Is it Time to Worry About Sporting KC?
Three games without a goal. Should we be worried or is it too early for that?
Sporting Kansas City’s 2023 season got off to a less than stellar start. The team is 0-1-2 (WLD) in the first three games. The good news is that the side have only conceded one goal in their first three games. That goal came from a mistake in Portland’s very first game of the year. The bad news is that the team didn’t score at all. zero times. Not even in three games. So the question is… is it time to worry?
The problem wasn’t a lack of shots. In the Portland Timbers game, the team had 12 shots with four on target. In the second game of the season, the team had 16 shots, 11 of them on target, against the Colorado Rapids and last weekend’s home game against the LA Galaxy 30 shots (!) with 11 on goal. So clearly it wasn’t the issue of intercepting a shot and I would say even a shot on target looks good but that little tiny but pretty important aspect of getting it past the defenders and/or the keeper, was a problem.
There are clearly reasons why finishing could be a problem, but I don’t think we can say that the team lacks goal-scoring ability. Willy Agada scored eight goals in twelve games last season. Daniel Salloi has been the team’s Golden Boot winner and a league MVP candidate for the past few seasons. With the exception of Khiry Shelton, who fills in for Johnny Russell on the right wing, there is a clear talent for scoring at the moment.
However, the absence of Johnny Russell and what he can do is definitely something missed by the team. These include his goalscoring, his passing, his cross, his ability to distract defenders from other goalscorers, his leadership, his attitude. The list goes on and on. Missing Johnny is a big concern but hopefully he will return in the next few weeks.
Then Alan Pulido is absent but I don’t count his absence much as we haven’t really been able to rely on his consistent goals since he’s been here. If he plays, will the team be better? 1000% but when will it play and when will it be back to the quality we expect? And how long can he go without another injury?
It was also mentioned on Twitter (you can Follow me @sfulk13) by Brett Myers that the weather conditions in all three games weren’t great. The game in Portland was postponed due to weather and then took place in cold rain. The game in Colorado was very cold and last weekend in Kansas City it was also cold and wet. All of these conditions would make it difficult to play and get quality shots, but again they could make shots that go straight to the goalkeeper or not into the net or a defender’s legs. Could it be the weather? I suppose so, but weather is an uncontrollable factor in many games throughout the season. This is something they cannot use as an excuse and just have to find out.
I don’t know it. If you know anything about me through my writing over the past few years, you know that I am an eternal optimist. My gut feeling tells me not to worry just yet. We’re only three games into the season and it’s an incredibly long season. We have a couple of key players who are close to returning. But then there’s the what-if. What if Russell’s injury lasts longer than we thought? What if we get a 2019 version of Daniel Salloi? What if Willy Agada’s goal was just beginner’s luck? I refuse to have any of those thoughts right now, but when do we start worrying?
What do you think? Are you worried or is this slump just rusty at the start of the season? Let us know in the poll and/or in the comments section.
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