points would effectively eliminate Sporting Kansas City from playoff contention for the first time since 2010 when the team was known as the Kansas City Wizards. Second, a victory would boost MNUFC up to second place in the Western Conference above the Seattle Sounders who lost 2-0 against D.C. United last weekend. Taking outright possession of second place in the West would mean that finishing as the two seed would be completely in Minnesota’s hands: If the team can win the last two games of the season, they would host the seven seed in the First Round of the 2019 MLS Playoffs. Finally – and most importantly – a triumph over Sporting KC by any score would secure Minnesota United its first-ever playoff berth. While a tie could still mean the Loons clinch tonight, it would create a more complicated scenario in which other results would have to go Minnesota’s way. For a full breakdown of all the potential playoff clinching scenarios tonight, visit https://utd.mn/2kRYNiK.
