WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: SKC
Welcome back to What You Need To Know, a match preview for Austin FC fans to check in on their next opponent.
Austin FC head coach Nico Estevez. Photo courtesy of Chris Rodriguez (RDZ Flickz)
Opponent: Sporting KC
Kick Off time: 7:39 PM US Central Time
Location: Q2 Stadium, Austin, TX
History vs. Austin FC:
Austin FC is 7-1- 3 against Sporting KC, including undefeated 5-0-0 at Q2.
Recent Matches:
Sporting KC beat the LA Galaxy 3-1 on Wednesday, which was their first win in eight matches when they defeated…the LA Galaxy. They currently sit 15th in the Western Conference.
Players to Watch:
Devan Joveljic
The Serbian striker came to Sporting KC before last season and is still one of the best strikers in MLS, playing for a team that is dead last in goals scored on the season, still has six, which would make Austin’s leading scorer. He’s also the only Sporting KC player to have every minute in their league matches this season.
Manu Garcia
The Spanish playmaker was brought in to provide that little extra creativity and magic this team has needed since they let their Cup-winning sides age. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to do that with only 3 goal contributions this season after only nine all of last season. They’ve tried playing him as a “10” in a 4-2-3-1 and also partnering Joveljic up top, but those positions haven’t helped to kick-start their attack.
Stefan Cleveland
The former Austin FC backup is now the backup for Sporting KC, but unlike in Austin, he is getting starts in MLS play. Unfortunately, he’s 31 and backing up a 25-year-old who, by the numbers, is one of the worst goalies in the league. Not that Cleveland’s numbers are much better, as in his three starts, he’s allowed goals. We could see a homecoming of sorts for Cleveland.
Keys to the Match:
The Spoon
For those of you unaware, MLS fans give the Anthony Precourt Wooden Spoon award to the worst team in the league on points. Sporting KC is not just a Wooden Spoon contender, but outside of when they play the LA Galaxy, they are a combined 0-2-9 with a GD of -28. They are currently on pace to allow 93 goals on the season; the record is 78 by San Jose in 2024. Without those two wins against the Galaxy, they average 0.18 points per game, good for 5.76 points in 32 matches.
In case you aren’t sure where this is going. Sporting KC is potentially one of the worst teams in MLS history based on their results so far.
What Would You Say Your Strengths are?
A classic job interview question, and for a team that has given up five goals twice already this season and could have job openings, is a good one to ask about this team. They’re in the bottom third of the conference in goals scored and are second-to-last in goals allowed, and have given up two or more goals in 10 of their 14 games while scoring multiple goals in only six games. They’re incredibly inconsistent in their energy and sharpness under a coach who has done more apologizing than any coach should have to. This isn’t a well-organized team that can limit opportunities, nor is it a team that can go up and down to outscore teams with flair. It’s the biggest question that Rodolfo Borrell needs to answer in making changes to this roster and coaching staff during the upcoming break.
Rotations
On Last Week’s “Suffering From Joy,” we talked about the possibility of rotating as Austin FC would play three matches in seven days, including a Wednesday - Saturday turnaround that is atypical for most leagues.
Wednesday’s lineup was clearly rotated with starts by Nico Dubersarsky, Besard Sabovic, and Zan Kolmanic, with Coach Estevez prioritizing getting three points at home tonight against Kansas City over even attempting to get a result in San Diego mid-week. That result could be somewhat written off as “schedule loss” with three points tonight and next week, but it goes to show the limits of roster construction in light of an MLS calendar that keeps trying to put more matches into the same number of days.
Prediction:
Austin FC: 2
Sporting KC: 1
WRITTEN BY SCOTT SPECHT
