EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS - 1L COLORADO RAPIDS v SPORTING KANSAS CITY Sun., Oct. 30, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (5:30 p.m. MT; FOX Soccer) 18
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: KC 20 wins (1 SO), 82 GF … COL 17 wins (3 SO), 64 GF … Ties 11
Pickens
27
22
3
Wynne
Moor
Kimura
32 Comminges
2011 HEAD-TO-HEAD: COL 0 wins, 2 GF … KC 0 wins, 2 GF … 2 ties AT DICK’S SPORTING GOODS PARK: 5/28: COL 1, KC 1 (Casey 13 - Smith 75)
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: COL 2 wins, 9 GF … KC 3 wins, 9 GF … 2 ties After Sanna Nyassi and Omar Cummings had partnered in attack over LaBauex Larentowicz the final three league games of the season, Rapids coach Gary Smith 11 23 moved Nyassi back to the flank for the wild card, installing Caleb Folan Mullan Nyassi alongside Cummings. “It was a more attacking lineup than usual,” Cummings 21 14 said. “We’ve been talking about it all day, even all week. We have to do it, we have to get to the next stage, the next game. We gave it our all and we move Folan Cummings on to the next stage.” ... Cummings came through with his first playoff goal as 17 Colorado defeated Columbus 1-0 in Commerce City for a second consecutive Sapong year. Cummings had scored just four goals in all competitions coming into the 99 23 game. “That’s the season if you don’t score, so I was not trying to concentrate Bravo Kamara on it too much,” Cummings said. “It’s playoff time and time to get some playoff 8 goals.” ... Brian Mullan, one of two five-time MLS Cup winners who is making Zusi his 11th consecutive appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs, operated on the 22 15 opposite flank and started the play leading to the lone goal. “He never ceases Arnaud Espinoza to amaze, does he?” Rapids head coach Gary Smith said. “He’s like a Duracell 16 7 battery, he just keeps going. He’s got enough passion to drive himself and plen5 78 Sinovic Myers ty of others on the team. On occasions like this, when you’re in or you’re out Besler Collin and there’s no coming back from a poor result or a bad mistake, you want guys like Brian on your team.” ... The Rapids also suffered a big blow late in the 1 game when Jamie Smith was stretchered off with what was diagnosed as a Nielsen torn ACL in his right knee. Smith will be out for the remainder of the postseason. ... The Rapids were without captain Pablo Mastroeni, still suffering from a REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. concussion. Gary Smith said Mastroeni is considered doubtful for the first leg SAR (bench): Frank Anderson; JAR (opposite): Ian Anderson; against KC. “We’re running out of bodies in there, that’s for sure,” Gary Smith 4th: Juan Guzman said. “To try and keep the team as aggressive and experienced as possible might mean popping bodies into areas that they’re not necessarily comfortable INJURY REPORT: COLORADO RAPIDS -- OUT: FW Conor Casey or happy with. Kansas City, in many ways, are a different prospect. They have (L Achilles tear); MF Jamie Smith (R knee ACL tear); DF Anthony different players and slightly different styles and formats with how they play, so Wallace (R knee arthroscopic surgery); QUESTIONABLE: MF Pablo there are some choices to make.” Mastroeni (concussion); PROBABLE: GK Matt Pickens (R groin With their victory in the season finale at D.C. United, Sporting finstrain) ... SPORTING KANSAS CITY -- OUT: DF Daneil Cyrus (L ished atop the Eastern Conference, meaning Livestrong Sporting foot fracture); MF Luke Sassano (R knee sprain); MF Peterson Park will host a potential conference championship. “Whether it’s Joseph (R knee surgery); MF Konrad Warzycha (R knee surgery) champions or just No. 1 seed, it doesn’t really matter to us,” said defender SUSPENDED: none Matt Besler. “We have home field advantage. That’s all we care about.” ... WARNINGS: none Sporting won three of their final four games and are unbeaten in their last five home games. They have lost just three times since the midpoint of the season, a mark rivaled this year by only Seattle. “The guys are confident,” KC manager Peter Vermes said. “They should be confident. They’ve come COLORADO RAPIDS SPORTING KANSAS CITY a long way. We’ve knocked down some major hurdles along the way. But we’re definitely not overconfident. We’re extremely respectful of all the SUBSTITUTES FROM SUBSTITUTES FROM opponents out there that are in the playoffs. We realized that anything can 2 Earls DF 2 Harrington DF happen with anybody.” ... SKC has not lost back-to-back games since 5 Nane MF 3 Aiyegbusi DF dropping five in a row April 16-May 21 along their 10-game season-opening 7 Janniere MF 4 Rocastle MF road trip. “The path we took makes it sweeter,” Besler said. “It’s probably 8 Ababio DF 6 Thomas DF not the path that I’d like to choose every year. The fact is we climbed back 10 Kandji FW 9 Bunbury FW from last place, though. It feels a little more special.” ... The Wizards also 12 Amarikwa FW 10 Jeferson MF come into the postseason after back-to-back shutouts, their first since 13 Emory MF 11 Saad FW June 17-22. “The best thing is that we’re on a little bit of a run headed into 15 Thompson MF 13 Olum DF the playoffs,” C.J. Sapong said. “This is what we wanted to do no matter if 17 Joyce GK 14 Ellis DF we were a wild card team or in first place. We took care of that and if we 19 Akpan FW 18 Kronberg GK keep it rolling, we’ll do well.” ... Just six players on the Sporting roster 21 Folan FW 20 Diop FW 25 Mastroeni MF 21 Kempin GK have experience in the MLS Cup Playoffs: Davy Arnaud, Kei Kamara, 26 Holody DF 24 Lorenz DF Roger Espinoza, Michael Harrington, Luke Sassano and Shavar Thomas. 28 Armstrong MF 55 Julio Cesar DF “For us, there’s no doubt that there is maybe some experience that we have 29 Palguta DF 88 Stojcev MF to gain by going through it,” said Vermes. “But I don’t think that’s going to 31 Ceus GK be the one issue that tips the scales either way. If we hadn’t played in 34 Marshall DF enough big games up until now, I might be concerned.”
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