KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Sporting Kansas City have long prided themselves on their defense – but they have fallen badly out of form in that area in recent outings, just in time for a road meeting against the league's top scorer.
Former Sporting star Kei Kamara leads MLS with 18 goals in his first season with Columbus Crew SC, Kansas City's opponent on Saturday (7:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE). It will be Sporting's fifth match in 15 days, and the first of four straight away dates.
And while Kansas City kept another Golden Boot hopeful – Toronto FC's Sebastian Giovinco – in check throughout Sporting's 3-1 away win two weeks ago, Kamara's height and skill set present an entirely different set of challenges.
“He's good in the air,” manager Peter Vermes told reporters before Thursday's training session. “He's good at getting behind you quickly – don't get me wrong, so is Giovinco. He's good at holding up the ball. He's got a lot of different things that he does."
But it's not just about containing Kamara, Vermes said. "It's about limiting situations for them, and that's not an easy thing," he continued. "They have so many other players around him who are good.”
Sporting haven't recorded a clean sheet since a 1-0 win at Vancouver on July 12, but their balanced and sometimes explosive offense – led by midfielder and assist machine Benny Feilhaber – has kept them near the top of the Western Conference standings.
But while they're still sitting third in the West going into Saturday's match, they've conceded eight goals in their last two games, after giving up just seven through their first 11 outings.
“I don't know what the answer is for that,” goalkeeper Tim Melia told reporters after Wednesday's 5-0 thrashing by San Jose, the second-worst home shutout loss in the club's 20-year history. “It just has to improve.”
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Vermes, who described Sporting's backline play as “horrific” in Wednesday's post-match news conference, said his club doesn't have time for a lengthy recovery from their defensive struggles.
“They have to do it by Saturday,” he said. “It's a combination of a lot of things, but it has to be by Saturday for sure.”
Sporting also will be without Feilhaber for Saturday's match, after he drew a straight red card for a last-man foul on Quincy Amarikwa in Wednesday's loss. This will be the first match he has missed for Kansas City this season.
“Probably a rest for a game would be good for him anyway,” Vermes said.
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
