In the category of “Things I did not expect to open with,” Sporting KC won twice in the last week and maintained shutouts in both games!  They had maintained a grand total of 3 shutouts in all competitions this season prior to last Saturday night, so to get two in a row was, shall we say, unexpected.  The performances in both games were significant improvements defensively over what we have become familiar with lately, and they also did not get punished for every single mistake like they often have this year, so perhaps some luck is turning their way in that regard.

There was also a fair bit of tactical fluidity in both games, specifically in possession structure, that seemed to be personnel dependent.  This is a welcome shift in philosophy from Peter Vermes and the coaching staff, and one we have been pining for basically for the entirety of this podcast’s existence, and gives us something to nerd out on a bit in tactical corner this week.

In Potpourri we discuss KP’s move to Belgium, KU football invading Children’s Mercy Park, and the menagerie of roster moves the KC Current have made as their summer transfer window closes.