Sounders at Sporting KC - Gamethread

Sporting Kansas City is a strong team, but they will be without a few key players. Before you get excited, the Seattle Sounders will be without more of their key players. This is likely another match where Sigi Schmid hopes to keep it close and get a singular strike to change the game state.

That means controlling Sporting's offensive flow - Graham Zusi. That duty will rest on two of Brad Evans, Zach Scott and Leo Gonzalez. Zusi moves from flank to flank and one of Evans and Scott will fill in for Yedlin. In the past Seattle used late match success to pull points out of a magic hat from the Sporks nee Wizards. That will be more difficult in 2013 as KC is a strong +6 from the 60th minute to the final whistle. With a less than ideal lineup pressure will be on set-piece service and Eddie Johnson to get that one goal that changes everything.

Getting that goal early will put the Sounders in a situation that they should have managed in Philly and did not. I'd like a do over and I'm betting they would too.

TV: KONG 6/16/106 (Fletcher/Keller) - No English Radio
Spanish Radio: La Gran D 99.3 FM (Aleman/Hernandez)
Spanish TV: THIS-TV KOMO 4.2 (Mendez/Alcaraz)

REFEREE: Geoff Gamble - MLS Career: 19 games; FC/gm: 23.4; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 2; pens: 9
AR1 (bench): Joe Fletcher; AR2 (opposite): Marco Arruda; 4th: Tyler Ploeger

DISABLED LIST: KC: Teal Bunbury SEA: Josh Ford

SUSPENDED: SEA: Lamar Neagle (through May 8); DeAndre Yedlin (through May 8)
WARNINGS: SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: KC: Oriol Rosell
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: KC: Aurelien Collin, Seth Sinovic

Tactical Keys

• Flank Defense
• Late Game Performances
• Feed Heddie Johnson
• Set-Play Success

Player Matchups

• Brad Evans Zach Scott v Graham Zusi
• Mario Martinez v Mechak Jerome Josh Gardner
• Eddie Johnson v Jimmy Nielsen

How We're Watching
Scarf: Nos Audietis 2012
Kit: 311/Sounders
Where I'm Watching: Home

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