Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 22
Children’s Mercy Park — Kansas City
July 28 — 9 pm ET
WATCH: ESPN, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)
Saturday brings a battle of Western Conference superpowers as first-place FC Dallas head to Children’s Mercy Park to face a rested, and no doubt refocused, Sporting Kansas City following the end of their U.S. Open Cup title defense.
FC Dallas are coming off a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dynamo in the first edition of the Texas Derby in 2018, while Sporting haven't played since falling to the Dynamo in the Open Cup on July 18.
- Saturday match time and TV changes in POR and KC
- The new Diaz? Dallas sign young attacking mid
- Warshaw: Why everybody's a winner in Acosta trade
- Acosta to Colorado, Badji to Dallas in blockbuster
- SKC's Vermes: "A couple guys gave up in the game"
Sporting Kansas City
The hope of repeating as Open Cup champions was dashed for Sporting (9-5-6), who fell to the Houston Dynamo, 4-2, in the quarterfinals at BBVA Compass Stadium.
Johnny Russell actually gave the visitors an early lead, but braces by Romell Quioto and Mauro Manotas followed before what proved to be a cosmetic second-half stoppage time goal by Yohan Croizet.
After the game, Peter Vermes was livid, saying “a couple guys gave up on the game.”
“They’re going to find themselves very, very, very, very, very far away from the team and trying to get back in,” Vermes told reporters. “They’re going to have to do some real proving.
“It’s not just my evaluation. It’s other players’ [evaluations] as well. Our team and our club is not built on that type of attitude. That won’t be tolerated.”
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: M - Roger Espinoza
- International duty: None
- Injury Report: OUT: D - Jimmy Medranda (knee injury), F - Khiry Shelton (right MCL tear), D/M - Brad Evans (Achilles injury)
Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Tim Melia — Graham Zusi, Emiliano Amor, Graham Smith, Seth Sinovic — Ilie Sanchez, Roger Espinoza — Yohan Croizet, Felipe Gutierrez, Johnny Russell — Daniel Salloi
FC Dallas
There were plenty of fireworks early in the year's first Texas Derby, with Dallas (11-3-6) racing out to a lead inside the 1st minute when Matt Hedges headed past Joe Willis, and Manotas leveling for the hosts just seven minutes later.
No additional goals were scored, but there were chances aplenty, especially for Roland Lamah, who had a penalty kick saved and took a heavy touch on the rebound back to him, then hit the crossbar on an open-net chance in the 72nd minute.
Oscar Pareja shook up his roster in the days that followed, acquiring Dom Badji from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for Kellyn Acosta, and signing Chilean midfielder Pablo Aranguiz, who appears to be club’s new No. 10 after Mauro Diaz's transfer to Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai FC in the United Arab Emirates.
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: None
- International duty: None
- Injury Report: OUT: F - Santiago Mosquera (hamstring injury)
Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Jesse Gonzalez — Reggie Cannon, Matt Hedges, Reto Ziegler, Maynor Figueroa — Carlos Gruezo, Victor Ulloa — Michael Barrios, Roland Lamah, Tesho Akindele — Maxi Urruti
All-Time Series
- Overall: Sporting Kansas City 24 wins, 86 goals … FC Dallas 22 wins, 89 goals … 12 draws
- At Kansas City: Sporting Kansas City 15 wins, 55 goals … FC Dallas 8 wins, 35 goals … 7 draws
- Last meeting at Kansas City: Sporting Kansas City 2, FC Dallas 0 (Aug. 19, 2017)
Officials
Referee: Drew Fischer
Assistant Referees: Gianni Facchini, Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho
4th Official: Rosendo Mendoza
VAR: Younes Marrakchi
