Wednesday night at Children’s Mercy Park, the Vancouver Whitecaps will take on Sporting Kansas City in a Western Conference clash.

Both of these teams are struggling at the moment, while the Vancouver Whitecaps had a strong start to the season to boost their standing, the same can’t be said for KC, as the floor has completely fallen out after an inconsistent first two months. Sporting has lost five straight, six of their last seven, and are winless (in the league) since March 30th against Toronto FC. They currently sit tied last in the West on 11 points through 14 matches. It would take a lot for SKC to move on from Peter Vermes, but we might be reaching that kind of territory if he can’t turn things around here soon.

So, what exactly has been going wrong for Sporting, and what does this mean for the Whitecaps on Wednesday night?

The list of underlying problems is long for SKC, but recently, the biggest problem is they’ve created absolutely nothing in attack. That might sound a bit like the Whitecaps, but these attacking struggles are not built the same. Yes, Vancouver has struggled to finish their chances, but at least they have created them. Sporting, on the other hand, have not even been able to create meaningful chances consistently.

Over the last four games, SKC has created just 2.2 xG. The Whitecaps, by comparison, created 2.2 xG in their last match against Miami. If anything, Sporting has been rather lucky in terms of their finishing, they’ve generated just 14.3 xG but they’ve scored 22 goals, which actually puts them mid-table in the West in terms of scoring record. Quality players like Erik Thommy (out for this match) and Alan Pulido have helped SKC in that respect, as they’ve been very efficient in terms of their finishing, even when the team has largely struggled around them.

At the other end of the pitch, Sporting have also been challenged defensively. They don’t have a clean sheet since the third match of their MLS campaign, and have surrendered two or more goals in seven of their last eight matches. Andreu Fontàs has been a constant at the back for KC, but the other centreback alongside him has been in constant flux throughout the year.

Equally, KC’s midfield depth is not terribly impressive, especially with a slew of recent injuries including Remi Walter, and that has put a lot of pressure on their backline. One player who has given a very good account of himself is Tim Melia. The 38-year-old American keeper is still putting in top performances, and has posted a +3.5 post shot expected goals rating in spite of all the chaos in front of him.

All of this points to a huge opportunity for Vancouver. This is the type of match that can help get your season back on track, but it can also be a trap-game under the wrong circumstances. I think the biggest thing to watch out for is what tactical tweaks Vanni Sartini has been able to make over the last couple of days. Sartini hinted that players such as Damir Kreilach and Javain Brown could have roles to play in this one, but what exactly will that look like in terms of their assignments? Sporting does like to play with the ball, especially at home, so will Vancouver be content to sit in their shape and wait for moments when Kansas City opens things up?

From what I have seen, Vancouver should look to be very direct and make Sporting defend inside their own area as much as possible. Vancouver has been settling for a lot of low-percentage crosses recently, but in this match, they should be looking to carry the ball into the area at their feet and take players on 1v1, or make quick passing plays when they arrive there. It almost goes without saying, but the Whitecaps need to be more willing shooters if they want to bump this slump from open play. It might take six or seven shots to beat Tim Melia, so you need to get some volume on target.

Defensively, I think the Whitecaps are, at least in theory, capable of handling what SKC can throw at them. Sporting is not the kind of team to torch you in transition, and the Whitecaps defence has been pretty comfortable when the game stays in front of them. If they can avoid moments of brilliance from Pulido and Salloi, they should be alright.

Do you think the Whitecaps can get things back on track on the road in Kansas City? Let me know in the comments.