Sporting KC vs. FC Dallas

WHEN: Tuesday, May 10 | 7:30 PM CT (7:33 kickoff)

WHERE: Children’s Mercy Park | Kansas City, KS

How to Watch/Stream: ESPN+ (link)

How to Listen: Sports Radio 810 WHB (English), La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish)

This feels familiar. In more ways than one. Sporting Kansas City just played FC Dallas in the MLS regular season to a 2-2 draw less than two weeks ago. Not a whole lot has changed since that game. Graham Zusi went down injured and Cam Duke replaced him (and may be his long-term replacement). SKC went on the road to New York City FC and earned a hard fought draw, while Dallas beat a worn down Seattle Sounders team that had just won CONCACAF Champions League midweek.

Since we just previewed that match, no need to rehash all those words again. Read the preview from the MLS match to see stats, form and all the offseason movement FC Dallas had.

Instead, let’s talk about the US Open Cup. The other way this match is familiar is because Sporting KC always plays MLS teams in the Open Cup. In their last 17 US Open Cup matches, just two of them have been against non-MLS opponents. They played pre-MLS Minnesota United in 2016 and the now non-existence St. Louis FC in 2015. Of those 17 games, SKC have played FCD four times. This is one of eight all-MLS matches from the Round of 32.

The one good thing is one of the Dallas games is an all-time classic. As a part of their run in 2017 when they would eventually lift the trophy at home against the New York Red Bulls, Sporting played Dallas in a wild extra time game that featured a 15th minute Seth Sinovic red card but somehow a 3-0 win after heroics from Latif Blessing and Benny Feilhaber (Daniel Salloi had the third goal too).

That game featured a wild lineup honestly. There were familiar stars in there like the aforementioned Feilhaber, Roger Espinoza, Ike Opara (who got hurt late and drew a red from Maxi Urruti) and Tim Melia. But it also featured a lineup of now former SKC players Saad Abdul-Salaam, Erik Palmer-Brown, Ilie Sanchez, Diego Rubio, Jimmy Medranda and Gerso Fernandes. If this game could be an inkling as exciting as that one fans will be thrilled.

Injuries

SPORTING KC

OUT - Alan Pulido (knee surgery), Gadi Kinda (knee surgery), Nicolas Isimat-Mirin (concussion, facial fracture), Graham Zusi (thigh)

QUESTIONABLE - None

FC DALLAS

OUT - None

QUESTIONABLE - None

Starting XI

With this being a Tuesday game after a Saturday game in the middle of five games in 15 days, I’d imagine we’ll see some changes. SKC II loaned left back Spencer Glass up to the first team on Monday. That said, I’d still expect Ben Sweat has a head start on getting that spot and possibly Kayden Pierre at RB. Possibly Andreu Fontas gets a chance at CB after getting benched against LAFC and being out of the lineup since then.

The recently re-signed John Pulskamp didn’t play for the II’s on the weekend, so that rotation would make sense. The midfield gets a little sketchy as it’s possible guys like Jake Davis could get minutes but surely Felipe Hernandez starts and Espinoza gets a rest.

The forward line is even tougher as there are only a few backups so I imagine we’ll see some of the regulars. Marinos Tzionis hasn’t had much of a chance to play LW and we haven’t seen Nikola Vujnovic start since the end of March.

This is a complete shot in the dark, but here it goes anyways.

I’m not even bothering with a bench prediction but if it’s close, I suspect any healthy starters are all subject to coming in and flipping things around or closing it out. There has to be a winner though so a bunch of extra time wouldn’t be great for a lot of these guys.

**After I made this graphic I kind of think Duke may start over Davis in the midfield, but I’m too lazy to change the graphic.

Prediction

SKC II thoroughly outplayed North Texas SC the same weekend as the SKC/FCD 2-2 draw. That said, North Texas still won. Dallas has a lot of talented youth players and if both teams kind of phone in their lineups, that would seem to favor them. Then again, SKC II did outplay NTX (there was some terrible officiating in that one). Here is to hoping for a win because it may be the only trophy Sporting have a shot at, but I won’t be terribly disappointed if it doesn’t work out because less midweek games is unlikely to be a bad thing.

Dallas Win 2-1