Prediction, preview and how to watch Austin FC vs Sporting KC

It’s poor timing for Austin FC to have its shortest roster of the season. 

In the midst of a playoff race in the Western Conference with seven games to play, the Verde & Black will be without as many as six key players when they take on Sporting Kansas City on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park. 

Midfielder Dani Pereira (Venezuela), forward Myrto Uzuni (Albania) and center backs Oleksandr Svatok (Ukraine) and Julio Cascante (Costa Rica) are all with their national teams, while midfielder Besard Sabovic is out with a knee injury. And Austin FC coach Nico Estévez said Friday that captain and midfielder Ilie Sánchez is still dealing with a back injury and is a game-time decision. 

Here’s what you need to know about the match as Austin FC (10-9-8, 38 points) will try to produce a result under tough circumstances on the road: 

Estévez said all the right things about how he has confidence in the team’s depth and that this match is a “great opportunity for other players to step up.” But the truth is he’s in a tough spot through no doing of his own. 

The MLS’ refusal to honor the international break in its schedule can produce roster mismatches, and Austin FC is the recipient of that poor scenario Sunday. While Kansas City is also missing starting midfielder Manu Garcia due to injury, the Verde & Black are desperately thin in viable options at forward and center back.

For up top, Estévez noted he could use a combination of Diego Rubio, Osman Bukari and Jáder Obrian. The latter two would be moved away from their natural positions on the wing in that case. Though Obrian has rarely seen the field this season due to roster competition, he would seem the more logical choice with how good Bukari has been on the right side. 

But assuming Estévez starts his usual two forwards, they will still be his third and fourth options with Uzuni and Brandon Vazquez, who is out for the season with a knee injury, unavailable. 

On the backline, Guilherme Biro could move over from his usual spot at left back and play center back alongside Brendan Hines-Ike. Backup left back Zan Kolmanic is a quality option and would probably start for numerous MLS teams. It’s also likely that center back Mateja Djordjevic, the club’s lone addition during the summer transfer window, will come off the bench in the second half and make his first appearance. 

Midfield is also a tricky spot for Austin FC. Based on the club trotting out Nicolás Dubersarsky to talk to the media Friday, it seems probable that he’ll start in one of the two central positions. 

Even with the less-than-ideal roster situation, which includes the club signing three Austin FC II players for the match, Estévez noted he won’t just put anyone on the field. 

“We have to install the mentality in the club where playing time is earned,” he said. 

Under normal circumstances, this would be a favorable matchup for Austin FC. 

Kansas City (7-15-6, 27 points) is going through a transition period after it fired longtime coach Peter Vermes early in the season and currently sits in 13th place in the West. It has the worst defense in the league with 57 goals allowed, and more than a dozen of its players are out of contract at the end of the year. 

Yet in the MLS, where 60% of teams qualify for the postseason and no one is ever really out of the playoff race until officially eliminated, Kansas City would give its playoff hopes a massive boost with a win. 

The club also features striker Dejan Joveljic, who is arguably one of the top four attacking players in the league and is currently tied for third in the MLS with 16 goals. With Joveljic being a threat for a hat trick every time he steps on the field, Kansas City is rarely out of a match, even with its defense being a mess. 

“It’s got to be a collective effort defending Joveljic,” Estévez said. 

Forward: Diego Rubio, Jáder Obrian

Midfield: Jon Gallagher, Owen Wolff, Nicolas Dubarsarky, Osman Bukari

Defense: Zan Kolmanic, Guilherme Biro, Brendan Hines-Ike, Mikkel Desler

Sporting Kansas City 2, Austin FC 1: Pereira, Uzuni and Svatok are big pieces for Austin FC, and their absence in a match on the road isn’t conducive to a win. If the Verde & Black can manage a draw in this contest, that should be considered a very good result with their roster situation.