Month: August 2022

Two in custody after police chase burglars from Legends

This report has been updated with additional information.

Police chased a suspect vehicle from the Legends area Sunday afternoon after 15 to 20 vehicles were reported burglarized in the area.

Kansas City, Kansas, police received multiple calls from residents about two individuals breaking into vehicles near the Legends around 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28, a police spokesman stated.

At 1:57 p.m. Sunday, officers located a suspect vehicle near 98th and Parallel Parkway, according to the police spokesman.

The vehicle failed to pull over and a pursuit was started, according to police.

In the 8400 block of Kansas Avenue, the vehicle struck another vehicle, causing the suspect vehicle to overturn, the police spokesman stated.

A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s report filed later stated that a law enforcement vehicle was eastbound on Kansas Avenue pursuing the suspect vehicle. The suspect vehicle, an Acadia, then hit another vehicle, the report stated. The suspect then ran from the vehicle. The law enforcement vehicle then struck the suspect outside the vehicle while trying to avoid the crash, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol report.

The Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s log listed the driver of the suspect vehicle as a 26-year-old Independence, Missouri, man. He had a possible serious injury, the report stated.

A 32-year-old man from an unknown city was in the suspect vehicle, and had a possible serious injury, according to the report.

The two suspects were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the police spokesman stated.

The Acadia hit a Chevrolet Silverado that had been northbound on 81st turning left onto westbound Kansas Avenue, according to the trooper’s report.

The driver of the Silverado, a 23-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, man, was taken to the hospital with a possible minor injury, according to the trooper’s report.

A passenger in the Silverado, a 22-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, woman, was taken to a hospital with a possible minor injury, the trooper’s report stated.

The driver of the law enforcement vehicle had no apparent injury, according to the trooper’s report.

Police had been able to identify the suspect vehicle and get a description of the two suspects based on the calls they received from citizens, according to the police spokesman.

The accident is under investigation by the Kansas Highway Patrol, according to the police spokesman.

Anyone with information on the burglaries is asked to call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Salloi strikes early as Sporting wins, 1-0

Daniel Salloi’s early strike was enough to give Sporting Kansas City (8-15-5, 29 points) a deserved 1-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes (6-12-9, 27 points) on Saturday night at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

By slotting home in the 10th minute, Salloi moved into a tie atop Sporting’s all-time charts with his 13th game-winning goal in the regular season.

The result—which saw goalkeeper John Pulskamp make four saves en route to his first shutout of the 2022 MLS campaign—also lifted Sporting to within seven points of playoff position in the Western Conference and pushed Kansas City’s record against San Jose to 8-1-5 in the last 14 meetings across all competitions.

Winner in three of the last four matches, Sporting will carry momentum into next weekend when it travels to face longtime rival LA Galaxy (10-11-4, 34 points) on Sunday, Sept. 4. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. with live coverage on 38 The Spot, the Sporting KC app and SportingKC.com.

Taking the field for the 1,000th competitive match in club history, Sporting deployed the same lineup for the fourth straight game—a rare instance that last happened in May 2017.

Manager Peter Vermes also hit a major milestone by participating in his 662nd MLS match as a player or a coach, tying Jason Kreis for most in the league’s 27-year existence.

The Earthquakes wasted a golden opportunity to draw first blood inside five minutes, dashing free on a quickfire counterattack only for Jeremy Ebobisse to drag his right-footed shot wide on the breakaway. Sporting then threatened on the opposite end a few minutes later when veteran midfielder Roger Espinoza uncorked a long-range blast that fizzed over the crossbar by a matter of inches.

Espinoza’s near miss was a warning sign for San Jose, which fell behind 1-0 when Salloi landed the game’s first punch. The 26-year-old winger started his own scoring move by spraying a ball down the left channel for Erik Thommy, who evaded his marker, accelerated into the final third and slipped a clever through ball to Espinoza. His low cross was cut out by the sliding Paul Marie, but Salloi was positioned to poke home the rebound for his sixth league goal of the season and his 47th career Sporting goal in all competitions, passing Josh Wolff for fifth most in Kansas City history.

An end-to-end spectacle continued to unfold and Sporting had Pulskamp to thank in the 15th minute for keeping San Jose at bay.

Graham Zusi’s diagonal pass in his own penalty area was intercepted by Cristian Espinoza, who took a touch before firing goalward, but Pulskamp produced an outstanding reflex stop to deny the Earthquakes winger. Sporting’s gloveman was involved once more at the half-hour juncture, diving left to cast aside Jan Gregus’ 25-yard piledriver.

Not long later, Sporting captain Johnny Russell powered his way along the right endline and clipped a ball across the face of goal to Willy Agada, whose leaping header narrowly missed the target. Thommy was next to go close in the 27th minute, settling Zusi’s feed and cutting centrally from the left edge of the box before curling an effort just wide of the far post.

Dissatisfied with the halftime advantage, Sporting sought to inflict more damage after the restart and nearly did so in the 46th minute. Remi Walter’s 30-yard missile forced San Jose keeper J.T. Marcinkowski into a palmed save and yet another stop on the rebound as Sporting midfielder Felipe Hernandez—who replaced Espinoza at the break—was first to pounce on the loose ball inside the box.

The hosts remained on the front foot in the 54th minute when Thommy’s corner kick was nodded by Russell into the path of Agada, whose close-range attempt was blocked through traffic. On Sporting’s ensuing possession, second-half substitute Logan Ndenbe tried his luck from distance with a well-struck effort that lacked the precision to beat Marcinkowski.

Sporting center back Nicolas Isimat-Mirin thought he had opened his regular season scoring account in the 58th minute when he latched onto Zusi’s inch-perfect diagonal delivery and slotted past Marcinkowski on the doorstep. The goal was initially given, but VAR intervened and referee Guido Gonzales Jr. deemed Isimat-Mirin to be in an offside position, keeping the scoreline at 1-0.

Undeterred by the close call, Sporting kept knocking on the door and almost doubled its lead in the 62nd minute when Thommy embarked on a dazzling solo run and hammered a shot that deflected low and behind for a corner kick. On the ensuing play, Thommy had San Jose on the backfoot once more by slicing past a defender and seeing another low low shot smothered by Marcinkowski.

Thommy continued to shine as a centerpiece of Sporting’s attack, drawing awes from the crowd in the 73rd minute with an admirable bicycle kick that Marcinkowski saved from a tight angle.

San Jose struggled to generate momentum going forward, but the visitors did conjure a scare in the 82nd minute off a set piece when Ebobisse pelted a free kick inches beyond the far left post. Sporting held on from there, seeing out the result to jump from 14th place to 12th in the West.

  • Story from Sporting KC

North Carolina visits Current today

Following a 1-1 draw in front of a record-setting crowd at Children’s Mercy Park, the Kansas City Current (7-4-5, 26pts, 4th place) are back in action at home at 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. against the North Carolina Courage (4-6-4, 16pts, 9thplace).

The second meeting in two weeks between Kansas City and North Carolina will be broadcast locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB and streamed globally on Twitch.

Kansas City extended its unbeaten streak to 11 games, the third-longest unbeaten streak in NWSL history, with a 1-1 draw Friday against Angel City. The visitors opened the scoring with a goal from midfielder Cari Roccaro in the 78th minute, but the Current responded immediately.

Current midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta beat an Angel City defender to a loose ball in the penalty area and won a penalty kick in the 80th minute. LaBonta converted the attempt for her career-high fifth goal of the season as the match ended 1-1. LaBonta’s fourth penalty kick goal of the season tied her with San Diego Wave forward Alex Morgan for the most in the NWSL.

North Carolina brings a two-match winning streak into Sunday’s contest after knocking off two playoff-contending squads in impressive fashion. On Aug. 20, the Courage blitzed the Chicago Red Stars 4-0 at home, led by three second-half goals. Rookie forward Diana Ordoñez led the way with a brace.

Then, Aug. 24, the Courage picked up another stunning home win, a 3-1 triumph over first-place Portland.

The Courage’s victory snapped Portland’s 11-game unbeaten streak, leaving the Current with the NWSL’s longest active streak entering Sunday’s match.

Current scored four goals on Aug. 13

When the Current and Courage last squared off Aug. 13, one of the most entertaining contests of the 2022 NWSL regular season ensued. Kansas City had to come back from a one-goal deficit on three separate occasions in the 4-3 win, which was capped by Lavogez’s stunning game-winner from long range in the 79th minute. LaBonta and forwards Cece Kizer and Kristen Hamilton scored Kansas City’s other three goals in the victory.

High-scoring affairs have been commonplace for North Carolina in 2022. The Courage enter Sunday’s contest ranking second in the NWSL in goals scored, and third in most goals conceded. The Courage have scored multiple goals in nine of their last 10 contests. Included in those games are some gaudy score lines, like 3-3 draws against the Washington Spirit and Portland Thorns and 4-3 losses to both Kansas City and the Houston Dash. North Carolina is averaging 3.2 goals per game over the last five matches.

Four Current players selected for national teams

The Kansas City Current will be well-represented during the Sept. FIFA window, with four Current players selected for their country’s national teams: midfielder Desiree Scott (Canada), midfielder Chloe Logarzo (Australia), goalkeeper Sydney Schneider (Jamaica) and defender Hailie Mace (United States).

Mace is replacing Washington Spirit defender Kelly O’Hara on the U.S. Women’s National Team’s roster for a pair of friendlies against Nigeria. Mace, who has not appeared for the USWNT since 2018 and has three total caps, has been an integral part of the Current’s ongoing 11-match unbeaten streak. Mace has two goals and two assists for the Current this season and was named to the NWSL July Best XI of the Month. Mace and the USWNT’s first game of the window comes on Sept. 3 against Nigeria at Children’s Mercy Park.

Scott and Logarzo, meanwhile, are veterans at the international level. Scott has made over 180 appearances for Canada and was a crucial piece of Canada’s run at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship last month. Logarzo is in-line to make her first international appearance since tearing her ACL against Ireland on Sept. 22, 2021. Scott and Logarzo will square off twice during the international break, with Canada and Australia meeting on Sept. 2 and Sept. 6, with both matches held in Australia.

Schneider rounds out the Current’s quartet of international call-ups. A regular fixture in the Jamaican squad with 18 caps, she will look to see action when the Reggae Girlz play South Korea in Hwaseong, South Korea on Sept. 3.

New midfielder for Current

Midfielder Claire Lavogez made her much-anticipated home debut in Friday’s match after an impressive showing in the Current’s 4-3 win over North Carolina Aug. 13. Lavogez’s assist and game-winning goal helped the French international win the Budweiser National Women’s Soccer League Player of the Week Award.

Lavogez started and played 66 minutes in the Current’s 1-1 draw with Angel City, her first start since being acquired June 20. Her previous NWSL appearances against San Diego Aug. 7 and North Carolina Aug. 13 were as a substitute.

Separate from Lavogez’s arrival in the team’s Starting XI, the Current’s midfield will have a different feel heading into this weekend’s clash against North Carolina. On Monday, Kansas City acquired $200,000 in allocation money from NJ/NY Gotham and either OL Reign’s natural first round pick, currently held by Gotham, or Gotham’s second highest selection in the 2023 NWSL Draft and in exchange for midfielder Victoria Pickett.

Pickett, the second-ever draft pick in franchise history, was a consistent player for the Current over the last two seasons. She assisted on the club’s first goal in the 2021 Challenge Cup and scored the game-winning goal against OL Reign Aug. 14, 2021, which marked the first win in franchise history. Pickett appeared in 35 regular season matches for Kansas City and had a goal and an assist in 30 starts.

Current breaks attendance record

Ahead of the Current’s match against Angel City FC, the club encouraged fans to #ShowUpKC to help break the all-time Kansas City attendance record for a professional woman’s soccer match. The club also hoped to break the 10,000-fan threshold.

Kansas City soccer fans delivered. Not only did the Current set a new attendance record, but the club also achieved its goal of having over 10,000 fans in the stands. Friday night’s attendance was 10,395, which surpassed the previous season-high of 7,954 fans set June 4. In addition, the Current vs Angel City match had the highest attendance of any NWSL match played last weekend.

Players to watch

Kansas City Current goalkeeper A.D. Franch — Keeping a potent Courage offense at bay starts with Franch, who enters Sunday’s match ranked fourth in the NWSL with 50 saves. Franch has recorded three clean sheets thus far in the 2022 regular season, and with one more will become just the second goalkeeper ever to reach 40 career NWSL shutouts. She has recorded a save on 70.4% of shots faced and has appeared in all but one game for the Current in the regular season. Franch has also racked up plenty of individual accolades in 2022, being named to the NWSL July Best XI of the Month while also winning the NWSL Player of the Week award July 13.

North Carolina Courage midfielder Debinha — With six goals and two assists in the 2022 regular season, Courage midfielder Debinha is one of North Carolina’s most dynamic attacking options. In Wednesday’s victory over Portland, Debinha gave the Courage a crucial two-goal cushion after slipping to the back post and slotting a cross home. She’s no stranger to scoring against the Current either, with a goal when the teams met both on Aug. 13 and in the NWSL Challenge Cup Semifinal on May 4.

  • Story from KC Current