Sporting KC: What Is The Biggest Weakness
Sporting KC captured their first win of the season on Saturday against New York City FC at Yankee Stadium. Ike Opara scored the lone goal of the game, and Sporting KC held on to preserve their second shut out of the season and the 1-0 victory.
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Sporting KC has scored three goals in the 2015 season, but only one of the goals came from the run of play and it was from a good individual effort from midfielder Roger Espinoza. Defender Opara has scored the other two goals, one from heading in a Graham Zusi corner kick, and the other was on Saturday off of a Matt Besler long throw in.
Sporting have seemed to be dead set on playing long balls over the top from the back and bypassing possession in the midfield. The problem is Dom Dwyer isn’t big enough for the hold up play that that tactic required. Jozy Altidore is a traditional hold up play center forward.
Altidore is 6″1′ tall and 174 pounds. Dwyer is 5″9′ tall and 180 pounds. Dwyer is serviceable at holding up the ball, but he can’t be relied on to do it for 90 minutes, and be the lone goal scoring threat. The wing play has been dreadful for the most part all season, and Dwyer has not been getting the service that is required for him to be a threat.
The biggest reason for that, and the difference between this year and Dwyer’s record setting 2014 season where he scored 22 goals lies with midfielder Benny Feilhaber. Feilhaber may be the best and most underrated player on the team. He is a very creative and technical player, and is best when played in an attacking role. Sporting KC has lacked a true defensive midfielder since they sold Uri Rossell last season, and it has forced Feilhaber to play in a more defensive role.
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The answer to all of Sporting KC’s problems seem to be finding a true defensive midfielder which would allow Feilhaber to play in the attacking role and create chances for Dwyer. There is another solution that Sporting could look to use, and it starts with Krisztian Nemeth.
The first game of the season Nemeth started underneath Dwyer in the attacking midfield role, and Dwyer had by far his best game of the season, and probably should have had a couple goals. Nemeth suffered and injury during training, and has been out since then. He didn’t even travel with the team to New York.
A timetable for Nemeth’s return has not been announced, but his return could be the spark that the Sporting KC attack desperately needs. With the emergence of Jimmy Medranda down the right wing, Nemeth would provide a second goal scoring threat in the middle of the field to take pressure off of Dwyer. Until Nemeth comes back, Sporting KC are stuck grinding out victories in unconventional ways.
Sporting KC are back in action against the Philadelphia Union on Sunday, April 5th at 6 PM central time.