SPORTING KANSAS CITY vs. MINNESOTA UNITED FC

Children’s Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas

08.25.2018 | MLS Week No. 26 | MLS Game No. 26

7:30 p.m. CT (FOX Sports North Plus, FOX Sports GO, MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN)

2018 Records:

SKC: 12-6-6, 7-2-3 at home

MIN: 9-14-2, 1-10-1 on the road

For the third time this season, Minnesota United renews acquaintances with Sporting Kansas City this weekend in the third game of the Loons’ current five-game road trip. Sporting KC — the Western Conference’s No. 2 team — is coming off of a 3-0 home win over Portland Timbers, boasts a three-game winning streak and has not conceded a goal over that stretch.

The MLS Rivalry Week match-up between MNUFC and SKC kicks off at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 25 from Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Pre-game coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. on FOX Sports North Plus, streaming on FOX Sports GO and on MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN.

“They are very good at home,” Head Coach Adrian Heath said. “It is a really difficult place to go. They have done really well. It is going to be difficult for us this weekend, but we have to go there with as much confidence as we can. Can we come up with a game plan that frustrates them and take our opportunities when they arrive?”

Though the game ended as a 2-0 loss, Minnesota was encouraged by its defensive effort in its last outing against FC Dallas and believes it provides a solid foundation to build on moving forward. The MNUFC defenders managed to frustrate Dallas for 40-plus minutes on the road and did not look likely to concede until a VAR-aided opening goal that forced the Loons to open up a little more in hopes of equalizing.

“We showed in Dallas that we can keep our lines tight together and make teams play wide,” defender Eric Miller said. “We stuck in our shape and they didn’t have any huge chances in the first half, which was really good. The biggest takeaway is the knowledge that we are able to go on the road, set up shop and make it hard for them to play. We just have to maintain our discipline for the whole 90 minutes.”

Minnesota’s defense will have to be up to the task in Sporting KC’s hostile home environment this weekend. Children’s Mercy Park is traditionally one of the hardest venues in MLS for visiting sides to succeed in, as evidenced by SKC’s sterling 7-2-3 home record this season. It has certainly been a house of horrors for MNUFC since entering the league. Including last season’s U.S. Open Cup clash, the Loons are winless in three trips to Kansas City and have been outscored 11-1 in those contests.

Miller has tasted success on the road against Sporting KC, winning 2-1 there with Colorado Rapids in 2016. He said the key for Minnesota this weekend is to be smart with the ball and not let SKC’s up-tempo style of play dictate the pace in order to open up space going the other way.

“A lot of it is slowing the game down and taking the crowd out of the game,” Miller said. “They play such a high-octane, high-energy style and the crowd really builds off of and feeds off of that. You have to make sure you are keeping the ball and taking the momentum and the energy our of the crowd and hopefully their team as well.

“They really leave themselves open and exposed,” he added. “If you can be good on the counter you can get chances there.”

Minnesota will benefit from having both defender Francisco Calvo and midfielder Collen Warner again available for selection after serving their one-game suspensions in Dallas. Their absences forced Heath to opt for a 4-3-3 shape instead of the usual 3-5-2. After falling behind, that change too often left the Loons open at the back as they struggled to strike a balance between getting enough players forward and maintaining a strong defensive shape.

The 3-5-2 has helped MNUFC find that happy medium this season, allowing it to get extra bodies forward while still maintaining its defensive rigidity. Having Calvo and Warner back allows Heath the option to return to that look against Sporting Kansas City, which could be the boost Minnesota needs.

“We know the way they are going to set up,” Heath said. “Now can we come up with a plan that stifles them and maybe gives us an opportunity on the break? The more players we have available, the better it will be. The one thing last weekend showed is without four or five of our better players it is difficult for us on the road at this moment.”

After its trip to Kansas City, Minnesota United has a two-and-a-half-week international break ahead of a visit to MLS’s newest venue, Audi Field, to face D.C. United on Wednesday, September 12. That contest kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CT with pre-game coverage commencing at 6:00 p.m. on FOX Sports North, streaming on FOX Sports GO and on MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN.

INJURY REPORT

Minnesota United FC

OUT:

M - Sam Cronin (cervicogenic dysfunction)

M - Kevin Molino (left ACL tear)

M - Ethan Finlay (right ACL tear)

QUESTIONABLE:

F - Darwin Quintero (right lower leg)

Sporting Kansas City

OUT:

D - Jimmy Medranda (knee surgery)

F - Khiry Shelton (right MCL tear, lateral meniscus tear)

D/M - Brad Evans (Achilles injury)

M - Cristian Lobato (quad injury)

FIRST TOUCHES