Lowly Sporting Kansas City are unfancied against Colorado Rapids heading into Wednesday night’s gameweek 32 MLS match-up at Children’s Mercy Park.
The Wizards can no longer make the top seven spots in the Western Conference to guarantee a playoff place and they are underdogs against the section’s third-placed outfit.
Match preview
Unless the stars align and the teams above them collapse in the season’s concluding rounds, Kansas City are not expected to play any part in the post-regular season playoffs.
Peter Vermes‘ team have 28 points from 29 matches, placing them 16 points adrift of seventh-placed Houston occupying the last guaranteed spot and 11 behind Minnesota in ninth.
With a top-seven finish out of reach, the Wizards will have to go on a run in their final five matches to give themselves an outside chance of ending eighth or ninth to have the fallback option in the wild-card round.
Results on their travels have been Kansas City’s undoing, with the 12th-placed team in the Western losing 10 of their 15 matches on the road.
However, picking up 10 points from the last available 12 in front of their supporters should give supporters optimism going into Wednesday’s match-up with a side unlikely to drop out of the coveted places in their division.
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Colorado have recovered from last year’s underwhelming season in which they finished 14th in their section and 28th overall to miss out on the post-season championship to storm to third in the Western and sixth overall before taking on Kansas City in gameweek 32.
While Chris Armas‘ team can still fall out of the guaranteed leading spots, Pids have a seven-point buffer on eighth-placed Portland Timbers with six fixtures left.
Rapids, on a three-match winning streak including a recent victory over Portland, will back themselves to return to the post-season championship, even if their road results could make things fun for the neutral in the concluding rounds of the regular campaign.
Although Colorado defeated Dallas 3-2 in their recent away match, that was the team’s second away win in seven on their travels, strikingly falling to five losses in that period.
Pids have relied on their results on home turf to maintain their playoff position, and Armas’ side should secure a top-seven place if they sustain the ongoing nine-match unbeaten sequence (seven wins) in front of their supporters despite road struggles.
Team News
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Joaquin Fernandez and Nemanja Radoja could miss out due to groin issues, joining the hamstrung Logan Ndenbe on the sidelines.
Jacob Davis could be reinstated into Kansas City’s midfield after serving a one-match suspension in the recent 2-0 loss to Seattle Sounders following a sending-off for two yellows against the New York Red Bulls.
Darren Yapi is ruled out for Colorado after a 97th-minute dismissal for violent conduct against Portland, although the forward was unlikely to start in Kansas.
Armas could also be without the injured pair of Kevin Cabral (elbow) and Sam Vines (hamstring) in gameweek 32.
After notching 14 goals this season, Rafael Navarro will back himself to add to that tally especially if Djordje Mihailovic (10 goals, nine assists) sustains his ongoing form of setting others up after assists against Dallas and Portland.Sporting Kansas City possible starting lineup:
Melia; Shelton, Valencia, Voloder, Leibold; Davis, Bassong; Russell, Thommy, Salloi; Pulido
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Steffen; Rosenberry, Abubakar, Maxso, Travis; Bassett, Ronan; Harris, Mihailovic, Lewis; Navarro
We say: Sporting Kansas City 2-2 Colorado Rapids
Despite their current position, Minnesota United’s recent home form and attacking prowess make them a threat to any opponent.
Regardless, the recent performances of Mihailovic and Navarro in the attacking third for Colorado should prevent the away side from suffering a sixth road loss in eight matches in a high-scoring draw in Kansas.
