Three-minute preview: Sporting Kansas City at D.C. United
▪ WHEN/WHERE: 6 p.m Saturday at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
▪ TV/RADIO: KMCI-TV (Ch. 38); WHB (810 AM), KDTD (1340 AM)
▪ ABOUT SPORTING KC (3-2-4, 13 points): The goalkeeping battle is in full swing after Tim Melia posted a shutout Sunday in his first appearance of the season, helping the team snap a three-game winless streak. Melia likely earned another start Saturday in D.C., though coach Peter Vermes didn’t commit to that. ... Seven different players have scored for Sporting KC this season after it relied on Dom Dwyer to carry the load last year. Krisztian Nemeth leads the team with three goals.
▪ ABOUT D.C. UNITED (5-1-2, 17 points): The Eastern Conference leaders have picked up where they left off last season, when they won the conference. D.C. is unbeaten over its past 12 home matches. It has allowed only six goals this season, the best mark in MLS.
▪ BOTTOM LINE: D.C. United shut out Sporting KC in all three meetings in 2014, resulting in two victories and a tie. Asked about those results, Sporting KC midfielder Graham Zusi replied, “We certainly have a bitter taste in our mouths — or at least I do — when it comes to that team. They took it to us, even in our own place. That never sits well with any of us.”
▪ PREDICTION: D.C. United 2, Sporting KC 1
This story was originally published May 8, 2015 at 7:25 PM with the headline "Three-minute preview: Sporting Kansas City at D.C. United."