What We Want to Happen Today 9/16

What Sporting KC want from the games today in MLS.

By Mike Kuhn@downthebyline Sep 16, 2017, 1:19pm CDT

A full slate of MLS games today with 20 of the 22 teams in action. There are a number of games this week where the winner Sporting Kansas City wants is very clear. Only one or two where there is some debate on what KC fans will want to happen today around the league. Here's a look at what we want to happen today.

Orlando at Atlanta

What we want to happen - Orlando win

Atlanta still has one game in hand on Kansas City and is one point ahead of Sporting in the single table. Kansas City needs former Sporting player Dom Dwyer to get off the mark and help Orlando take points off Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Columbus at Vancouver

What we want to happen - Columbus win

You could make an argument for a draw here since both Columbus (43) and Vancouver (44) are ahead of Kansas City on points. Vancouver though is in the Western Conference and Columbus has played two more games than Sporting has. Vancouver dropping all three points here would allow Sporting KC to bring themselves level on points with the Whitecaps if they can beat New England tonight. While it would give the Crew three more points they also have only four games left this season after tonight, so while the argument about points in hand is true, KC would rather have this than a Vancouver win.

Minnesota at Montreal

What we want to happen - Montreal win

Really this match almost means nothing to KC fans, Minnesota's maximum points at this point of the season is 47, six points more than KC currently has. Meanwhile Montreal sits in seventh place in the East, five points behind sixth place New York having played the same number of games. So in this situation KC fans are probably wanting to root for Montreal, because that will keep them within touching distance of the playoffs and keep pressure on the Eastern Conference teams in the playoff race.

Seattle at Dallas

What we want to happen - draw

A draw here keeps Seattle within three points of Sporting KC, and level on points if KC beats New England tonight. Meanwhile it keeps Dallas from gaining too much ground on Sporting KC at the same time. Dallas would be on 38 points, between three and six points still behind KC in the Western Conference.

DC at Chicago

What we want to happen - DC win

Chicago sit four points ahead of Kansas City in the single table while DC sits well behind on just 28 points. DC getting a win on the road would allow KC to close the gap with the Fire to a single point while they would have still played one more game than Sporting.

NYCFC at Colorado

What we want to happen - Colorado win

Unfortunately this game is almost meaningless for KC as New York City FC is nine points ahead of Sporting KC in the single table. Even though they've played one more game than Sporting, KC's chances of catching them are very slim. Probably not as slim as Colorado's chances of catching KC though as they sit on just 25 points through 27 games, their max point level is only five about KC's current 41 points. So in this case, root for the Rapids to keep the small hope of KC catching NYCFC alive.

Portland at Salt Lake

What we want to happen - Salt Lake win

This one is a bit of a hard one, because if RSL win and KC lose, RSL is within just three points of KC. At the same time, RSL will have just four games left after tonight's game, two fewer than Kansas City to pick up points from. Portland meanwhile is three points clear of KC and while they too will have just four games left after tonight, they already have those three points on KC. A Portland loss and KC win would see KC level themselves on points with Portland in the West.

Toronto at Los Angeles

What we want to happen - Does not matter

Toronto is three points away from reaching KC's max point level on the season, Sporting isn't going to catch the Reds this season. LA meanwhile sits on 27 points, also unlikely to catch Kansas City this season. So this game really means little to Sporting tonight.

Houston at San Jose