Another perfect day in Kansas City, with a light wind amid temperatures in the mid-80s ahead of tonight’s clash with Sporting at LIVESTRONG Park.
The guys are taking it very easy as the hours lead up to the 8:30 p.m. kickoff (The Comcast Network).
As you’ll notice, there is no Gabriel Farfan or Sheanon Williams in the lineup tonight and the two didn’t make the traveling 18-man roster. Both are dealing with injuries that left them doubtful according to the latest MLS injury report.
Also another player that did not make the trip was midfielder Freddy Adu. Adu isn’t suffering from a severe injury and instead was kept back we were told because of a coaches’ decision. The specifics of what that means weren’t given, but there is an influx of youngsters on the roster that play in that position we believe manager John Hackworth are looking to give a shot.
Both homegrown players Jimmy McLaughlin and Cristhian Hernandez made the trip and could fit well in Adu’s role as either an attacking mid or the latter in Hernandez could run in behind forward Jack McInerney up top.
Speaking of Jack Mac…
His accolades continue to pour in as ESPN has taken notice of his prowess. Also, Delco Times writer Chris Vito penned the following report where he explains how Jack Mac wants to be looked at as the “go-to-goalscorer.” Last but not least, the guys at MLSSoccer.com recognize the skills and picked Mac as the best bet at forward for for fantasy action tonight.
In regards to Sporting Kansas City…
They sure do love their team here in K.C. as in a casual stroll around town this afternoon; we counted five people sporting K.C. scarves with their workgear. One K.C. supporter, Mike Seiten, told us that he’s been a fan since “we wore those ugly rainbow jerseys.” He’s referring to the technicolor kit Kansas City wore in its MLS infancy when they were better known as the Wizards.
Moving on…
The Miami Heat was also in Kansas City for an NBA preseason matchup with the Washington Wizards at the Sprint Center. No LeBron James sighting, but we caught a glimpse of Dwyane Wade giving autographs outside an adjacent hotel. Also this reporter also got a sneak peek inside the Sprint Center today as setup for tonight’s game commenced…well, let me rephrase that…I got about 200 paces into the Sprint Center before getting yelled by security. Still proud I was able to harness all the energy from the days I used to sneak into the Vet for Eagles games...
Keep in mind, the Union can still play the role of spoiler tonight for Sporting Kansas City. In this their season finale, should Sporting lose and D.C. United defeat Chicago on Saturday, then United will capture the Eastern Conferecnce crown, in addition to shifting around teams within the East in terms of pole position.
JP Dellacamera and Bob Rigby are calling the action from LIVESTRONG beginning tonight at 8:30 p.m. on the Comcast Network.
Catch you all tomorrow…
Contact Kerith Gabriel at kgabriel@philadelphiaunion.com. Follow Kerith on Twitter @sprtswtr
