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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2014
PAGE 9
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Sporting KC heads into MLS regular season finale
CHRISTIAN HARDY
@HardvNFL
Coming into the final week of the Major League Soccer regular season. Sporting Kansas City (14-7-12, 49 points) has its spot in the 10-team playoffs locked up. But the contest the team plays Sunday against the New York Red Bulls (12-11-10, 47 points) will be the most important game it plays this season.
The two teams will meet at Sporting Park, separated by only two points in the Eastern Conference. That difference could be made up by the Red Bulls - who currently sit at the No. 5 spot - with a win.
Kansas City also has the Columbus Crew (13-10-10, 49 points) to worry about. Columbus moved into the No. 4 spot with a 3-1 win against New York on Sunday. It has the same point total as Sporting KC, but trails on win total, which is the tiebreaker after points. The Crew has a very winnable game against the Philadelphia Union on Sunday afternoon. It has already defeated the Union twice this season.
Sporting KC can secure its No. 3 spot with a win or a Columbus loss on Sunday. But the game isn't a shoe-in for Sporting, as the team is 0-1-1 against New York this season.
The good news is manager Peter Vermes expects to have captain and anchor defender Matt Besler back for Sunday's match. Besler missed Sunday's match against the Union — a 2-1 loss — after leaving the United States Men's National Team friendly against Honduras with a thigh contusion. Vermes also held out midfielder Graham Zusi in the game against Philadelphia, but he will be ready to go Sunday.
As for starting goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum, who strained his calf in training last week and also missed Sunday's game, he's a question mark. Vermes said Gruenebaum has been ruled out for the final CONCACAF Champions League match against Deportivo Saprissa, although a determination hasn't been made for Sunday. Zusi won't play against Saprissa due to caution accumulation.
The lineup for Thursday's CCL contest in Costa Rica is expected to feature a mostly reserve squad on the pitch. Sporting KC can come away with a win, a draw or a loss by one goal, and advance to the knockout round of the CCL. It wouldn't be surprising to see Vermes load up defensively to ensure Saprissa gets limited opportunities.
that Vermes has his squad fresh and ready for Sunday's MLS match, and he's going to do that by resting them as much as he can in Thursday's contest.
It's of the utmost importance
Without a win, Sporting KC opens the door to be booted down to the bottom of the conference playoff seeding. If Kansas City's match results in a draw, Columbus would only need any win to jump Kansas City, though it would hold off the Red Bulls. If Kansas City loses, it would automatically drop to the No. 4 seed, and Columbus would need only a draw to drop Kansas City to No. 5.
Columbus' matchup with Philadelphia is set for 3 p.m. Sunday. Sporting KC's match against New York at Sporting Park is set for 7:30 p.m. Sunday and will air on ESPN2.
The No. 4 and No. 5 seed will meet in a single elimination game played either Oct. 29 or Oct. 30. The winner of that game will take No. 1 D.C. United in a two-game series on Nov. 1-2 and Nov. 8-9. The team with the most goals through the two games will advance. The No. 3 seed will match up with the No. 2 New England Revolution, who comes into the playoffs on fire.
Edited by Alyssa Scott
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sporting KC midfielder Benny Feilhaber drives the ball in front of a New England Union defender on Sept. 25. The team officially has a spot in the upcoming IO-team playoffs.
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