Photo by Bill Barrett/ISIphotos.com
Sporting Kansas City is giving Designated Player Omar Bravo a chance to go up against his former team.
The MLS club announced that it will play a friendly with Chivas de Guadalajara on Oct. 12 at Livestrong Sporting Park. The match follows a bye week for Sporting KC, but it also comes three days before what could be a crucial match beween the club and the New York Red Bulls considering the current playoff picture.
For Bravo, the game will hold plenty of significance, as he played with Chivas from 2001-2008 and again from 2009-2010, making a name for himself and scoring more than 100 goals in his time with the Mexican power. Chivas, which beat Barcelona during the World Football Challenge, currently leads the Mexican Apertura table.
What do you think about this development? Do you think the timing of the match is odd considering the playoffs start two weeks later?
Share your thoughts below.
I am surprised that his many people cared about this story!
Relax, the backs ups and the reserves academy kids can measure up against a very good and talented Chivas team FULL of good talented players. It’s a friendly to give some players minutes and to make money, yes I realize that’s the main factor, but remember SKC has invested a lot in the team recently Academy, practice facilities from what I’ve seen and hear, Livestrong Park, 2 DPs come on they gotta try? If they can sell out every game at 18K even instead of 17K like it has so far it will be a win, you never know how many Chivas fans might start going to games?
A chance for Bravo to get a deserved red card.
Dallas also has a lame friendly coming up during a week in which they could be resting for a massive stretch of games in the league and in the CCL (they have games in September about every three days).
seems like a waste of time to me
With the expanded playoffs it is possible to be big at this time but unless SKC completely fall off here in the next month they should be in good shape coming down to the last three games. This game will break up a three week span where they only play three times and as stated below about everyone should play in the game and would be ery suprised if someone went a full 90.
Another silly chapter in MLS’s unhealthy focus on in-season friendlies to the detriment of its own regular season. Such games either (1) degrade the regular season by diverting energy (especially when the friendly is three days before a league game), or (2) insult the fans who are treated to mass substitutions and a second half that turns into a reserve match. What do you think an EPL side would say if an MLS club proposed a friendly in, say, February?
Do you follow this league? The playoff positions often go down to the last week. In fact, KC’s playoff life went down to the last week of the season 3 straight years once.
I can see CJ Sapong and Saad getting some playing time. With Bunbury being a sub maybe for Sapong later in the match. We Could see Aurelien Collin, Luke Sassano, Jefferson and Craig Rocastle all make a comback and play a lot in this game by then, I think Jefferson and Sassano along with Collin will be back a few weeks before this, but they can adjust.
If Arnoud is ready to play in a friendly it can help to his rehab and a comeback for the playoffs which would be GREAT for SKC if they make a playoff run, especially a deep one in the Conference semifinals?
Well, SKC dealt well with the mid-week friendly against Newcastle United quite well. Some starters and subs played the first half. Then mostly subs and reserves played the second half. It was still a very entertaining match for nil-nil and no one was hurt.
Or somebody could get hurt in the game… It seems like SKC’s priorities are out of line scheduling this game in October. As long as nobody gets hurt though, and the starters don’t tire themselves out before the league game three days later, everything should be alright.
It is a friendly, so there can/will be many substitutions. By that time, Sporting will have more players back from injury. This could be a good way to get some of those other players a little extra game time to prepare for the big games.
I think this is great as they are expanding their horizens. It is no worse then if they were playing in CCL. It is a Wednesday game to break up the week. With only two legues games let after it they should for sure know their playoff position by then.
I think that’s the other Chivas in the pic (MLS patch). Haha.
(And yeah, I know it doesn’t claim to be a picture of Mexico’s Chivas)