A prediction for the Union vs. Sporting Kansas City game
Few people are worried about the Union having lost their last two games. But there’s quite a bit of concern in Kansas City about Sporting starting the season 0-3-2.
Six games into last season, the Union had five wins and one tie.
If that makes you annoyed with the state of this season so far, fine, but don’t forget what happened after that. The Union won just two of their next 13 contests across all competitions, and while a bunch of those games were ties, they were still unsatisfactory. The 7-0 demolition of D.C. United at Subaru Park that launched the run to the MLS Cup final was played on July 8.
This is why very few people are worried about the Union having lost their last two games. But there’s quite a bit of concern in Kansas City about Sporting starting the season 0-3-2, even if most of it is outside the locker room.
It looks like Sporting will have two of its biggest attacking stars, Alan Pulido and Johnny Russell, at full health after early-season injuries. The Union’s lineup is a question mark, because it’s a quick turnaround to Tuesday’s Concacaf Champions League home game against Atlas. Jim Curtin surely wants to play his top squad, and knowing him, he probably will. But this is the first of six games this month, and it’ll be seven if the Union advance in the CCL.
So I’m hedging on this game. I probably shouldn’t, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen a game at Subaru Park with wounded teams on both sides.
Prediction: Union 2, Kansas City 2.
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