A pair of teams riding four-game unbeaten streaks in MLS go head-to-head Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park when upstart Sporting Kansas City (7-8-4, 25 points) plays host to Eastern Conference leaders New York City FC (8-5-6, 30 points).
Sunday’s high-profile contest will kick off at 7 p.m. on FS1, FOX Deportes, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM. A limited number of tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL, and 10,000 fans exiting the stadium after the final whistle will receive free piggy banks courtesy of match sponsor Children’s Mercy Hospital. All in attendance are also welcome to donate a dollar to Children’s Mercy Hospital with each concession stand purchase.
Sporting Kansas City earned a pivotal 3-2 win over Columbus Crew SC last Sunday, leaping to fifth place in the Western Conference after Matt Besler scored his first goal since 2011 with a 91st-minute header. Benny Feilhaber and Graham Zusi also found the back of the net as manager Peter Vermes’ men exploded for their first three-goal game of the campaign. The club has now scored seven goals in its last three MLS matches (June 19 – July 3) after scoring the exact same number in their previous 11 (April 13 – June 2). Besler and Zusi starred last weekend and both are on the precipice of milestone appearances: Besler could make his 200th MLS start (including playoffs), while Zusi is set to start his 150th regular season game.
Seeking their 50th regular season win at Children’s Mercy Park, Sporting Kansas City was victorious in its first-ever meeting with New York City on March 28, 2015. Ike Opara’s thumping, 12th-minute header off a Besler throw-in gave the visitors a 1-0 victory before a sellout crowd of 27,545 at Yankee Stadium. Sporting Kansas City has enjoyed home success against interconference clubs, going 10-1-4 in such matches since May 2013, and will look to improve that mark Sunday against the league’s hottest team.
Led by World Cup veterans Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and the league’s top scorer David Villa, New York City FC will make its inaugural trip to Children’s Mercy Park after entering MLS in 2015. Manager Patrick Vieira’s side enters Sunday on a four-game winning streak, tied for the longest by any MLS team this season, and atop the Eastern Conference table with 30 points. The club secured a pair of shutout victories over the last week, downing rivals New York Red Bulls 2-0 last weekend before claiming a 1-0 road win against the New England Revolution on Wednesday.
NYCFC boasts an excellent record away from home, going 5-2-1 on their travels with at least two more road wins than any other team. The second-year club has conceded 31 goals in 2016, second most league-wide, but has shown signs of defensive improvement with a 272-minute shutout run that stands as the longest active streak in MLS. The Sky Blues are unbeaten in four straight road games dating back to mid-May, winning three and posting shutouts in their last two.
Heralded stars adorn the NYCFC roster and have played a central role in leading the team to the top of the East. Villa, a World Cup champion with Spain, leads MLS with 12 goals, while Italian World Cup champion Andrea Pirlo ranks among the top five in chances created. Former England international Frank Lampard missed the first two and a half months through injury, but has scored three goals in his last four appearances, including the game-winner in Wednesday’s triumph at New England. Another key contributor for NYCFC is winger Tommy McNamara, who has a team-high six assists to go with three goals.
Sporting Kansas City must cope with the absence of leading goal scorer Dom Dwyer, who will serve a one-game suspension Sunday due to caution accumulation. Three players are listed as questionable, as Nuno Coelho (thigh), Chance Myers (hamstring) and Paulo Nagamura (thigh) recover from recent injuries. Meanwhile, New York City FC will likely be without defender Ethan White (adductor strain) and forward Steven Mendoza (core injury).
In-game updates will be available online at SportingKC.com/gameon, on Twitter via @SKCGameday and through the club’s official mobile app Sporting KC Uphoria . All fans who participate in a pair of polls within the Uphoria app on Sunday will be entered to win tickets to Buzz Beach Ball 2016 and Sporting KC’s next home match vs. Seattle Sounders FC on July 24.
– Story from Sporting KC