EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS - 2L SPORTING KANSAS CITY v COLORADO RAPIDS Wed., Nov. 2, Livestrong Sporting Park (7 p.m. CT; FOX Soccer; TSN2) 1
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: KC 20 wins (1 SO), 82 GF … COL 17 wins (3 SO), 64 GF … Ties 11
Nielsen
7
5
78
Besler
Collin
Myers
16 Sinovic
55
15
Julio Cesar
Espinoza
2011 HEAD-TO-HEAD: COL 0 wins, 2 GF … KC 0 wins, 2 GF … 2 ties AT LIVESTRONG SPORTING PARK: 7/6: KC 1, COL 1 (Zusi 62 -- Casey 32)
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: KC 4 wins, 11 GF … COL 2 wins, 9 GF … 2 ties Kansas City won a game in the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in 8 five games. It was the first time since 2004 they had scored more than Zusi 17 23 one goal in a postseason contest. "It puts you in a good position," said Sapong Kamara SKC manager Peter Vermes. "The key was to get out of here with a result. We 9 got a shutout, but we go home thinking it’s 0-0 and we’ve got to play again. Bunbury They got rewarded for their discipline, tactically. The game plan was good and the guys executed it very well. We’ve got to do that again [Wednesday]." ... 10 14 Including the final two games of the regular season, Sporting Kansas City have Kandji Cummings now not allowed a goal in three games. They have a 275-minute shutout streak active. "We had a plan before the game. We stuck to the plan the whole 11 15 23 game," said goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen. "When the first players do their job, it Mullan Thompson makes it easy for the midfield. When the midfield does their job, it makes it easy Nyassi for the defenders. At the end of the day, I had nothing to do today. It was fantas4 tic." ... Teal Bunbury became the third player in KC club history to score two goals in a playoff game, the first since Davy Arnaud in 2004. "Teal [Bunbury] is Larentowicz 32 2 a very strong guy. When he plays shoulder to shoulder with some guys, he can 22 29 Commings Earls easily dominate in that area," Vermes said. "He holds players off the ball very Wynne Palguta well. Once he gets a little step by you, with his explosiveness, he can get by you. He showed that." ... Omar Bravo was a late scratch from the starting line18 up after suffering tightness in his groin. Bravo had missed just two league Pickens games since late May after sitting out five games following sports hernia surgery. “It was better to give him some him rest and get him ready for the next REFEREE: Kevin Stott. game as opposed to trying to put him out there, he hurts himself and then he’s SAR (bench): Adam Wienckowski; JAR (opposite): Brian Poeschel; out four to six weeks and he’s done for the rest of the year,” Vermes said. ... 4th: David Gantar Sporting return home knowing they will host the Eastern Conference championship with a win. "There’s a second game still. It’s not over at all. Yeah, we INJURY REPORT: SPORTING KANSAS CITY -- OUT: DF Daneil won this game, but Colorado’s a very good team. They’ve been this position Cyrus (L foot fracture); MF Luke Sassano (R knee sprain); MF before. They’ve played in playoff games. We’re going to be at home. Yes, we’ll Peterson Joseph (R knee surgery); MF Konrad Warzycha (R knee have an advantage, but we have to stay mentally prepared," said Bunbury. surgery) ... COLORADO RAPIDS -- OUT: FW Conor Casey (L The Rapids will be severely shorthanded coming into Wednesday's Achilles tear); MF Jamie Smith (R knee ACL tear); DF Anthony second leg. "I’m not sure that the team could have endured many more Wallace (R knee arthroscopic surgery); DF Kosuke Kimura (L foot circumstances than they did. And I’ve got to say I’m proud of how they fracture); DF Drew Moor (R shoulder AC joint sprain); FW Caleb came out of the game," said Rapids head coach Gary Smith. "They threw Folan (L ankle /L knee sprain); QUESTIONABLE: MF Pablo absolutely everything they had at it physically. ... But there’s a little bit of life to Mastroeni (concussion) SUSPENDED: COL: Tyrone Marshall (through Nov. 3) it, and we’d certainly like to put them under a little bit of pressure and score WARNINGS (suspended next yellow): KC: Teal Bunbury ... COL: nice and early down in Kansas." ... Striker Caleb Folan suffered a sprained Sanna Nyassi left ankle and left knee in a tackle early in the game, and will be out 2-4 weeks. The situation is much more dire on the backline. Right back Kosuke SPORTING KANSAS CITY COLORADO RAPIDS Kimura suffered a fracture in his left foot and will miss 4-6 weeks. Center back Drew Moor suffered a separated shoulder in the second half and will be SUBSTITUTES FROM SUBSTITUTES FROM out 2-4 weeks. "It’s a bit of a strange one that we have as many injuries as we 2 Harrington DF 5 Nane MF have and then three guys get carried off in a game," said Gary Smith. "I’m not 3 Aiyegbusi DF 7 Janniere MF going to say that they were over the top, but I did feel as though the referee 4 Rocastle MF 8 Ababio DF could have contained some of the situations a little bit better." ... The Rapids 6 Thomas DF 12 Amarikwa FW will also of course be without veteran center back Tyrone Marshall after he 10 Jeferson MF 13 Emory MF was sent off just before the second SKC goal. ... The injuries also followed a 11 Saad FW 16 LaBauex MF wild card game when Jamie Smith suffered a torn ACL in his right knee that 13 Olum DF 17 Joyce GK will put him out of the playoffs, and Pablo Mastroeni missed a second con14 Ellis DF 19 Akpan FW secutive postseason game with a concussion. "I think he’s going to be a 18 Kronberg GK 25 Mastroeni MF doubt again for Wednesday," Gary Smith said of Mastroeni. "He’s certainly not 20 Diop FW 26 Holody DF making enough progress to be a body coming back into the group." ... In 2006, 21 Kempin GK 28 Armstrong MF 22 Arnaud MF 31 Ceus GK Colorado's last postseason appearance before last year, they lost 2-1 to Dallas 24 Lorenz DF at home before winning the second leg 3-2. "We have to produce two goals 88 Stojcev MF –- that’s our task," said midfielder Jeff Larentowicz. "I think that (Sunday) we 99 Bravo FW allowed them to score and it was unlike us in the last couple of games to allow goals like that. The circumstances became pretty tough when we make substitutions for players that get injured and that’s going to change the game."