What is plaguing Sporting KC? And how can the club turn it around?

The slump has spanned five weeks now, a spell that has dropped Sporting Kansas City from the top spot in the Western Conference to the outside of the playoff picture.

When the club plays host to Orlando City SC at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Children's Mercy Park, it will be searching for its first victory in eight matches.

A Major League Soccer season rarely comes without its hiccups, and the 2016 slate has five months remaining. But the urgency is gaining steam.

"It's easy to coach a team when you're on a seven-game winning streak. That's easy. That's really easy," coach Peter Vermes said. "But this is why you get paid. This is what it's about. How do you manage yourself through these tough moments? You find out a lot about yourself and a lot about each other."

So what has put Sporting Kansas City in this position? And how can it turn the corner? Let's take a look:

CAUSES FOR CONCERN

Costly blunders

On April 13, the Colorado Rapids spoiled Sporting Kansas City's 20th anniversary celebration when they departed Children's Mercy Park with a 2-1 victory.

The match initiated the seven-game winless streak and highlighted a pair of careless mistakes. Colorado scored both of its goals as the result of lackadaisical turnovers from Sporting KC in its own half of the field.

And that's been a theme during the streak. Although Sporting KC hasn't given up more than two goals in any game this season, the blame for several of the ones it has allowed rests on its own collective shoulders.

"We've had games where we've only made one or two mistakes, but they're big mistakes that have cost us the game," Vermes said. "And we know we can't do that at this level."

Goal scoring ... or lack thereof

On the other hand, it's certainly not easy to put a stop to a winning streak without finding the back of the net. Sporting KC has managed only four goals over its past seven matches, and it's been shut out three times.

Forward Dom Dwyer leads the club with four goals in 14 matches. It's starting to feel like a long time since he set a single-season franchise record with 22 goals in 2014. Dwyer hasn't scored since April 13, and the opportunities for him have been few and far between. The team has won two of the three games in which he scored a goal.

Misfortune

The breaks haven't been falling Sporting Kansas City's way during the skid, a mixture of its own doing and perhaps some bad luck.

In a match against San Jose, a missed penalty kick call arguably cost Sporting KC a victory. If a ricochet off the crossbar against Colorado bounces in another direction, perhaps that game ends differently, as well.

But if there's a reason the misfortune seems to find a struggling team, Vermes explained it:

"You've got to make your own luck, and right now we're not doing that," he said. "You can't rely on excuses. You gotta get on with it."

REASONS FOR OPTIMISM

Home sweet home

Sporting Kansas City lost only twice on its home field last season, and it will play the next three matches in front of its sellout crowds.

After playing host to Orlando City SC on Sunday, Sporting KC welcomes Real Salt Lake to town on May 21 and D.C. United on May 27.

"We look at this as a huge opportunity to change our momentum," captain Matt Besler said. "Nobody likes going through a rough stretch like this, but what matters is what's in front of us, and that's Sunday afternoon. I know everybody is looking forward to that opportunity."

The eye test

The slide down the standings has been rapid, but with the exception of one outing, Sporting KC hasn't exactly been dominated during the slump.

In fact, in six of the past seven games, Sporting KC outshot its opponent. The case could be made it outplayed more than half of them.

It has recorded two draws during the skid, and four of the five losses came by a one-goal margin.

"The players aren't happy. I'm not happy. I'm sure the fans aren't happy," Vermes said. "But this is a time for everybody to keep their faith. We aren't that far away. Sometimes you go through this as a club. It's on us to find our way out."

Track record

Sporting Kansas City has made the playoffs in five consecutive seasons, and it has won trophies in three of the last four years.

The foundation of that group — Besler, Graham Zusi and Roger Espinoza, among others — remains in Kansas City, and the club has added veterans who are accustomed to winning. Thus, there appears to be an inordinate amount of genuine conviction in the locker room.

"Everybody in there is on the same page," Besler said. "We believe in the system we have in place, and we believe in each other.

"Teams always get in runs, whether it's good or bad. We see it almost every year. That's why we have to concentrate on turning things around. We feel like once they do, the run will go in the other direction."

This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 3:07 PM with the headline "What is plaguing Sporting KC? And how can the club turn it around?."