After a dreadful start to the season, Sporting Kansas City hope a rare winning streak can help turn things around ahead of an interconference meeting with the visiting New York Red Bulls on Saturday.
Kansas City (3-8-2, 11 points) enters play having won back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Galaxy and Austin FC.
As both sides prepare for the nearly-two month World Cup break, Saturday night at Sporting Park presents an opportunity for further momentum for Kansas City head coach Raphael Wicky’s team.
“It does feel good to have had good results but also good performances,” Wicky said. “I think it was a really good two games and I’m happy for everyone. What I want to see (on Saturday) is the same attitude, the same mentality, the same mindset and obviously a good performance. We have to keep working hard in order to close the first part of the season on a positive.”
Kansas City still sits last in the Western Conference and owns the worst goal differential (minus-21) in the league.
Dejan Joveljic remains the only Sporting player with more than one goal, leading the club with six.
New York (5-5-4, 19 points), meanwhile, will look to extend its unbeaten streak to four (2-0-1). The Red Bulls, like Kansas City, are playing some of their best soccer of the year and have hopes of entering the break by picking up three more points.
“It’s a unique situation this summer with the World Cup and an extended break,” head coach Michael Bradley said. “We spoke to the group and really emphasized that we need to finish the first part of the season in the strongest possible way on Saturday night in Kansas City. And then the players are going to get some well-earned and much-deserved time off to recharge and reset, mentally and physically.”
Third-year pro Julian Hall has starred for New York, pacing the team with nine goals. Offseason addition Jorge Ruvalcaba has added five goals since signing with the club in February.
–Field Level Media
