Previewing Houston Dynamo vs Sporting Kansas City with No Other Pod
(image via Sporting Kansas City)
The Houston Dynamo are back at home this weekend to close out their May schedule. We talked to our friend Jimmy Mack from No Other Pod to get some insight on New York City FC ahead of tonight’s match.
Bayou City Soccer (BCS): Sporting KC parted ways with long-time manager Peter Vermes. What has the feeling been like around the fan base with that move?
No Other Pod (NOP): Honestly, segments of the fanbase had been starting to lose faith in Vermes over the past handful of years. After eight straight years of making the playoffs from 2011-2018, Sporting KC then missed the playoffs in three of the six years from 2019-2024. From 2022-2024, SKC's average position in the Western Conference table was 11th. That's simply. not good enough. Despite Vermes signing an extension through 2028 after the 2023 season, things came to a head after the FC Dallas loss earlier this year, cementing a 13 game winless streak across all competitions. When Kerry Zavagnin took over and immediately got a 2-0 victory at home over rival St. Louis CITY SC, it gave the fan base a small bit of much needed hope. Most fans still don't think this team is a team that will compete for the playoffs this year (let alone come anywhere close to challenging for a trophy) but there are certainly signs of progress under Zavagnin that show the team is trending in the right direction. Fans are having fun again at Sporting KC games, which isn't something that had happened for much of the past three seasons.
BCS: Kerry Zavagnin has taken over as interim manager. How has he changed the team since he’s been in charge and are there still some similarities in the way they played under Vermes?
NOP: Midseason coaching changes are hard because there's only so much you can change, but despite the fact that he's spent years coaching alongside Peter Vermes, Kerry Zavagnin has not been shy talking about how his style differs from Vermes' coaching style. Kerry presents as a more laid back person than Vermes. You won't see him have the intense outbursts on the sidelines Peter sometimes went viral for. Zavagnin openly discusses the importance of integrating analytics into his strategy. While the formation is largely the same 4-3-3/4-5-1 setup that Vermes would roll out, you can tell Kerry has given the team more freedom and flexibility, particularly in the attack. It feels less rigid, allowing players to play to their strengths rather than trying to fit into a certain scheme. After Kerry took over, Sporting's goals scored per game jumped from 0.875 to nearly 1.8, which is quite significant. The defense has found some success sporadically as well with some much needed consistency in the back line, but injuries may derail that in the near future.
BCS: Do you feel like this SKC team can compete this season for a playoff spot or are they still a year or so and a new full-time manager away?
NOP: Technically yes, they can compete for a playoff spot, but if things go absolutely perfect for SKC the rest of the way we're talking a low-end play-in spot at best. Even if they somehow make a run this team doesn't feel like one that could put a run together. The defense, while showing signs of improvement, is too inconsistent and simply cannot stop set pieces. It's been a fundamental flaw of the team for the past few years. The majority of the defense is out of contract after this season, so it will likely undergo a rebuild similar to the way the offense did this past offseason, so 2026 should be the first year that SKC could really make a push to challenge for a trophy depending on who the coach ends up being and what the defensive overhaul looks like.
BCS: Dejan Joveljic and Daniel Salloi have been two of the only bright spots in the SKC attack. Who else needs to step up for SKC to start scoring goals more consistently?
NOP: Dejan and Daniel have certainly been two driving forces in the attack, but Russian winger Shapi Suleymanov and spanish midfielder Manu Garcia might be the engines that make the offense run. Both are new signings that came over in a rare two-player package deal from Greek Super League club Aris FC this past offseason. Garcia is the much needed DP No. 10 that SKC have been looking for, and Shapi is a TAM winger that has taken over starting on the right side. Manu has clear on the ball talent that SKC has been desperately missing in the attack. He won't burn you with his speed, but his vision is incredible and he can pull the strings of the attack from the midfield in a brilliant way. Shapi on the wing is just a fighter on the field, sometimes literally. He challenged St. Louis players and taunted fans at CITY Park a few weeks ago, but he has probably the highest work rate of all SKC's attacking players. His biggest flaw is he is super left-footed, so he constantly tries to get the ball on his favored foot, but if he can make it happen watch out!
BCS: John Pulskamp has taken over as the full time goalkeeper with Tim Melia now gone. How has Pulskamp, and the SKC defense, been this season?
NOP: Pulskamp has developed nicely as the season has progressed. He started out a bit shaky, especially in his decision making. He seemed hesitant to come off his line or challenge opponents in the box on set pieces, but as the year has gone on he's gained quite a bit of confidence. You can tell both on the field and the way he handles himself in the locker room that he's developing into a true leader. He's still only 24 years old, which is incredibly young for a keeper, but you see flashes of brilliance for him that excite the SKC fan base. He still makes mistakes here and there like any young keeper, but if he continues to develop he could be SKC's No. 1 for years to come.
BCS: Are there any injury concerns for SKC for this match and what do you predict the lineup to be?
NOP: The biggest injury to note is Robert Voloder suffered a broken collar bone against New England last week. The German centerback had been starting alongside rookie Jansen Miller, and the partnership between those two had given SKC it's most success defensively in months. It's likely that Joaquin Fernandez steps into start, though he's dealt with his own injury concerns this season. Midfielder Nemanja Radoja, who had missed some time with a quad injury, may make a return. Midfielder Jake Davis will likely remain out with an ankle injury, which is quite a loss in the midfield for Sporting KC, but that could be offset a bit if Radoja is available.
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We want to thank Jimmy for his time and wish our friends in Kansas City the best of luck tomorrow night.
