Sporting Kansas City were unfortunately unable to capture a result against Austin FC Sunday Night at Children’s Mercy Park, falling 2-1 to the Verde giving up a couple goals on the types of sequences that have become all too common for them this year.  

It was a return to the 4-2-3-1 setup we saw for the first hour against Colorado, and similarly to that game  Kerry Zavagnin switched to the 4-4-2 to attempt to try to take the game to Austin late, but they were unfortunately not able to catch lightning twice, and gave up a late set piece goal that despite Dejan Joveljic’s best efforts in stoppage time were not able to equalize.

It was yet another reminder that this team still has a lot of work ahead of it to become a consistently competitive team in MLS, and reinvigorated conversations about how the team might go about doing it roster-wise.  The long awaited CSO conversation was brought back with renewed vigor as Andrew Wiebe reported pre-game that the team was in final interviews for the position and alluded to some interesting details that really got the conversation going regarding how significant this roster turnover in the winter could potentially be.

The USMNT completed their September window with two very differentiated performances, candidly the first game was quite different between the two halves against S. Korea, and an interesting tactical switch by Pochettino had at least one member of this podcast crew making comparisons to Sporting KC and how a setup we’ve begged for most of the year might bring similar positive results.

Finally, the KC Current continue dominating NWSL, we do a quick stock up stock down of the USMNT roster, and get into a preview of this weekend’s trip to Salt Lake City.

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Sporting Kansas City exorcized some demons against the Colorado Rapids Saturday Night in Children’s Mercy Park, sweeping the season series with 4-2 win.  We did see some adjustments to the setup moving Santi Munoz more centrally in more of a 4-3-2-1 as someone on this podcast suggested might be a good idea, and it largely improved Sporting’s shape as well as Munoz’ ability to impact the match.  That said, it wasn’t until the team switched back to the 4-4-2 late that they were able to create the 3 goal scoring barrage that took down the Rapids and had the fans in the stands screaming with joy.

There were a number of performances to highlight in this one, both good and bad, because the while we want to celebrate the final scoreline, it was enhanced due to some rather key interventions by John Pulskamp and Ian James, as well as some fortuitous poor shooting in key moments by the Rapids.  We will get into all of that, as well as discuss more in game adjustments by Kerry Zavagnin, as well as the ebbs and flows of watching this team play that can often be exhausting for the emotional centers of our respective brains at times.

There were a number of other news stories in and around the Sporting KC/MLS Soccer Sphere this week, including a Leagues Cup final that might be making more news due to the actions after the the game than the ones during it, the KC Current continuing their winning ways, as well as Mauricio Pochettino continuing to anger a certain segment of the USMNT fanbase with his player selections.  Finally we will do a quick preview of Sunday Night Soccer in Kansas City as Austin FC comes to town and SKC tries to string together a pair of positive results in a row.

Never was the gap in quality so significantly on display during this recent stretch of games than it was in Seattle Sunday night as Sporting KC made it no wins in 6 straight getting pretty well dominated by the Sounders 5-2.

Not only were SKC thoroughly outplayed, they were outplayed by youth players that were more engaged, better prepared, and just playing at a higher speed than SKC's youth could match. It was quite the on the job training for several of them, and many failed to meet the standard.

The starting tactic was fairly aggressive, and failed to make a lot of sense given how recent opponents had frustrated Seattle in their last two games. Leading us into a deeper conversation about Kerry Zavagnin's potential as the coach that could lead this team forward through it's fairly significant winter rebuild.

The USMNT discourse was set ablaze by both the roster selections of Mauricio Pochettino as well as his commentary afterwards. Neither of us are sure it's as big of a deal as it's being made out to be, but it's certainly entertaining.

Finally a quick word on the Current and the shambolic management of NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman, and a quick preview of this week's home match vs. the Colorado Rapids.

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Sporting KC’s winless streak was extended to 5 games after a disappointing 3-1 loss in Orlando on Saturday Night after a substantial weather delay, making it 2 separate Kansas City soccer clubs facing significant delays to their matches vs. teams from Orlando in the same day.

Kerry Zavagnin did bring the 4-4-2 back out for this match, although it was a different setup than the prior week and while some things worked, leading to a 1-1 scoreline at halftime, other things very much didn’t.  Manu Garcia’s re-introduction to the injury list meant the bench was very thin and the choices Zavagnin made were less than optimal as the club appeared to run out of steam and quality as the match wore on and Orlando took advantage.

As the team continues to lose ground on potentially eking its way into the playoffs, much of the conversation has shifted to the upcoming winter and the impending roster rebuild, with 17 players either out of contract or on an option year in 2026.  Games like the last several also have us considering who may be seeing their last minutes in Sporting Blue.

In Potpourri, we get into the Current vs Orlando game, and the NWSL scheduling debacle that turned into a 4hr delay.  Also news around the league regarding a potential CSO candidate leaving his role in Montreal, as well as a number of players exiting Inter Miami as they find playing time hard to come by with Messi and Friends.  And we had some fun news this weekend with the announcement that Premier League Mornings Live Fan Festival will be coming to Kansas City next month.  Seems like that argument about soccer capitals only truly exists in certain people’s minds. 

Finally we will take a look at SKC’s upcoming trip to Seattle because we have to, but it’s unlikely either of us will have a whole lot of optimism about how that match will go.

Sporting KC unfortunately extended their winless streak to 4 games on Saturday night losing to the visiting Western Conference leaders San Diego FC 2-0.  While the result seemed somewhat predictable to the proprietors of this podcast and many of its listeners, the performance that led to it was not.  Sporting KC largely limited San Diego’s attack, and created a flurry of chances of their own, and probably deserved more from the final score line than they received.

That said, Sporting has been on the fortuitous end of several results this season, so it was only natural for that luck to turn away from them at some point, and San Diego’s Designated Players both capitalized on some SKC errors with a level of lethality that SKC were unable to replicate themselves.

This did lead to a bit of a dour mood on the H&A discord in the hours following the match regarding how far behind the club is from the top of the league at this point, creating the 2nd discussion in as many days about how realistic it is to have optimism and hope for the future of this team.  We’ll dive into what is next for this club and why at least I am a bit bullish on its potential in the future.  

Finally we will discuss the Current continuing to find a way to get results, Tim Ford vs. Vancouver, and preview SKC’s upcoming trip the home of Mickey Mouse.

Sporting KC have addressed a significant area of need on the roster bringing in center back Alan Montes from LigaMX club Necaxa in on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season. His profile is quite different from what SKC fans may be used to at the position, and on paper it looks to be a good addition and a divergence from how signings at the position had been identified and prioritized previously, which potentially mean a positive change in that philosophy.

We've spent a lot of time recently discussing some of the potential for structural change tactically with the personnel on the current SKC roster, but this week we want to provide an alternate perspective about how maintaining a consistent platform could be for the purposes of player development. With a first year CB and DM, and essentially a first year GK, there is some value with stability, as well as some compromises made in build out to limit opportunities for error that could be hampering the effectiveness of the offense. These are calculated risks Kerry Zavagnin and the team appear to be making for the greater good of having players develop more quickly across the season.

Finally, a bunch of transactions are happening all over the league as the secondary transfer window is well and truly open, the KC Current return from their break and don't miss a step, and a preview of a match against a San Diego team that candidly appears to be set up perfectly to exploit some of Sporting KC's larger deficiencies.

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This week Drew is joined by Daniel Sperry of the Kansas City star to break down all things Sporting KC this week. Cody unfortunately had some life requirements get in the way of recording this week but should be back next week as usual.

Sporting KC struggled to make a substantive imprint on the match in Vancouver, as we had unfortunately predicted might happen last week. Kerry Zavagnin did make substantive tactical changes at halftime that did appear to make a positive impact on the game, but it left us wondering why these choices aren't made to start games rather than in the middle of them. There is a concern that there are two Kerry's, one who puts the tactical plan together and is fairly risk averse a la his mentor Peter Vermes, and the pragmatist game manager that makes the right changes to improve his team's prospects in games that is very different from his predecessor.

We also talk about a lot of MLS Hot Stove topics(that unfortunately do not include Sporting KC yet), as well as the return of NWSL regular season play for the KC Current this weekend.

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Sporting KC went behind early in both games since the last episode, in what is becoming a worrying trend in home matches this year. They did show fight in both matches, performing much better in the 2nd half of each, which is also becoming a noteworthy trend of late.

The roster has limitations, and interim coach Kerry Zavagnin is making due as best he can with the players he has at his disposal, along with making aggressive changes when things aren't working. That said, the team continues to appear to have significant limitations in influencing game state on their own, rather reacting to it, but also taking advantage when it goes in their favor.

The summer transfer window is about to open and we discuss what is reasonable to expect from this window both in SKC's available flexibility but also the potential for significant change given that there is still no CSO in place to drive the strategy of the team.

Finally, a quick discussion about MLS All Star, Miami figuring out how to manipulate the rulebook to sign Rodrigo de Paul, and a quick preview of SKC's upcoming visit to Vancouver.

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National media was alight with the various visualizations of the 3+ xGD that Sporting KC gave up in Commerce City on Friday night, yet they still came home with the 2-1 victory. We talk about some of those underlying numbers, how they belie a concerning trend of likely unsustainable results and the context within how they have happened.

We also talk through the biggest areas of need on the roster as the summer transfer window opens. A lot of it is dependent on how the club means to play going forward, and so much of that is in flux given the lack of certain Front Office personnel that it is very hard to predict. But we give our ideas on what we would do if given the decision making authority.

The USMNT looked much the inferior team vs. Mexico in the Gold Cup final, but given the discrepancy in first choice talent, perhaps it wasn't as big of a concern as many are making it out to be. There were some useful performances in this tournament as the team looks to reintegrate many of their first choice players this fall and build to 2026.

Finally a quick preview of the Seattle Sounders coming to town on Retro Night where the 2000 MLS Cup/Supporters Shield winning team will be honored 25 years on from that triumph.

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Sporting KC got a late win in dramatic fashion vs Charlotte on Wednesday before having to hold on late against RSL to survive a late red card from Jake Davis and maintain a 1-1 result.

We dive into the interesting parts of both games, both the tactical changes at halftime vs. Charlotte as well as Ian James' first start for SKC against RSL, concluded by a discussion about perhaps the most deserving Sporting Legend for quite some time, Matt Besler.

We dive into the information in the latest MLSPA salary release, and what it tells us about how the team had been managed previously, along with what options it has in the future.

The USMNT and USWNT have had a lot of action since our last recording, and we discuss the various different items of consequence regarding both teams.

Finally a preview of this weekend's clash with the Colorado Rapids on the 4th of July.

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