Sporting Kansas City Trumps A Chippy Real Salt Lake 2-0

RSL’s Setup:
    Jason Kreis set RSL up in their usual 4-4-2. Schuler replaced the injured Olave and played left center back with Borchers at right center back. Wingert played left back and Beltran played right back. Beckerman played his usual spot in front of the back four and as RSL looked to him to get the attack moving forward. Johnson played wide left and at times was the only source of width in the entire RSL side. Warner and Alvarez played in the center and right of midfield respectively, but switched positions often and failed to make a positive impact on the match for RSL. RSL played a very fluid midfield, with a lot of position flexibility. Saborio, back from his suspension, partnered up top with Espindola. They were the most dangerous players for RSL along with  Beckerman, as was to be expected.

SKC’s Setup:
    SKC set up in a 4-2-1-3. Espinoza and Zusi partnered in front of the back four. Jefferson played in the middle ahead of them, with Teal Bunbury getting the starting nod at striker for coach Peter Vermes. Kamara played wide right and Bravo played wide left. Espinoza and Zusi were very aggressive getting forward and helped to create many scoring chances fro SKC, especially in the first half. Bunbury looked particularly dangerous and may have planted himself ahead of Sapong
for the starting striker role, at least for their next match.

First Half:
    SKC thoroughly dominated the first half of play. They played many long balls up top to Bunbury, with a particular focus on attacking Schuler, Olave’s replacement. They dominated possession by playing a physical and aggressive pressing style, no doubt fueled by the home fans at Livestrong Park. Espinoza was very dangerous taking long-range shots at goal, winning possession in the midfield, and playing service up top to Bunbury and wide to Bravo and Kamara. It was Espinoza’s strike off of a theft of a poor back pass from Alvarez and nifty split of two RSL defenders that gave SKC a 1-0 lead in the 29’ minute of the match. It was a testament to how the entire first half went, with SKC
being the more physical side, and winning the vast majority of possession and 50/50 balls. Just 5 minutes later a long throw-in into the box by Besler that Kamara headed on goal was saved by Rimando, and Bunbury buried the rebound after Borchers lost track of him amongst the scramble. It was a 2-0 lead SKC would never relinquish.

Second Half:
    RSL opened the second half with much more aggression, energy, and pressure on SKC when they had possession. This was to be expected after a lackluster first half performance. One problem RSL had in the first half was a lack of width, especially on the right. Warner and Alvarez were both drifting too far inside, and clogging the middle so Beckerman didn’t have enough space to create offense for RSL. Not only that but they were clearly losing the midfield battle against Zusi, Espinoza, and Jefferson. It looked like the match may take a turn, with RSL starting to take control, when Espinoza went in with a two-footed challenge on Beckerman and was sent off. There is no doubt it was a quick card, and replays showed it was a questionable red card at best, but with all the cards being handed out this season he should have known better. It gave RSL some more momentum to try and walk away
with at least one point. However, despite the plethora of scoring opportunities RSL created fro the remaining 40 minutes or so, they were unable to net a single goal.

Conclusion:
    RSL and coach Jason Kreis should look to replace both Warner and Alvarez in their next match, as they were both highly ineffective Wednesday night. They need to play someone who will give them more width on the right to open up the middle of the field for Beckerman. Saborio looked good after missing a match and was unlucky not to score. Espindola continues to show his talent along with his temper. He was lucky to avoid multiple cards. RSL should be able to bounce back from this game on the weekend.
    SKC seems to have found their formation of choice, and a record of 14 consecutive games unbeaten will prove that. They will need to replace the very effective Espinoza for their next match, which may
strip them of some aggressiveness and creativity on the midfield. Bunbury looks poised to start and continue his good run of form as of late as SKC continue to push for a playoff bid.

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