KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two of the year's biggest games, in a span of just four days, and Sporting Kansas City's roster is still the same uncertain proposition it's been all season long.
Center back and captain Matt Besler (thigh contusion) and goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum (calf strain) did not travel to Costa Rica with the club on Wednesday, ahead of Thursday night's CONCACAF Champions League group stage finale against Deportivo Saprissa (10 pm ET, Fox Soccer Plus/Univision Deportes), and both are questionable for Sunday's final MLS regular-season match at home against New York (8:30 pm ET, ESPN2).
“We'll have to be magicians to put two good groups out there,” manager Peter Vermes told reporters on Monday. “Some guys are going to have to do double duty. That's just the way it's going to have to be. We'll just have to deal with it.”
Sporting beat Saprissa 3-1 at home on Sept. 18, behind two goals from Toni Dovale – who leads Kansas City with three CCL tallies – and one from Dom Dwyer, and lead the group going into Thursday's finale. They will advance to the quarterfinals for a second straight year with a win, a draw, a one-goal loss or a two-goal loss in which they score two or more goals.
Vermes would like to make that last scenario moot.
“We'd like to get three, yeah,” he said. “Get three, get out of there – that'd be great.”
And while he can't be there for the first of the two big matches, Besler told MLSsoccer.com by phone on Monday that he believes Kansas City can get a result in Central America and then come home to shore up their playoff position with a win against the Red Bulls.
“It's two huge games this week,” he said. “Hopefully, there's a couple more after that. Everyone says that every single game in this league is big, and that's true, but we're literally playing for everything in two games this week.
“I think as a player, you've got to be ready, but you can also be excited to play in these types of games.”
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And no matter who is or isn't there – on Thursday and beyond – Besler said, Sporting can't use their rash of injuries as an excuse for not performing well.
“At this time of year, everything goes out the window,” he said. “All those excuses, you can throw them out the window. It's really just about these next couple of weeks, giving everything you have, fully committing yourself and basically going all in.”
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
