It’s the second time this season that Minnesota United will face off against one of its midwest rivals in Sporting KC this Saturday.
To date, the Loon’s 2-0 win against SKC earlier this season is their most prominent accomplishment in this their first season in Major League Soccer. Sporting is considered to be one of the foremost competitors for this year’s MLS Cup and their home record (5-0-1) shows you why.
Meanwhile, United are still winless on the road throughout their debut season with a 0-4-2 record.
“They’ve proven that they’re very difficult to beat in Kansas City,” Brent Kallman said. “They have a really good home atmosphere, and they play well on their home field. I’m expecting a lot different game than when they came up here.”
Minnesota United head coach Adrian Heath expects many things to be similar for Round 2 of the matchup even though SKC will know what to expect from the newcomers this time around.
“I don’t think there is an awful lot that’s going to change,” Heath said. “They normally play 4-3-3. They’re very good at the way they play, so I don’t expect them to change. One of the issues you sometimes get is you get one or two things carrying over from the previous game, and hopefully that won’t be the case. However we approach the game, it’s going to be a difficult game for us.”
Something that will change for United is the starting XI. The Loons actually set an MLS expansion record last week by starting the same back four for seven straight matches. That too will change thanks to international call-ups. Both midfielder Johan Venegas and centerback Francisco Calvo have been summoned by the Costa Rican national team. Venegas and Calvo, a member of the back four and a recent member of the MLS Team of the Week, won’t return for two weeks.
Sam Cronin, usually a starter in the center of midfield, will also miss as he has been suspended by the MLS Disciplinary Committee.
Abu Danladi and Vadim Demidov have also been ruled out due to injury. Rasmus Schuller is questionable (thigh).
“One door shuts, another one opens for some people,” Heath said regarding the absences thrust upon his team. “People have been knocking on my door, asking why they’re not on the team. Over the next couple of weeks, one or two people are going to get an opportunity. It’s up to them, then. Obviously it’s not ideal, certainly the way Calvo’s been playing, he’s been outstanding of late, so we’re going to miss him. It’s just a case now of moving on, compensate for him as best we can. We’ve got every confidence in the people who I expect to step up.”
Look for either Jermaine Taylor or Joseph Greenspan to slot in next to Kallman in the center defensive partnership. Taylor is an experienced MLS vet while Greenspan is an unproven, yet talented prospect.
“We’re kind of confident,” Kallman said. “We have a lot of guys on the bench that haven’t been playing much that have a lot of experience in MLS and abroad. I don’t think that it should be an issue for us. They’re going to be dealing with the same thing as well. They’re going to be missing a couple guys due to international duties, so not really an excuse.”
