Austin FC take on Sporting Kansas City at the Q2 Stadium on Saturday evening, in the latest round of MLS fixtures.
The hosts are sixth in the Western Conference, three points better off than the visitors, who currently occupy 11th place.
Match preview
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Austin have collected 29 points from 22 MLS games up to this point, meaning they are currently in the playoff places, but they are unlikely to push for top spot, given that they are 12 points behind first-placed St. Louis City.
That said, the Verde and Black are still on course to have a good season, and their form has very much picked up in recent weeks, amassing 10 points in their past five games, having defeated Houston Dynamo, Dallas and Minnesota United.
Josh Wolff's side have won their last two home matches without conceding a goal, so they will be glad to be back at the Q2 Stadium, as their form on the road has been a little more patchy, losing against Vancouver Whitecaps last time out.
Austin fell to a 2-1 defeat in Canada, in what was a disappointing performance, registering just two shots on target throughout the entire match, and a much-improved performance will be needed this weekend.
However, the Verde and Black did struggle the last time they came up against Saturday's opponents, losing 4-1 in the reverse fixture back in June, despite dominating the majority of the possession.
Indeed, Sporting Kansas City managed to emerge as comfortable winners in the last encounter between the two sides, but their form since then has been disappointing, winning just one of their last six games.
In fairness, the Wizards have drawn three of those matches, and they are undefeated in July, so there are some positive signs, but they will need to start picking up more wins quickly if they are to make a push for the playoffs.
As it stands, Peter Vermes' side are two points off the playoff places, however they have played three games more than the two teams immediately above them in the table, and they threw away a good opportunity to pick up three points last time out.
Kansas went in 2-0 up at half-time against Real Salt Lake, with Daniel Salloi and Johnny Russell getting on the scoresheet, but they threw the game away in the second half, eventually drawing 2-2.
Sporting Kansas City have been poor on the road this season, failing to win away from home since a 2-1 victory at Seattle Sounders at the start of May.
Team News
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Austin could hand Rodney Redes a rare start at right-wing, as the Paraguayan scored the equalising goal after being brought on as a substitute on Wednesday night, with Ethan Finlay dropping to the bench.
The only notable absentees for the Verde and Black are defenders Leo Vaisanen and Zan Kolmanic, both of whom are struggling with long-term injury issues.
As for Sporting Kansas City, Graham Zusi remains on the treatment table with a knee injury, with Tim Melia and Kortne Ford still missing with long-term problems, and the latter is still yet to register an appearance this season.
Although SKC ultimately threw away their two-goal lead in the last match against Real Salt Lake, Vermes is unlikely to make too many changes to his side, with Salloi and Russell set to keep their places on the wings, supporting top-scorer Alan Pulido at striker.
Austin FC possible starting lineup:
Stuver; Lima, Cascante, Keller, Gallagher; Wolff, Jimenez, Redes, Driussi, Fagundez; Urruti
Sporting Kansas City possible starting lineup:
McIntosh; Davis, Rosero, Fontas, Leibold; Thommy, Radoja, Walter; Russell, Saloi, Pulido
We say: Austin FC 2-0 Sporting Kansas City
Austin FC have been very impressive at home in recent weeks, winning their last two matches at the Q2 Stadium 3-0, and we expect them to record a comfortable victory again this Saturday.
Although Wolff's side did lose to Sporting Kansas City back in April, they are three points above their opponents in the table, despite having played two fewer games.
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Dominic Lund
