A pair of mutually disappointing seasons will end on MLS Decision Day when Sporting Kansas City visit FC Dallas on Saturday night.
Neither Dallas (10-15-8, 38 points) or Kansas City (8-18-7, 31 points) will reach the postseason in what serves as a relative rarity for both clubs. This is the third time in 14 seasons that Sporting Kansas City will miss the MLS Cup playoffs, while Dallas will sit out for the third time in its last 11 campaigns.
Sporting Kansas City need a victory Saturday just to avoid the second-lowest points total in the club’s 29-season history. Kansas City already is assured of its lowest points total since MLS adopted a 34-match schedule in 2011.
The response could be a busy offseason, as head coach Peter Vermes said “it’s evident that we need change.”
“This is now a rebuild in some respects,” Vermes said. “And then also kind of resetting some areas and maybe organizational structure … adding personnel, there’s a lot of different things that play into that.”
Kansas City saw its MLS losing streak extend to three matches following a 3-0 setback to Los Angeles FC on Oct. 5.
A 1-5-2 start to the season put FC Dallas in an early hole, and their attempts at a late surge were halted with a 1-4-2 record in their last seven matches. They also are winless (0-2-1) in their last three matches.
Despite a season riddled with injuries and defensive breakdowns, “The attitude of the players has been great,” Dallas interim head coach Peter Luccin said. “Our duty is to just to give all we’ve got (Saturday). … That’s the least that we can do for the fans.”
One bright spot has been Petar Musa, who has excelled in his first MLS season. Signed as a designated player last February, Musa is tied for 10th in the league with 15 goals.
Kansas City is looking for a three-match sweep over Dallas in all competitions this season. SKC recorded a 3-2 home win on July 7 in regular-season action, and then eked out a 2-1 extra-time victory to eliminate the Toros in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup three days later.
–Field Level Media
