Taking a good hard look at this matchup guys, there’s plenty of data to dive headfirst into. First off, let's talk keepers. Sporting Kansas City's netminder, John Pulskamp, has kept his team afloat with solid 14 saves and a rating slightly under 7. That being said, Houston Dynamo's Jonathan Bond is almost an echo, with his 19 saves and a rating inches away from lucky number 7. Did someone say goalie standoff?
Moving onto the player acknowledges, Sporting Kansas City's got a real arsenal of skill. Dániel Sallói with his sniper vision has 5 shots on goal, and the ever-perfidious Manu García, who managed to sink a goal despite only getting a solitary shot this season. Last but certainly not least is Robert Voloder, who despite not having any goals or shots exhibits his skills through an outstanding 90.5 percent accurate pass rate.
From Houston's side, we look to Jack "The Gladiator" McGlynn and his exceptional 86.5 percent accurate pass rate, complimented by his single goal. Not to be overlooked are Griffin Dorsey and Felipe Andrade, each with a 2 goals streak behind them.
Now we take a trip down memory lane and look at past clashes between these two. Houston seems to have an edge, with a couple more wins in recent matchups, which brings us to their regular season records - Sporting's 3-4-8 record takes a hit when compared with Houston's 5-5-6.
And lastly, we can't forget about recent performances. Kansas City seems to have a nasty habit of drawing, tying 3 of their last 5, while Houston appears to have been riding a wave, netting 3 wins and a draw.
Taking all this under consideration along with some undisclosed 'detailed analytics,' I will venture a guess for the winning side.
Albert’s Prediction: Houston Dynamo by 1
