New York City Football Club are at Citi Field this Saturday as they welcome Sporting Kansas City.
For this edition of 'The Away End' presented by Berkeley College & Rennert International, we spoke to Mike Kuhn, writer for Sporting KC blog the Blue Testament.
Hi Mike, thanks so much for joining us. How long have you been covering Sporting KC?
Thanks for having me. I started covering Sporting KC back in 2006 when they were still the Wizards. I'd been following the team since they were founded back in 1996.
What has been your highlight moment during that period?
There have been so many great memories in the time I've covered the team and followed them. From being in the stands for cup finals, to intense playoff games, to so many other amazing moments. My favorite moment of all though is probably June 9, 2011, the opening of Children's Mercy Park, then Livestrong Sporting Park. Living through the days of being a fan during the Save the Wizards days in Kansas City when there were serious doubts about whether the team would stay in KC. Going on road trips and seeing soccer specific stadiums open around the country and dreaming of walking into one in your hometown. Then finally getting to do it in Kansas City was amazing. Yes, the result and game as a whole left a lot to be desired, but that moment of walking into the stadium for the first time is a moment I'll never forget.
Peter Vermes is the longest-serving head coach in MLS - what have you made to the team's start in 2022?
To say it's been tough is an understatement. There have been a lot of questions asked of both the offense and the defense for Kansas City through ten games of the season. Losing Alan Pulido for basically the entire season before the season even started. Starting the season without Gadi Kinda, who has since been ruled out for the season. Down two Designated Players would be a tough ask for any team. Without those two important players the offense has struggled, especially with Daniel Salloi and Johnny Russell struggling with their form early in the season. At the other end of the field, KC's defense has been as stingy as you've come to expect from the team under Vermes over the years.
If you were to identify a dangerman for Sporting, who would that be?
It's got to be the team's captain, Johnny Russell. Russell can just be so dynamic with the ball at his feet. He's shown during his time with Kansas City a willingness to dribble at defenders. Doing so has led to numerous chances over the years. If there's one player that will consistently be the dangerman for KC, it's him.
What do you think will be the deciding factor in the game and do you have a prediction for Saturday's game?
The deciding factor for the game this weekend will be how KC's offense fairs. Defensively, KC is likely going to allow goals, only two teams have allowed more goals on the road this year than KC's 12. Meanwhile, NYCFC has scored the most home goals in the league. So, there's going to be chances and potentially goals for the home side in the game. The question is whether Kansas City's offense can create chances offensively to counter those that NYCFC has created. Just last week against FC Dallas though was the first time all season that Kansas City has scored more than one goal in a game. For KC though I just don't see that happening, I think NYCFC comes away with a win in this game.
For any fans that might be in Kansas City in the future are there any spots you'd suggest they check out?
The easy answer to this one is BBQ, places like Joe's KC BBQ or Q39 are just two of the favorites around Kansas City. To step away from that though I'd strongly encourage Liberty Memorial, the National World War I Museum and Memorial it's a fantastic museum to visit.
You can buy tickets to Saturday's game here.
