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PODCAST

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast

Drew VanderPloeg and Cody Welton

A conversation on topics involving the MLS club Sporting Kansas City. Tactical breakdowns of match performances, discussion around personnel and their usage, and previews of upcoming matches. Some additional content around other USMNT and MLS news as appropriate. Want to participate in the discussion? Join us on the Podcast Discord: https://discord.gg/pkg4S85qR2

sports soccer

All Episodes

01:45:28

Episode 63 - SKC Get some bad luck, Alan Pulido...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/06/21

After nothing but mostly good vibes since the beginning of May, SKC lose at home to LAFC and #thediscourse was not good. SKC was very unlucky to lose this match in a variety of areas(refs, fluke plays, chances going just barely awry, etc), but in the moment it was easy to look for someone to blame. Drew and Cody assess the performance in this match, and consider whether the hole SKC has dug itself allows for these types of results if they want to legitimately contend for the playoffs and MLS

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01:10:11

Episode 62 - Good defensive midfielders are good,...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/06/15

SKC are now the hottest team in MLS and the vibes are good. Drew and Cody unpack the performance against Austin on Saturday and discuss key performances from Nemanja Radoya, Marinos Tzionis, and Tim Leibold. Alan Pulido scored what Cody is calling his favorite goal of the year and we break it down Zapruder-film style. The USMNT is back in action in a meaningful game this week in the Nations League semifinals vs. Mexico, we discuss that match and the appearance of Gianluca Busio on The Gold Cup

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01:43:53

Episode 61 - A seven point week, the dichotomy of...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/06/08

Drew and Cody bask in the glow of 14 points from the last 7 matches, a pragmatic(if somewhat disappointing) draw against Vancouver, and the concept of what a team can look like when its best players are able to play regularly. The team is playing entertaining, organized, and clear soccer right now, and it is a sight to see. Injuries are still a major concern, and they continue to pile up as fast as people can heal from them. Andreu Fontas can be a somewhat polarizing player for Sporting KC. We

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01:44:34

Episode 60 - SKC Bounces back against Portland,...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/05/31

Sporting KC had a fairly comprehensive win against Portland on Sunday and we go through all the key performances, including game changing substitutions from veterans(in this economy?). It is a common refrain amongst the most online SKC fans that Peter Vermes' system is staid and boring. And while there is some merit to the argument that he is somewhat reticent to making wholesale changes, he has nuanced ideas about how to play soccer that are fairly progressive, and we try to unpack a few of

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01:36:18

Episode 59 - Misunderstanding rivalries, Goalkeeper...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/05/25

This week Drew and Cody get to talk about SKC showing up in St Louis acting like it was any other MLS match. Everyone seemed to know it was a rivalry game except the SKC players. They got handily out worked, and physically dominated. While the schedule wasn't kind to SKC, they knew about it and had the opportunity to plan for it. In hindsight, there were some poor personnel management decisions as well regarding which players played which games coming in. Tactical Corner this week focuses on

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01:24:56

Episode 58 - SKC has an actual winning streak, How to...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/05/17

Drew and Cody dissect SKC's 2nd league win in a row, and *SPOILER ALERT*, much of it has to do with having a real number 6 on the field. Also, having good players playing is good. Also, a level of balance we just haven't seen until this point. Tactical Corner focuses on pressing, how different pressing systems are used, and how to effectively break them. Both of SKC's opponents this week will use various forms of pressing systems, so it felt appropriate to diagnose how to play against those

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01:34:11

Episode 57 - Crisis averted(for now), do coaches...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/05/10

Lord have mercy, Sporting KC won an MLS match, and looked largely competent in doing so! It's been a minute since we've had the opportunity to analyze a victory so apologies if we are a bit out of practice. Drew and Cody break down a fairly comprehensive performance by SKC in Seattle, by far the most complete performance of the year by the club so far. Lots of love for the spacing and movement in the midfield, as well as a very positive performance by Jake Davis at right back. The team

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01:37:52

Episode 56 - Making history, the definition of...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/05/03

We feel like we are living in a Monty Python sketch at this point. Nothing changes, everything is bad, and we may as well laugh about it, right? SKC got blanked by the Eastern Conference doormats at home on Saturday and things have reached a pretty dire state. We talk about what is going wrong(basically everything) and the overwhelming feeling of not being able to solve it. Things seem more mental and structural than tactical at this point, and we discuss the issues with this team and the

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01:39:39

Episode 55 - Not much has changed, SKC get a win...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/04/28

Drew and Cody have some grievances to air, and we're sorry, but the problems we've been highlighting for over a year are still problems. We'd like to tell you the staff and players are solving them, but honestly, they aren't. SKC put in a generally poor performance against NE and were lucky only to lose 2-1. It's kind of crazy to say it, but the 2nd half which included a red card in the 56th minute was actually better than the 1st. They did rebound and get their first victory

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01:32:30

Episode 54 - SKC punished for mistakes again, What...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/04/20

Sporting KC have 0 wins from 8 matches, and now have as many red cards as goals. Things are pretty dire and as expected, trying to get right on the road in San Jose was likely to be very difficult. A couple bad defensive lapses lead to goals and a red card, and it would be very difficult for any team to come back from that, much less one that is struggling so mightily to be effective in the final third. We discuss coaching ideologies and whether this game/generation of players has passed this

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01:21:55

Episode 53 - SKC takes over the top spot in the...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/04/13

Things are rotten in the state of Missouri(Kansas?). Sporting KC have scored 2 goals in 7 matches and have zero wins across that span. While the MLS playoff structure allows for quite a bit of leeway early in the season, this type of start is not something teams usually come back from. While this was far from the worst performance of the year, the results stay negative, and the mood for both fans and players is pretty dour. Drew and Cody try to discuss the reasons why, and what the options or

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01:27:59

Episode 52 - SKC makes changes and improvements, Ben...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/04/06

Peter Vermes was pissed, and he wanted to see a reaction in SKC's next match against Philadelphia. Drew and Cody discuss that reaction, which was definitely an improvement over the previous match vs. Seattle, as well as a potential light at the end of the tunnel regarding the future effectiveness of the midfield, namely Nemanja Radoja at the 6. Dany Rosero jumped off the plane and into the starting lineup and did an admirable job all things considered. You can see why SKC wanted to sign him

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01:46:49

Episode 51 - SKC's worst performance of the year,...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/03/30

Drew and Cody have a cathartic discussion about all the things that went wrong for SKC vs. Seattle last Saturday. It was a match rife with many of the problems we have highlighted for the past 12 months: Poor individual errors by veterans supposedly on the field because they aren't as prone to them, Poor effort by a team supposedly "Sporting Fit" and coached by someone that supposedly gets that effort from them, and Zero offensive ideas against a team playing Kelyn Rowe at left back

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01:18:36

Episode 50 - Agada Island, The Opponent's 18 is still...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/03/22

This week Drew and Cody discuss the continued frustration of watching Sporting KC in the attacking half of the field. The lack of ideas continues, and Willy Agada gets more and more isolated every week. When you combine this with a big defensive gaffe, you end up with the 2-1 loss at FC Dallas last Saturday. We discuss why we think this is happening, and potential solutions to the problem. We also discuss why Willy Agada is getting so few meaningful touches in each game, what both he and his

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01:30:04

Episode 49 - Why can't SKC score goals? Attacking...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/03/16

This week SKC had their most comprehensive performance of the year but still are unable to hit the score sheet and therefore are left with another 0-0 draw, this time in the home opener against the LA Galaxy. Are there systemic issues to be worried about, or is this just statistical variance? We discuss the positives from the match(defensive performance, great debut start from Leibold and debut in general for Radoja), as well as the clogged toilet that seems to exist in the opponent's 18 yard

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01:22:32

Episode 48 - Is SKC playing a new base formation?...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/03/09

This week Drew and Cody dissect the 0-0 draw at Colorado. While a good result at a place SKC(and MLS in general) has limited success, there were some concerning trends showing in the midfield and much of it seemed to be due to the new shape the team is running. Is this a philosophical shift or just a strategic one based on available personnel and the opponent? Do base formations really mean anything? SKC ostensibly was in a 4-3-3 this weekend although it rarely looked like it. We spend Tactical

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01:12:10

Episode 47 - Squad balance, potentially concerning...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/03/01

This week we discuss the first game of the season, a 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers. There were things to be both excited about and concerned about, and a new offensive shape that seems designed for getting the ball to a player who we may not see for a month or so. Tactical corner focuses on squad balance, and the new possession shape meant to help create it. The theory is sound, but the players meant to achieve it are unfortunately not available. Drew comes up with a wild idea for MLS playoffs

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01:07:07

Episode 46 - Defending Counterattacks, Hoops 4.0 is...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/02/22

This week the Top 3 focuses on a topic no one can avoid: Kit design discourse. We address the concept and move on to on-field topics, including, SKC signed a center back(technically), and Uri Rosell finds a home in LA. Hopefully it's not boring for him like his Spanish teammate. Tactical Corner focuses on philosophies for defending counterattacks. This is a poignant topic given SKC's opponent this weekend and their goals as well as the way their possession system can struggle with containing them at

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01:22:28

Episode 45 - Numbing the pain of Kortne Ford's...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/02/16

A quick convo about the Chiefs 2nd SB win in 4 years, and why KC is the best sports town in the country. Why can't Kortne Ford catch a break? How does the team recover from this? PV mentions a signing is coming, but what reasonably can we expect from this player? Tactical Corner focuses on tactical flexibility and rigidity, and the reasons for both, along with the pros and cons of each philosophy. We also spend a moment talking about absurd MLS playoff formats and kit designs. Music by The Spin

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01:24:31

Episode 44: Agada still scoring headers, What...

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast ·

2023/02/09

We once again spend too much time discussing pre-season friendlies(scrimmages), a quick discussion on Big Willy vs. Dom Dwyer, and what reasonably can be ascertained from Vermes' preseason midfield choices. Tactical corner focuses on a topic we reference often: Positional Play. What is it? How does it work? What are its dependencies? Why is it so popular with a number of world class coaches? How does SKC use it and why is that actually kind of cool? The KC current are signing everyone. I need to

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