Know Your Opponent | What's the real Sporting KC? It's hard to tell.

If it feels like we’ve been here before, it’s because we have. Sort of.

Sporting Kansas City currently sits atop the Western Conference with 28 points in 14 games, a standing that carries a sense of deja vu, with Sporting having made a habit of getting off to hot starts. In 2017, they took 24 points from their first 14 games, the same haul they managed two years before.

In three of the last four years, Sporting has gotten off to what could be called a strong start, and in each of those seasons, Sporting came back to the pack, eventually losing a road game in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The question is whether this season is different, and if you focus on certain indicators, it’s easy to make a case. The 28 goals Sporting has scored thus far are most in the Western Conference, with Peter Vermes’ team also leading Major League Soccer in shots per game, possession, and passing accuracy. Still, some of those indicators were there before, in seasons were Sporting’s overall results eventually regressed.

Last year, when SKC finished fifth in the West and lost in the knockout round to Houston? They led MLS in possession and passing accuracy and finished second in shots per game.

The story is similar in defense. After a rocky start to this season, Kansas City’s goal prevention is back to its MLS elite levels. Coming off a season of a league-low 29 goals allowed, Sporting’s 14 concessions in as many games is the lowest rate in the Western Conference. With all-league performers like Matt Besler (left-center back), Ike Opara (right-center back) and Tim Melia (goalkeeper) among their back five, it’s no surprise Sporting’s been hard to break down.

Here, again, though, it’s a matter of what Sporting will be come the end of the season. Over the last four years, Sporting’s attacking and defensive performances have been noticeably worse come the postseason, and while that makes sense (given the uptick in opponent quality) and could be noise (it’s only four games, after all), the data line up with the regular season trends. Over the last few years, Sporting have generally been better early, worse late, and not the same team in June that you’ll see in the postseason.

With SKC in town Saturday night for their season’s first meeting with the Portland Timbers (7:30pm PT, ROOT SPORTS), this narrative may be irrelevant. After all, the calendar says June 8. It’s not the end of the season. But implied in this story is something about Sporting Kansas City’s nature. Early in seasons, they appear to be at one level; later, they’re at another. What is the real Kansas City, how does it change, and come the 15-game mark of each season, where are they in that process?

All of that is relevant to the opposition Portland will face on Saturday, as are a couple of other odd facts about Sporting’s hot start. Twenty-eight goals is an impressive total, with only five other teams in Major League Soccer producing at a better rate. But 14 of those goals are concentrated in three games: March 10’s trip to Chicago (4-3 win); April 20’s win over a visiting Vancouver (6-0); and last week’s 4-1 win at Children’s Mercy over Minnesota. If you take any team’s best performances, isolate them and judge the rest, the team is going to look a little polarized. But scoring 50 percent of your goals in 21 percent of your games hints your team is either occasionally (and very) explosive or is seeing their overall numbers unduly influenced by a few aberrational results.

And then there are the red cards. Sporting has yet to be shown a red card this season. Nothing special there. Opponents, however, have already seen six red cards in 14 games. For 180 minutes this season, Sporting has played a player up, scoring six times while conceding none in that time. If Sporting’s plus-14 goal difference seems impressive, that’s because it is. But they’ve played 14 percent of their season with a numerical advantage on their opponent.

There’s no doubt, Kansas City is off to an impressive start, but whether this team is truly one of MLS’ elites, it’s hard to tell. The additions of players like Felipe Gutierrez (five goals in six games, but recovering from hernia surgery) and Johnny Russell (five goals, three assists in 13 games) have been major boosts, so much so that SKC may truly be different this season. They're numbers at even strength say as much. But we’ve seen hot starts like this before, and beneath the surface numbers, there’s reason to think Sporting will come back to earth.

Which team will Portland get on Saturday at Providence Park? Go beyond the standings, and it’s really hard to tell.