Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast Drew VanderPloeg and Cody Welton

Sporting KC were unceremoniously eliminated from the MLS Cup playoffs Sunday night in Houston. The team maintained their 4-4-2 mid block/low-pressure setup meant to create counterattacking opportunities that worked so well against St Louis, but it was ineffective against Houston.

We discuss the tactical plan, whether it was the most appropriate choice, and the struggles the team had in getting quality goal scoring chances from the transition events they created.

There was of course a dubious non-call that blanketed much of the conversation of this game, so we give it the appropriate coverage, while also considering the mistakes outside the referees and how, while unlucky, it shouldn't be the primary focus of fans' ire.

Graham Zusi and Roger Espinoza may have played their last minutes for Sporting KC, we discuss their impact at the club, and how the club still struggles to replace their influence. We will know Friday if one or both are sticking around, along with a number of other players. Next week will include a much deeper dive into roster construction going into 2024.

A quick MLS Cup final prediction to close things out.

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Because there is nothing else going on, it seems everyone is focused on being MLS scheduling professionals. We discuss the three week break and how much it really matters, as well as how avoidable it really was.

We dive deep into the upcoming match against Houston, how they like to progress the ball, and how SKC might negate it.

Tactical Corner is a deeper dive into Alan Pulido and what makes him good, and why it's hard to see if you only look at trailing indicators. Also, how he lets Salloi be the player he can be.

The USMNT qualified for Copa America and the Nations League semifinals but certainly left a lot on the table for the discourse.

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SKC unceremoniously sent St Louis back across the state to start their offseason after a fairly comprehensive 2-1 scoreline that honestly flattered their opponent. It was a competitive affair for about 20 minutes until SKC settled in and fairly significantly controlled the match the rest of the way.

Logan Ndenbe cemented his status as "Playoff Logan" right before rupturing his ACL and somehow playing for another 40+ minutes on it. It was an insane display and a heartbreaking injury for a player that was in great form.

Tactical Corner focuses on the differences we will see with Tim Leibold on the field in Ndenbe's stead, and whether that will actually potentially be a positive given SKC's potential future opponents, as well as what that means for the depth chart at the position going forward.

Potpourri covers a number of news topics of the week like the 3-game 1st round MLS Playoff format, the use of VAR, the USWNT hiring a coach, and what the USMNT will look like in upcoming Nations League matches and the upcoming Olympics as they attempt to build depth in the roster looking towards the 2026 World Cup.

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Sporting KC had two consecutive playoff "wins" this week after winning the PK shootout against San Jose after a fairly uninteresting 0-0 draw on Wednesday and then took the wood to St Louis in their park on Sunday night. The former being everything we have come to expect from this team on short rest against a team that didn't want to play soccer, and the latter being the exact opposite.

Luchi Gonzalez seemed to be banking on his best odds being waiting for an SKC defensive mistake(fair, but it didn't happen) or going against Tim Melia in penalty kicks(LOL). Things worked out as expected setting up the match we all have been waiting for in St Louis.

Peter Vermes brought out a very pragmatic and well coached and thought out tactical shift in St Louis in both style and personnel, and it worked impeccably to a 4-1 rout of the Pink Dog Food club in their park. Now the question is how much of that style does he bring back to KC next Sunday and what makes the most sense to ensure SKC are able to win and move on.

We spend Tactical Corner this week evaluating the difference in Erik Thommy and Gadi Kinda's games, and whether they are actually that different materially at all.

Finally Potpurri corner focuses on #playthekids and what appears to be a directionless USWNT at the moment.

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We're making an Ali-like return to this podcasting space to discuss SKC's improbable run into the MLS post-season and the "no one believed in us" narrative that the coach seems insistent on giving air to.

In fairness, we had significant doubts about this potential outcome, so we were apparently the "doubters" he was referring to, and we are willing to own that. That said, we will also discuss the fact that being pessimistic about the team's prospects, and being supportive fans are not mutually exclusive.

We get a little nerdy about analytics, the concept of luck as a data point, and our thoughts on how this information is used in MLS and SKC as a potential competitive advantage.

Finally a preview of Wednesday night's match vs. San Jose.

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We get some things off our chest. Things around Sporting Kansas City are in a word, Stale. The playing style, the general energy around the club, the decision making characteristics of the coach, etc, etc.

We discuss the frustrations around not just the 4-1 loss to St Louis, but the feeling that it was generally inevitable. The playing format never sufficiently attacked them when they were disorganized, and appeared to be more interested in managing a result more than attaining one.

Finally we spend time talking about the general structure of the club, the supporters, and whether we think the current regime can create the kind of change necessary to reinvigorate the lifeblood that made this club a staple for the past decade-plus.

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