The surging New York City Football Club is set to host Sporting Kansas City on Saturday in hopes of continuing their unbeaten run. The struggling Kansas City squad will be looking for their first win and first points on the road.
So far in 2015, New York City FC has managed two draws and a win which seat them first in the Eastern Conference. They opened the season with a draw in Orlando before returning home for their first MLS win in Yankee Stadium over the New England Revolution. A scoreless draw least weak against the Colorado Rapids gave them the top spot in the East.
Sporting Kansas City on the other hand, has experienced their worst start to a season since they rebranded in 2011. With draws to the New York Red Bulls and the Portland Timbers at home and a loss to FC Dallas, they currently sit in last place in the Western Conference.
Match Facts
Yankee Stadium in New York City will host the first ever meeting between these two teams. The small field and large stadium capacity will give NYCFC a nice home field advantage.
Edvin Jurisevic has been called to officiate this match with the help of James Conlee and Brian Dunn as his assistants. Alex Chlowicz will be between the benches as the fourth official.
Team Absences
Shay Facey of New York City FC will miss the match with a red card suspension.
FIFA's international weekend has affected both teams. Rookie Khiry Shelton has been called away from NYC for USMNT U-23 play and Adam Nemac was called to play for Slovakia. Sporting Kansas City will be without youngster Erik Palmer-Brown who is with the USMNT U-20 squad. Roger Espinoza was called to play for Honduras while Marcel de Jong returned to Canada.
Krisztian Nemeth missed the Portland game with a knee injury and it is unknown if he will be healthy for Sporting this weekend.
Potential New York City Lineup
Adam Nemac's international call-up and Shay Facey's suspension leaves the home side missing two starters. Khiry Shelton's absence only cuts striker depth from the squad. Jason Kreis's 4-4-2 will need Patrick Mullins to step up this week. Josh Williams, who started the opening game, is a likely to return to the lineup this weekend.
Saunders
Williams - Hernandez - Wingert - Brovsky
Velasquez - Diskerud - Jacobson - Grabavoy
Villa - Mullins
Potential Kansas City Lineup
The loss of Roger Espinoza will be a tough on to fill, but Marcel de Jong's absence will give Seth Sinovic a chance to earn his starting job back. The right back position is up for debate. Amadou Dia has done will in his rookie season, but Jalil Anibaba looked great in his first start against Portland. Dia brings a lot to the attack while Anibaba is better for staying home and on set pieces.
Marin
Dia - Opara - Besler - Sinovic
Zusi - Feilhaber - Nagamura
Medranda - Dwyer - Anor
Keys to Victory
New York City: Solid defense. New York's defense has not conceded a goal in the last two games and Sporting is struggling offensively. Another solid performance will likely guarantee a positive result.
Kansas City: Finish chances. Kansas City has two goals on the season and neither are from their attacking core. If Sporting is going to win, someone has to step up and score.
New York City: Attack in transition. Kansas City is suspect to long balls over the top and transition attacks. With Villa and Mix in the lineup, these attacks should be easy to set up.
Kansas City: Limit turnovers. The high press and fast style of play has led to several turnovers already this season. Giving the ball away against New York on the small pitch, will be costly.
Match Outlook
The home side looks to have all the advantages in this one. The smaller field, raucous crowd, and solid midfield give them the edge with SKC missing Espinoza. The visitors do have one thing going in their favor; their physical play is among the best in MLS. The smaller field will lead to a chippy game with lots of restarts. This will be an ugly game and set pieces will be plentiful. If a goal comes from open play, it will likely revolve around the play of Villa.
Prediction: 1-1 Draw.