Sounders to Take on Sporting KC Today Needing a Win
By Ben Renner
With the USOC out of the way after last week’s loss to the LA Galaxy, the Sounders face an uphill battle to the postseason starting with Sporting KC.
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The Sounders face Sporting Kansas City today at 12 p.m. at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City with little room left for error. After dropping out of the US Open Cup last week with their loss to the LA Galaxy, the Sounders now have only the MLS playoffs ahead of them. Resting in ninth place in the Western Conference, the Sounders have to climb over three teams to join the postseason party in a crowded conference.
After the 5-0 blowout of FC Dallas, the Sounders dropped a 3-1 result on the road against their bitter rivals, the Portland Timbers. It’s been an up-and-down (mostly down) season for the Sounders. Every time they take a step forward they take two more back.
The Sounders will have to improve on their conference-worst -4 goal differential and pick up points wherever they can. At the moment, the Sounders are nine points behind Portland for the sixth place in the West.
Clint Dempsey will retake the field for the team after serving a one-game suspension for a red card he picked up in the demolition of Dallas last week, but the Sounders will be without midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, who is in the midst of his best season for Seattle. Alonso broke his collar bone in last week’s USOC quarterfinals loss to LA.
Sounders defender and team captain Brad Evans insists the season is not lost. Indeed, a win on the road against Kansas City in steamy, less-than-ideal conditions would give the Sounders a much-needed three points and at least help them build some confidence going forward to the end of the regular season. Temperatures this afternoon, as is wont to happen in the humid hell that is Kansas City, are expected to be over 100 degrees.
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Watch the players in Kansas City start the sweat fest today at 12 p.m.