Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast

This week Drew and Cody discuss the state of SKC structurally, whether the roster construction makes sense given the game model and tactical ideas, and air some grievances regarding all of these topics after the somewhat predictable reversion in results occurred over the past 3 games. Drew made the mistake of making an observation regarding the Khiry Shelton discourse on social media and somehow g...

After nothing but mostly good vibes since the beginning of May, SKC lose at home to LAFC and #thediscourse was not good. SKC was very unlucky to lose this match in a variety of areas(refs, fluke plays, chances going just barely awry, etc), but in the moment it was easy to look for someone to blame. Drew and Cody assess the performance in this match, and consider whether the hole SKC has dug itself...

SKC are now the hottest team in MLS and the vibes are good. Drew and Cody unpack the performance against Austin on Saturday and discuss key performances from Nemanja Radoya, Marinos Tzionis, and Tim Leibold. Alan Pulido scored what Cody is calling his favorite goal of the year and we break it down Zapruder-film style. The USMNT is back in action in a meaningful game this week in the Nations League...

Drew and Cody bask in the glow of 14 points from the last 7 matches, a pragmatic(if somewhat disappointing) draw against Vancouver, and the concept of what a team can look like when its best players are able to play regularly. The team is playing entertaining, organized, and clear soccer right now, and it is a sight to see. Injuries are still a major concern, and they continue to pile up as fast a...

Sporting KC had a fairly comprehensive win against Portland on Sunday and we go through all the key performances, including game changing substitutions from veterans(in this economy?). It is a common refrain amongst the most online SKC fans that Peter Vermes' system is staid and boring. And while there is some merit to the argument that he is somewhat reticent to making wholesale changes, he h...

This week Drew and Cody get to talk about SKC showing up in St Louis acting like it was any other MLS match. Everyone seemed to know it was a rivalry game except the SKC players. They got handily out worked, and physically dominated. While the schedule wasn't kind to SKC, they knew about it and had the opportunity to plan for it. In hindsight, there were some poor personnel management decision...

Drew and Cody dissect SKC's 2nd league win in a row, and *SPOILER ALERT*, much of it has to do with having a real number 6 on the field. Also, having good players playing is good. Also, a level of balance we just haven't seen until this point. Tactical Corner focuses on pressing, how different pressing systems are used, and how to effectively break them. Both of SKC's opponents this week will use...

Lord have mercy, Sporting KC won an MLS match, and looked largely competent in doing so! It's been a minute since we've had the opportunity to analyze a victory so apologies if we are a bit out of practice. Drew and Cody break down a fairly comprehensive performance by SKC in Seattle, by far the most complete performance of the year by the club so far. Lots of love for the spacing and move...

We feel like we are living in a Monty Python sketch at this point. Nothing changes, everything is bad, and we may as well laugh about it, right? SKC got blanked by the Eastern Conference doormats at home on Saturday and things have reached a pretty dire state. We talk about what is going wrong(basically everything) and the overwhelming feeling of not being able to solve it. Things seem more mental...

Drew and Cody have some grievances to air, and we're sorry, but the problems we've been highlighting for over a year are still problems. We'd like to tell you the staff and players are solving them, but honestly, they aren't. SKC put in a generally poor performance against NE and were lucky only to lose 2-1. It's kind of crazy to say it, but the 2nd half which included a red ca...

Sporting KC have 0 wins from 8 matches, and now have as many red cards as goals. Things are pretty dire and as expected, trying to get right on the road in San Jose was likely to be very difficult. A couple bad defensive lapses lead to goals and a red card, and it would be very difficult for any team to come back from that, much less one that is struggling so mightily to be effective in the final...

Things are rotten in the state of Missouri(Kansas?). Sporting KC have scored 2 goals in 7 matches and have zero wins across that span. While the MLS playoff structure allows for quite a bit of leeway early in the season, this type of start is not something teams usually come back from. While this was far from the worst performance of the year, the results stay negative, and the mood for both fans...

Peter Vermes was pissed, and he wanted to see a reaction in SKC's next match against Philadelphia. Drew and Cody discuss that reaction, which was definitely an improvement over the previous match vs. Seattle, as well as a potential light at the end of the tunnel regarding the future effectiveness of the midfield, namely Nemanja Radoja at the 6. Dany Rosero jumped off the plane and into the sta...

Drew and Cody have a cathartic discussion about all the things that went wrong for SKC vs. Seattle last Saturday. It was a match rife with many of the problems we have highlighted for the past 12 months: Poor individual errors by veterans supposedly on the field because they aren't as prone to them, Poor effort by a team supposedly "Sporting Fit" and coached by someone that supposedl...

This week Drew and Cody discuss the continued frustration of watching Sporting KC in the attacking half of the field. The lack of ideas continues, and Willy Agada gets more and more isolated every week. When you combine this with a big defensive gaffe, you end up with the 2-1 loss at FC Dallas last Saturday. We discuss why we think this is happening, and potential solutions to the problem. We also...

This week SKC had their most comprehensive performance of the year but still are unable to hit the score sheet and therefore are left with another 0-0 draw, this time in the home opener against the LA Galaxy. Are there systemic issues to be worried about, or is this just statistical variance?  We discuss the positives from the match(defensive performance, great debut start from Leibold and de...

This week Drew and Cody dissect the 0-0 draw at Colorado.  While a good result at a place SKC(and MLS in general) has limited success, there were some concerning trends showing in the midfield and much of it seemed to be due to the new shape the team is running.  Is this a philosophical shift or just a strategic one based on available personnel and the opponent? Do base formations really...

This week we discuss the first game of the season, a 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers.  There were things to be both excited about and concerned about, and a new offensive shape that seems designed for getting the ball to a player who we may not see for a month or so. Tactical corner focuses on squad balance, and the new possession shape meant to help create it.  The theory is sound, but...

This week the Top 3 focuses on a topic no one can avoid:  Kit design discourse.  We address the concept and move on to on-field topics, including, SKC signed a center back(technically), and Uri Rosell finds a home in LA.  Hopefully it's not boring for him like his Spanish teammate. Tactical Corner focuses on philosophies for defending counterattacks.  This is a poignant topic g...

A quick convo about the Chiefs 2nd SB win in 4 years, and why KC is the best sports town in the country. Why can't Kortne Ford catch a break?  How does the team recover from this?  PV mentions a signing is coming, but what reasonably can we expect from this player? Tactical Corner focuses on tactical flexibility and rigidity, and the reasons for both, along with the pros and cons of each...

We once again spend too much time discussing pre-season friendlies(scrimmages), a quick discussion on Big Willy vs. Dom Dwyer, and what reasonably can be ascertained from Vermes' preseason midfield choices. Tactical corner focuses on a topic we reference often:  Positional Play.  What is it?  How does it work?  What are its dependencies?  Why is it so popular with a number...

This week Drew and Cody spend way too much time talking about irrelevant preseason friendly performances and what they mean, and why we tend to do so every year. Apple TV's MLS platform is live.  What can we take from it so far?  How useful will it be at driving interest in the league?  Is Apple the right partner for MLS to go forward with? Automatisms in the world game, what are th...

We back and we back and we back!  After a brief hiatus, Drew and Cody make a Lazarus-like return to your ears for a full breakdown of the current state of SKC with a new pod format and structure.   We discuss the Top 3 stories surrounding the team, which given the pre-season timing of the pod, mostly focuses on roster makeup.  The embarrassment of riches at LB, the complete lack of...

We're back!  After a brief hiatus and 3 World Cup group stage games, we have returned to give our thoughts on the USMNT as they have advanced to the knockout rounds and have played perhaps their best soccer in the Berhalter era.  The midfield trio of Adams, Musah and McKennie have been the talk of the tournament, and rightfully so.  We discuss their performances and those of the tea...

After what was a vastly entertaining MLS Cup Final, we are in full off-season mode, and the first of many ridiculous MLS player movement mechanisms is upon us, the Expansion Draft.  We talk about the roster and who is eligible to be protected, and what we consider to be the best strategy for SKC to employ during this process.  We also briefly discuss what was a fascinating match between LAFC and P...