Sporting KC tries for repeat performance against Montreal Impact

About the Teams

Sporting Kansas City

Sporting Kansas City has to be feeling good about themselves coming off of this past weekend where they were able to take down a strong Columbus team 2-0. This was also made possible even without two of their normal starters, Aurelien Collin and Sal Zizzo. It is unlikely that Zizzo will be back this match as he is still dealing with a groin injury but Aurelien Collin will be back from his red card suspension to help defend against the Impact. Jacob Peterson is likely to get the start over Zizzo this weekend after having a decent start against the Crew this past week.

Montreal Impact

After losing 4-0 at Sporting Park a couple of weeks ago, the Impact seemed have picked it up in MLS play, knocking off the Union 1-0 last weekend. That, however, was before losing 2-1 to FC Edmonton in the first leg of the Canadian Championship, a tournament to decide Canada's CONCACAF Champions League representative. That match featured four of the predicted starters for this match against SKC, including Jack McInerny who is going to be called on to force the issue on the Sporting KC defense.

Who to Watch

Sporting Kansas City- Dom Dwyer

After seeing what Dom Dwyer was able to do against Montreal the last time they played, he should be ready to pounce on another opportunity to play the Impact. One of the biggest weaknesses for the Impact this year has been the counter attack, so if Dom Dwyer can get himself up top and behind the Montreal line, there's a very high chance he's going to be successful in this game.

Montreal Impact- Jack McInerny

The recently traded Jack McInerny has done well so far for the Impact, scoring two goals in four games and being an overall good offensive asset to the Impact. One thing that should scare the Sporting Kansas City defense is McInerny paired up with Di Vaio up top, allowing Di Vaio to make his runs where he disrupts the back line. This allows McInerny to play his poacher role and pick up goals when they fall to his feet. It gives a one-two punch that the Sporting KC defense should be very wary of.

Why They'll Win

Sporting Kansas City

If you look at how Sporting Kansas City was able to completely manhandle the Impact two weeks ago, this should be a no-brainer as to why they'll win. Sporting KC has a better attack and the pressure system is going to force the Impact back line to cough up a couple of chances. They're predicted to continue to experiment with player combinations and different lineups for this match and Mount Royal Soccer has them playing a 4-3-3 this match. Should that be the case, the Sporting KC midfield should be able to shut down McInerny and Felipe on the wings, leaving no one to pass to Di Vaio. Expect a good defensive performance from the away side this match.

Montreal Impact

The Montreal back line is rejuvenated this week after introducing Ouimette to the back line, giving them a better grasp on the defensive side of the ball. This will allow the Impact to feel more comfortable going up against the Sporting KC attack this time around, while also being able to sit back and wait for a counter-attack. That doesn't mean that they'll park the bus and hope for a ball to go forward but they'll also be more focused on stopping the Sporting KC attack instead of keeping the attack moving forward. When you have someone like Marco Di Vaio as the center forward, the decision to play for a counterattack seems so much easier.

Predictions

Lineups

Sporting Kansas City: Kronberg - Myers, Collin, Besler, Sinovic - Rosell, Nagamura, Feilhaber - Peterson, Dwyer, Zusi

Montreal Impact (From Sofiane Benzaza): Perkins - Camara , Ferrari, Ouimette, Brovsky - Bernier, Bernardello , Mapp - Felipe, Di Vaio , McInerney.

Scoreline

Sporting Kansas City 2-1 Montreal Impact

Montreal is going to play better than they did in the last match featuring these two sides, but Sporting KC's attack is still going to be too much for the still experimenting Impact defense.