Sporting K.C. look to shake rust in visit to Houston
An unexpected 10-day break has Sporting Kansas City looking to regain momentum as they head to Houston to play the Dynamo on Saturday night, the fourth matchup between the two teams already this season.
Sporting K.C. (6-5-2, 20 points) had its match at Colorado postponed last Sunday when the Rapids had multiple positive COVID-19 tests among players and staff. That game will be made up Oct. 21. But that left Sporting out of rhythm.
"As you build up to a game, you always try to work on things that are specific to your team," SKC manager Peter Vermes said Friday. "If we had known (ahead of time) that we would have almost two weeks off, we could have done things differently.
"We spent this week trying to get ready for Houston and it was a similar work week."
Sporting resides in a tie for third in the Western Conference, with just six points separating the bottom 10 teams in the 12-team field.
Houston (3-4-7, 16 points) is one spot below the line, but very much in the thick of things in the West. The Dynamo are two points behind LAFC and Real Salt Lake, and three behind Colorado and Minnesota. A win against one of their long-time rivals would go a long way.
The Dynamo own a 2-1-0 advantage in the first three games against SKC, with a 2-1 victory in the most recent match on Sept. 5, the only one at BBVA Stadium. The first two matches were blowouts. SKC won 4-0 before the pandemic, and Houston won 5-2 in the first home match for Sporting following the return to action in August.
"Yes, we have played them three times, but if you ask around the league about a team you really don't want to play four times in a season, Kansas City would probably be at the top of the list," Dynamo defender Zarek Valentin said.
The Aug. 25 game was the last win for Houston, as the Dynamo have gone 0-2-3 in their last five matches.
Despite the recent skid, good news arrived for Dynamo and Academy alum Memo Rodriguez, who agreed to a contract extension on Friday. Rodriguez, 24, is third on the team with three goals and six points this season, and he owns 17 goals for the Dynamo across all competitions.
"It means a lot to me that the club believes in me for the long term. Obviously, the hard work hasn't stopped and I'm more motivated than ever," said Rodriguez, who is signed through the 2022 season with club options for 2023 and 2024. "As a kid you dream of playing professional soccer in your hometown and to do that for years to come is a dream come true."
--Field Level Media
