Deportivo Saprissa vs. Sporting Kansas City
2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League
October 23 | 10 pm ET | Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Ayma
TV: Fox Soccer Plus
Sporting Kansas City head into the final game of their CONCACAF Champions League campaign in an advantageous position, but they’re not quite to the quarterfinals yet. They travel to face Saprissa, the most successful non-Mexican team in CONCACAF history, in San Jose, Costa Rica, and know especially after the Portland Timbers’ defeat in similar circumstances Tuesday that they can’t afford to let up, even if a one-goal loss would see them through.
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BALANCING ACT: Sporting aren’t in quite as precarious a position as the Timbers were balancing their CCL and playoff lives, but will still have an eye on the playoff seeding battle that is set to play out this weekend.
One face guaranteed to miss out on the CCL game is star midfielder Graham Zusi, who is suspended due to caution accumulation. US international defender Matt Besler was also left at home, as was goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum. That leaves Peter Vermes with a tricky balancing act, especially considering the fragile state of his backline. Still, as the Timbers showed in Honduras, the right mental preparation can be just as important as those tricky lineup decisions.
TRICKY TIEBREAK: This group could very well be decided by the slimmest of margins: a drawing of lots (AKA: coin flip). If Saprissa beats Sporting 3-1 Thursday, which matches the scoreline of Sporting’s win over the Costa Ricans at home, the two teams will be even in their head-to-head series, including goal differential and away goal scored in games between the two teams, the first two tiebreakers after total points. Additionally, both Sporting and Saprissa beat the other team in the group, Real Esteli, by 3-0 scores at home while drawing 1-1 away, giving them identical goal totals and leaving a drawing of lots as the last possible tiebreaker.
Of course, any other result won’t leave the fate of the group up to chance. A win, draw, or one-goal loss for Sporting KC would be enough, while a 2-0 loss is the only two-goal scoreline that would knock them out entirely. Any Saprissa win by a larger margin would knock SKC out.
IMPACT MEN: A large part of Sporting’s CCL success to date in this campaign has come down to the contributions of wide man Antonio Dovale (two goals and an assist in three games) and Claudio Bieler (two goals vs. Real Esteli). Dovale has made his case for more playing time in the CCL, while Bieler has often thrived in the tournament despite limited MLS minutes. With Zusi out and one eye on the weekend’s trip to New York, the stage could be set for these two to make an impact again.
- Get more content from Sporting's trip to Costa Rica on SportingKC.com
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PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Soony Saad, Sporting KC: Having already discussed two key players for KC above, let’s turn to Saad, who also has a track record of success in the competition, namely his two goals in an impressive 2-0 away win at Olimpia in the 2013-14 competition. With just 906 MLS minutes to has name this season, he’ll be looking to make a big impression here in order to boost his chances of seeing significant playoff minutes.
Ariel Rodriguez, Saprissa: The 25-year-old forward has started to translate his CCL success (four goals in three games) to the domestic league, having scored three in his last four Primera Division games, and will be high on confidence heading into a game that Saprissa need to win by at least two goals, and possibly more.
