SportingKC – Chivas USA 01Apr12
This match up was one that Sporting KC and Chivas USA were probably really looking forward to as Sporting was looking to get off to the best start they have ever gotten off too and Chivas had just come off a huge win against Real Salt Lake at Salt Lake. Both teams were looking to continue the trend and because its soccer it was possible for both teams not to lose, but that is not how either team saw it. Both teams pushed as much as they could. Sporting having to defend more then they had in the first 3 games and Chivas holding on pretty tight against Sporting while still getting their own shots off.
SPORTING
- Again had the never say die mentality going and continued to push even after they scored pretty much at the beginning of the second half using some of that size advantage that I think we will all start to see Sporting use more and more this year. I noticed quite a bit last year that Sporting was playing quite a bit in the air, but it seems early this year so far that they are receiving and finishing quite a bit in the air as well.
- Defense definitely got their work out in this match as Chivas was doing something more that the first three teams had really done and that was get behind the defense and actually get some shots off. Jimmy Nielsen was able to come up pretty big and make the saves that needed to be made though. Sporting's defense really needs to be careful though as they still had some small flaws that I think we will see some of the top tier teams exploit. I do think that there is a case for Sporting right now that they are pushing to become one of those top tier teams, but that is something that time will tell, they seem to be making the right moves right now though.
CHIVAS USA
- Seemed to be to reliant on just one guy and that one guy happened to be a former Sporting player that everybody liked, but I think that Chivas was looking for him to do something against him and Sporting was looking to make sure that he didn't and accomplished their goal. I don't exactly know if what they did was similar to how they beat Real Salt Lake, but I would imagine that it was nothing like it, because Ryan Smith has not proven himself to be a player that you can put the weight of a team on his shoulders. I mean he might hurt himself with that proverbial weight. He is know to be quite injury prone.
- Will say that the defense seemed to provide one of the best challenges to Sporting this season to even include when they played DC United because they were getting plenty of touches, but Bill Hamid was able to block them or they just kept missing. This game was a lot different and Chivas I think proved to be decent on the defensive end, but just couldn't hold off what is becoming Sporting's exhausting defense for a lot of teams. I think it is possible to see Chivas have a decent season, but they are going to have to get some more help up top, especially if or when Ryan Smith gets injured. That is if he is acting as one of their main guys for this season. The odds of Smith actually playing the majority of the season are very slim.
McBeth