Sporting Kansas City Pre Game: Philadelphia Union

Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Who: Philadelphia Union at Sporting Kansas City

When: May 14th, 2014 at 7:30 PM CDT

Where: Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kansas

Streams: KMCI (38 The Spot), SKCTV, MLS Live

Radio: 810 AM WHB, La Gran D 1340 AM

Sporting Kansas City have a quick turn around this week after facing the Montreal Impact on Saturday they return to Sporting Park for a match up against the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night. Sporting looks to continue their run after defeating Montreal 3-0. For a full recap of that game check KC Kingdom’s official post game.

Sporting currently sit tied atop the standings in the Eastern Conference with the New England Revolution though Sporting has a game in hand. Sporting has 17 points in 9 games played to New England’s 17 points in 10 games played. The Philadelphia Union are currently second from the bottom in the Eastern Conference standings with 8 points in 11 games played.

Philadelphia has one win on this young season that came on March 15th against the New England Revolution. The Union are currently win-less in their last 8 and would like for nothing more than to break that streak Wednesday on the road against Sporting Kansas City.

Sporting and Philadelphia met up three times last season with Sporting taking two of the three games. The first match up came on March 2nd, 2013 in Philadelphia with Sporting capturing the 3-1 victory.

Philadelphia’s Sebastian Le Toux opened the scoring in the 17th Minute when he got a touch on a ball over the top and was able to just slot the ball past goal keeper Jimmy Nielsen to give the home side the 1-0 lead. Sporting was able to draw even just before half in the 41st minute when Graham Zusi followed up on a rebound and blasted it past the keeper to even things 1-1. The game went even at one going in to half time.

Sporting opened the second half scoring in the 66th minute when Oriol Rosell put his head to a Graham Zusi free kick and sent it to the near post to put Sporting up 2-1. Claudio Bieler was able to put the game away in the 83rd minute when he sent a ball to the right side of goal from the top of the box to give Sporting the 3-1 lead where the game would finish.

Sporting next met Philadelphia on September 27th, 2013 in Kansas City where Philadelphia was able to even the series with a 1-0 win. Conor Casey was able to score the lone goal in the 36th minute when he got on the end of a ball that bounced around in the box. Sporting was never short of chances in the game they just lacked the finishing touch.

The final match up of the season came in Sporting’s final regular season game on October 26th, 2013 in Philadelphia. Sporting opened the scoring in the 47th minute when Graham Zusi headed in a Matt Besler throw to put the visitors up 1-0. Philadelphia evened the scoring at 1-1 in the 88th minute when Jack McInerney got a shot past Jimmy Nielsen from inside the box. The game looked to be headed toward a 1-1 draw before Lawrence Olum Fired a shot past the keeper to give Sporting the 2-1 lead in the 92nd minute where it would finish.

Noteworthy

Sal Zizzo is expected to return Wednesday after being out with an injury the past two games.
Graham Zusi and Matt Besler are playing their final game with Sporting before reporting to the USMNT for World Cup duties.
Manchester City were crowned 2014 BPL Champions Sunday. Sporting Kansas City will match up against Manchester City on July 23rd at Sporting Park in a friendly being dubbed as the battle of Champions.

As always keep your eyes on KC Kingdom for any news that pops up on the Chiefs, Royals, Sporting KC, Tigers, Wildcats, and Jayhawks.

Go Sporting!

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