It's hard to believe that it's already been a fantastic 15 weeks of soccer for Sporting Kc. The weeks always go by so fast during the season don't they? Now Sporting Kc find themselves 6th place in the East with 17 points, and look to be a good bet to make the playoffs in what has been an under performing Eastern Conference so far.
Although it is not exactly half way through the season (in terms of weeks)(32 weeks this season but 34 league games), I will be cutting down the rest of the season, looking at points Sporting can gain, and whether or not KC can make the playoffs.
So let's dive right into this and look at the month of July.
July
Peter Vermes will have almost all of his players available for in July, except for Craig Rocastle, Ryan Smith and Konrad Warzycha. July won't be much of a test for Sporting Kc, as only two of all the 6 games played in July will be away, Houston and Portland. However, both fixtures will be tough.
July will be one of the longest months for Sporting, but it may also be one of the easiest months for soccer. As they will welcome three of the "easier" teams in MLS to LSP.(New England, Toronto, and Chivas.) So I expect a decent amount of points from July, I think expecting 10-15 points isn't out of the question.
August
In August Sporting Kc will play all 5 of their games at home. But they will also be hosting the likes of Seattle, Real Salt Lake, and FC Dallas at LSP. It could mean a lot of losses under the hot Kansas sun. Or it could provide Sporting Kc with a lot of valuable points.
Sporting Kc could see a semifinal in the US Open Cup on the 30th. If they were to win that game they would only be a win away from silverware. And just a touch away from the CONCACAF group stage.
To get 8-12 points from this month should be expected.
September
September will be yet another tough month for Sporting Kc, but all 5 games except for 1 will be at home. KC will welcome Philly, LA, Houston and Columbus to LSP. LA and Philadelphia will be the hardest games at home. But the hardest match will be away at Real Salt Lake. There will be no Open Cup games or Friendlies for Sporting Kc in this month, even if they do make the finals of the Cup, the final isn't till October. Just a regular month for Sporting Kc, which means more consistency in terms of the lineup.
Sporting Kc should be able to get within 7-10 points in September.
October
Besides March this is the shortest month of soccer for Sporting Kc. There will be only 3 games played in October and only 1 one of those will be at home. Something that could seriously hurt Sporting Kc if the playoff race comes down to a couple points in late October and KC are looking for them. But that doesn't mean the single home game will be easy, not by any stretch of the imagination. As Sporting Kc will host the New York Red Bulls at 3:00 pm on Sat. the 25th.
Furthermore, on October the 4th the US Open Cup final will be played. Should Sporting Kc qualify for that, (which is a long shot) it could make for a more congested last month.
Getting 3-6 points out of October should be expected.
The End
On October 22 the regular season will end for Sporting Kc, whether or not we're in the playoffs is squared solely on the player's shoulders. I think we should be able to creep into one of the final playoff spots in the East.
Do you think Sporting Kc will make the playoffs? And potentially win the US Open Cup? Tell me in the comment section below.
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