Sporting Kansas City vs. Toronto FC | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

Sporting Kansas City vs. Toronto FC
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 19
Children’s Mercy Park — Kansas City
July 7 - 8:30 pm ET
WATCH: TSN4, ESPN+

Sporting Kansas City are seeking to snap a skid that has seen them slip to second place in the Western Conference when they host a Toronto FC side that have lost three straight games and is seeing their season go up in dust.

Both teams are looking to rebound from midweek road defeats, with Sporting losing 4-2 at Real Salt Lake and TFC dropping a 4-3 decision at Minnesota United FC.

Sporting Kansas City

Sporting (9-4-5) are falling back into bad early-season habits, conceding eight goals in their last three games, including six in back-to-back defeats.

On Wednesday at Rio Tinto Stadium, Daniel Salloi put the visitors in front in the 20th minute, but goals by Jefferson Savarino and Corey Baird eight minutes apart and another by Sebastian Saucedo in first-half stoppage time put SKC in a 3-1 halftime hole.

Ike Opara pulled Sporting to within a goal in the 64th minute, but Peter Vermes’ side couldn’t get the equalizer and conceded a Luis Silva penalty kick in the 10th minute of second half stoppage time after both Salloi and Roger Espinoza were sent off late.

“It's embarrassing,” goalkeeper Tim Melia said. “We really need to just kind of look within and look at us as individuals. We're not playing like a team. We're making mistakes all over the field from back to front. We need to really take a look at ourselves, unwind after this game and figure this out.”

Suspended: F - Daniel Salloi, M - Roger Espinoza
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: M - Felipe Gutierrez (sports hernia surgery), D - Jimmy Medranda (knee injury), M/D - Cristian Lobato (knee injury), M - Gianluca Busio (hamstring injury); QUESTIONABLE: D - Amer Didic (hamstring injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, right to left)
GK: Tim Melia — Graham Zusi, Ike Opara, Emiliano Amor, Seth Sinovic — Yohan Croizet, Ilie Sanchez, Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal — Johnny Russell, Khiry Shelton, Diego Rubio

Toronto FC

A critical month started off in the worst possible way for Toronto FC (4-10-3), which fell in a quick two-goal hole and never fully recovered, falling to Minnesota United, 4-3, on Wednesday.

Darwin Quintero and Miguel Ibarra put the Loons in front, 2-0, after just 13 minutes. Justin Morrow cut the Reds deficit in half late in the first half, but Quintero added two more goals five minutes apart early in the second half to again extend Minnesota’s lead.

Sebastian Giovinco and Jordan Hamilton scored inside the final 20 minutes, but it wasn’t enough to halt a losing streak that is now three games.

“Nobody has packed it in; nobody is looking around saying, 'Let’s just get out of here today.' We've tried to keep going, tried to keep playing, tried to find ways to get goals. And on a lot of nights we've done that,” Michael Bradley said. “The issue is when you put yourself behind so many times, your ability to come back... you can’t do it all the time.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: F - Jozy Altidore (foot surgery), D - Drew Moor (quadricep strain), D - Chris Mavinga (hamstring strain), GK - Caleb Patterson-Sewell (elbow injury), D - Auro (hamstring strain), D - Jason Hernandez (hamstring strain); QUESTIONABLE: M - Victor Vazquez (knee injury)

Projected Starting XI
(5-3-2, right to left)
GK: Alex Bono — Nicolas Hasler, Eriq Zavaleta, Nick Hagglund, Justin Morrow, Ashtone Morgan — Marky Delgado, Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio — Jordan Hamilton, Sebastian Giovinco

All-Time Series

Overall: Sporting Kansas City 14 wins, 37 goals … Toronto FC 4 wins, 18 goals … 6 draws
At Kansas City: Sporting 9 wins, 27 goals … Toronto FC 1 win, 10 goals … 2 draws
Last meeting at Kansas City: Sporting Kansas City 1, Toronto FC 0 (March 20, 2016)