Raphael Wicky believes the Vancouver Whitecaps are a team his Sporting Kansas City side should aspire to play like following their defeat at Sporting Park last time out.
Wicky: Vancouver an example for Sporting KC to follow
Sporting Kansas City were beaten by the Vancouver Whitecaps last time out, and Raphael Wicky said his team should aim to play like them.
Sporting KC were comfortably beaten 3-0 by the Western Conference leaders, with goals from Thomas Muller, Brian White and Rayan Elloumi sealing the victory.
Wicky's side failed to register a shot on target against Vancouver, the second time this year the club had not managed to do so in a league match (both against the Whitecaps).
They have now failed to hit the target in a match four times since the start of the 2024 campaign, after only doing so twice from 2010 up until as late as 2023.
And Wicky said his players should look to that defeat against the Whitecaps for inspiration ahead of making the trip to Toyota Stadium to take on FC Dallas this weekend.
"I think we gave them problems," Wicky said. "They are top of the league, they are one of the best teams in the league, and we knew that coming into the game.
"We were hoping over the course of the 90 minutes that it would be a little bit closer than what it was at the end. We were so close to them just before half-time, which is not enough. Then their second goal came early in the second half.
"I think we can take a lot from what they do and how they do things and how they fight for every single ball. I think after that, it was difficult because being two goals down against them is difficult to be dangerous."
Dallas come into the clash off the back of an impressive comeback at Energizer Park, which saw them earn a point in an entertaining 3-3 draw with St. Louis City SC.
They found themselves 3-1 down in the 64th minute, only for Sebastien Ibeagha and Logan Farrington to complete the turnaround, the latter netting a 97th-minute equaliser.
It was the first time since 2020 against CF Montreal that they came back to avoid defeat in a regular-season match they were trailing by multiple goals in the 80th minute or later.
And ahead of the transfer deadline, Dallas announced the arrival of Daniel Job from Norwegian second-division side Kongsvinger IL through to the 2029-30 campaign.
Job was in his first season with Kongsvinger and made 20 appearances across all competitions, registering eight goals and nine assists for the team.
"Daniel was having a top season with crazy numbers that we've never seen in terms of attacking production," Dallas' chief scout Leo Baldo said.
"He has the ability to impact the final third in many different ways: dribbling, 1v1s, finishing skills, combinations.
"He's really clever with his passing, even being a 1v1 specialist, so he can also find his teammates in the final third – he's not selfish.
"His physical capacities are elite level acceleration, first push, top end speed, the ability to keep balance after duels, and the ability to repeat run after run to provide volume to the team. We believe Daniel is the perfect piece to add more resources to the attack."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Dallas – Petar Musa
Despite not getting on the scoresheet against St. Louis, Musa was integral in helping his team come from two goals down.
He finished with team-high totals for chances created (three), passes in the final third (20) and touches in the opposition box (five).
Sporting KC – Manu Garcia
After allowing Dejan Joveljic to join the Seattle Sounders, Sporting KC will be hoping to rely on Garcia in their quest to try and salvage something out of their season.
Garcia has recorded more chances in the MLS than any other Sporting KC player (29), while his seven goal contributions (two goals, five assists) are a joint-team-high.
MATCH PREDICTION: DALLAS WIN
Dallas have won four straight home matches against Sporting KC, all by 2-1 scorelines. This equals their longest home winning streak against Kansas City along with a four-game run from 1999 to 2001.
This will be Dallas' first regular-season home match since a May 13 defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps. They played their previous nine league matches on the road (W4 D3 L2), equalling the third-longest single season run of away matches in MLS history and the longest since the Portland Timbers played 12 straight away in 2019.
Sporting KC, meanwhile, recorded their seventh loss by three or more goals this season last time out, equalling the most such defeats in a single season in club history (2001). Only five teams in MLS history have lost by three or more goals at least eight times in a single regular season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Dallas – 69.2%
Draw – 17.2%
Sporting KC – 13.6%
