Charlotte FC continues long road stretch at Sporting KC

Charlotte FC have a perilous hold on an Eastern Conference playoff spot as they meet Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday in Kansas City, Kan.

Sporting KC only wish they could say a similar thing.

Charlotte (8-9-1, 25 points) shares ninth place in the East with Chicago, but holds the final playoff spot based on more wins. However, the Fire have a match in hand.

Kansas City (4-10-4, 16 points) sits in 13th in the Western Conference -- four spots and six points out of the current playoff picture.

Wednesday serves as Charlotte's fourth match in a five-game road stretch, which isn't ideal for a club that has struggled on the road this season. Charlotte is 2-7-1 away from home after a 2-1 loss to Eastern Conference leader Philadelphia on June 14. They didn't have a shot on goal against the Union until Wilfried Zaha connected for a goal in the 78th minute.

Charlotte wound up conceding the winner in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time.

"The performance wasn't bad in Philly," Charlotte head coach Dean Smith said Monday. "The result was poor because we conceded in the last minute of both halves. But we deserved more out of the game than we got."

Sporting KC are looking for consistency, especially on the offensive end. They are last in MLS in shots on goal with just 3.5 per match. The club needs to start finding some wins as five of its next six matches come at home.

Interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin is confident his club has not lost hope.

"I think the mindset is great," he said Tuesday. "I think the guys have really rebounded, both mentally and physically, with a few days off.

"We don't pay too much attention to home and away. We pay more attention to the game itself. Obviously, it's beneficial for us to be at home, but it doesn't guarantee anything."

Presuming he's on the pitch Wednesday, 28-year-old striker Daniel Salloi will move into a tie for sixth place in SKC history with 273 appearances in all competitions.

--Field Level Media