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Sporting hopes to extend run against Vancouver

Jun 24, 2011 - 9:19 PM Kansas City, KS (Sports Network) - Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen earned his second straight shutout Wednesday night, and after the 0-0 the against the Philadelphia Union said, "When good teams play bad, they still get points."

"That's what we did," Nielsen continued, as Sporting Kansas City extended its unbeaten streak to six matches ahead of Saturday's game at Livestrong Sporting Park against Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Although Sporting opened the season 1-6-3 on its 10-game roadtrip, coach Peter Vermes has guided the club to two victories and four ties in their last six in Major League Soccer.

But the draw at Philadelphia, which used the point to move level with Red Bull New York atop the Eastern Conference, was one of the best results yet for K.C.

"I think one of the things that we're learning to do is - seven games now, us being undefeated going back to that US Open Cup match - pulling out results," Vermes said, "being a tie or a win and doing it home and away at the moment."

K.C. (3-6-5) struggled at PPL Park against the Union, as it was held without a shot on goal for just the third time in franchise history. But to escape with a point proved Sporting could be much tougher the rest of the season

"I thought, on the night, we didn't play great, but we all defended for each other and that's what it takes sometimes. You've got to grind out some 0-0's in tough places," K.C. captain Davy Arnaud said.

"It's important," Nielsen said. "Later in the season when we're struggling, we know we can keep fighting hard and still get a point."

Considering K.C. was without defenders Roger Espinoza and Aurelien Collin, and midfielder Graham Zusi - who had two goals and two assists in his previous two matches - it was an even better result.

At home, Sporting will be searching for more than a point. K.C. waited until earlier this month to open its new $200 million stadium, and earned a draw and a win in the first two matches.

And a victory over Vancouver (2-6-8) would lift Sporting out of last place in the Eastern Conference. But K.C. needs to figure out how to turn shutouts into more points, as it is just 1-0-3 when it hasn't allowed a goal.

Vancouver enters the match tied with Kansas City for the fewest points in MLS, but the Whitecaps have played two more matches. Coach Tom Soehn got his first win as coach last week, as the club snapped a 14-game winless skid against the Union.

That result came at Empire Field, where Vancouver has posted both of its wins and five of its eight draws. But after going nearly three months without a win the spirit has been lifted in Vancouver.

"You can see the guys are buzzing a bit," Vancouver captain Jay DeMerit said on MLSsoccer.com. "These are the days you come in after a hard-fought win and you enjoy being out here. I think the more we do that, the more confidence and the more fun we'll have, as the season moves along."

Vancouver's Davide Chiumiento also admitted how important the win was, but it is more important to build on the result this weekend against Kansas City.

"We know that it was an important win on the weekend," Chiumiento said. "But it's important also to train well this week and prepare for Saturday. We need to win then, too. We must keep our feet on the ground because if we start to lose other games, then the win from last Saturday won't be important."