28 October 2014 02:42

Reigning MLS Cup champions Sporting Kansas City will limp into Thursday's knockout play-off match away to New York Red Bulls.

Sporting have three players on their long-term injury list, while four others are in doubt for the trip to New York, after the title-holders played three games in eight days last week.

United States international defender Matt Besler (thigh), goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum (calf), midfielder Benny Feilhaber (ankle) and defender Igor Juliao (hamstring) will need to prove their fitness to be involved against the Red Bulls.

Ironically enough, Sporting ended their regular season with a home game against New York on Sunday, suffering their third straight loss in all competitions after a brace from Red Bulls striker Bradley Wright-Phillips, who heads into the play-offs with 27 goals this term - the most in the MLS.

Prior to the loss to the Red Bulls, Sporting went down in Costa Rica to Deportivo Saprissa 2-0 in the CONCACAF Champions League on Thursday to miss out on the knockout rounds in that competition, while they also suffered defeat at Philadelphia Union in the MLS on October 18.

Sunday's loss saw Kansas City drop from third to fifth in the Eastern Conference with the Red Bulls (fourth) and Columbus Crew (third) winning to leapfrog Sporting in the standings.

That means Sporting missed out on a week off to begin the play-offs but coach Peter Vermes is not focused on that.

"Our mindset has to be on getting recovered," he said after the loss to New York.

"The difficulty we have at the moment is that we've played a boatload of games with a squad that's already been depleted, and we keep trying to plug holes, and it hasn't been easy."

Excerpt from:

MLS Preview: Wounded Sporting must bounce back