Sporting KC burns Chicago, 1-0

KC forward Yohan Croizet outraced defender Bastian Schweinsteiger to launch his game-winning shot in the 14th minute of Sporting KC’s Saturday night win against the Chicago Fire. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)
 

by Brian Turrel

Yohan Croizet scored Sporting Kansas City’s only goal for the second straight game, but this time the defense made it stand up, giving Sporting a 1-0 home win against the Chicago Fire on Saturday night.

Sporting got on the board in the 14th minute when Felipe Gutierrez stole the ball on Kansas City’s end of the field and launched a long, accurate pass forward into the path of Croizet, streaking toward the goal.

Chicago goalkeeper Kenneth Kronholm came out to the edge of the penalty area to challenge Croizet, but not quickly enough to prevent him from slotting the ball inside the left post.

“I just tried my chance, and I scored,” said Croizet after the game. “Good for me and good for the team.”

Sporting had several opportunities to build on its lead in the remainder of the game. Daniel Salloi had a shot bounce just wide in the first half, and another narrowly blocked in the second half. Also in the second half, Felipe Gutierrez had a rebound fall at his feet near the edge of the 6-yard box, but hit the goalpost on his attempt.

Besides the result, Sporting found two other bright spots in the game. The first was the return of forward Johnny Russell, back from missing several games with a hamstring injury to come on as a substitute in the 70th minute.

The other bright spot was the play of midfielder Gedion Zelalem, making his first start at Children’s Mercy Park. Zelalem was successful at advancing the ball up the left side and finding Salloi and Gutierrez in open space on the attacking end.

“I started against Salt Lake, and I thought I was just playing it too safe, and that’s not me,” said Zelalem. “I’m a guy that takes risks to play forward. Just learning from that game and me confident in myself. Just going for it.”

Sporting KC will head to Vancouver for their next match on July 13. Their next home game will be on July 20 at 7:30 p.m. against Real Salt Lake.

KC forward Daniel Salloi struck a shot in the second half that bounced just wide of the goalpost. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

TV weatherman Gary Lezak celebrated Croizet’s goal from the Cauldron fan area. Lezak also led the crowd in cheers at the start of the game. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Kansas City blues artist Danielle Nicole sang the national anthem as the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department presented the colors. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Fans in the south end stands celebrated after the final whistle. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Gerso Fernandes reacted after a cluster of Sporting KC shots in the second half failed to produce a second goal. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Chicago goalkeeper Kenneth Kronholm plucked the ball out of the air to end a Sporting KC attacking run. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Defender Botond Barath headed the ball back toward Chicago’s end. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

KC forward Gerso Fernandes made a move to get around Chicago defender Francisco Calvo. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Defender Francisco Calvo tried to block a shot from forward Johan Croizet. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Felipe Gutierrez and Fabian Herbers clashed on a header near midfield. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

Sporting KC returns home, falls 5-1 to LAFC

LA goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega came out of the box to intercept a run by KC midfielder Gianluca Busio. LA won the game 5-1 on Wednesday night at Children’s Mercy Park. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)
 

by Brian Turrel

In their first home game in over a month, the issues that have bedeviled Sporting Kansas City — defensive lapses and failure to finish scoring chances — made them pay again with a 5 – 1 loss Wednesday to Los Angeles FC.

Sporting played conference-leading LAFC close through the first half, giving up only a single goal, on a free kick in the 29th minute by Christian Ramirez from just outside the penalty area. Sporting held 66 percent of the possession time, and a 7-4 shot advantage at the break.

Kansas City had some dangerous chances in the second half, keying off set pieces to put pressure on Los Angeles goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega and his defenders. Forwards Krisztian Nemeth and Gerso Fernandes both had makeable shots go wide, and other shots were parried by the LA defense.

SKC lost another prime scoring chance late in the second half when Sisniega saved a penalty kick from Kansas City forward Daniel Salloi. Salloi was selected to take the kick perhaps to get his confidence level up after a scoreless season to date.

Sporting finally got on the board in the 85th minute when substitute Yohan Croizet got a pass from Ilie Sanchez near the top of the box and knocked the ball past Sisniega into the left edge of the goal.

LAFC picked up two goals late in the game as Kansas City’s defense seemed to lose composure and overexposed goalkeeper Tim Melia.

Kansas City has a quick turnaround and a more advantageous opponent on Saturday when they play the Chicago Fire. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

KC forward Yohan Croizet and LA goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega watched Croizet’s shot sail into the net for Sporting KC’s only goal of the match. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

In the 4th minute, forward Daniel Salloi got a pass near the LA goal but popped the ball over the crossbar. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

KC forward Felipe Gutierrez won a ball in the air in the first half. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

LAFC defender Tristan Blackmon headed the ball away to disrupt a run by KC forward Felipe Gutierrez. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Forward Daniel Salloi took a penalty kick late in the game. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Nudged off the ball by LA defender Eddie Segura, KC forward Krisztian Nemeth tried to make contact for a shot on goal. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

LA goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega dove in to knock the ball away from Gerso Fernandes. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Krisztian Nemeth headed the ball toward the LA goal, only to have it knocked away by LA goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

LA forward Carlos Vela requested the KC forward Felipe Gutierrez come over for a conversation after Vela went to ground in the second half. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Gerso Fernandes made an acrobatic shot in the second half, but the attempt sailed wide. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

U.S. Men’s Soccer wins in KC

Jozy Altidore’s bicycle kick was the game-winner in the United States vs. Panama Gold Cup match Wednesday night in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)
 

by Brian Turrel

The U.S. Men’s national soccer team defeated Panama 1-0 on Wednesday evening at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. The result gained the U.S. the top spot in Group D of the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.

A spectacular bicycle kick goal by striker Jozy Altidore was the game winner.

U.S. head coach Gregg Berhalter upended expectations when he replaced all 11 starting players from the previous game. With a position in the quarterfinals already guaranteed before the match, he rested his top lineup, getting game action for his backups and evaluating players for the future.

“We believe that everyone can contribute in this team and the team’s success,” Berhalter said. “We wanted to show that.”

Berhalter is at the beginning of a rebuilding project for U.S. men’s soccer and has been frank about his focus on the future of the program.

In the first half, the play was “sloppy,” a word chosen by both midfielder Cristian Roldan and defender Matt Miazga. Crosses and passes forward were mistimed or not weighted accurately. The defense was the strongest part of the game, and held Panama to just 2 shots. The first half ended 0-0.

In the 65th minute, off a corner kick, Miazga got a head on the ball near the Panama goal. The ball bounced between two Panamanian defenders and then floated down toward Altidore, who measured it up and then whipped his body backward to knock it home with tremendous force. As Roldan said, “Jozy does what he does best, finish.”

The U.S. will play Curacao in the quarterfinal match on Sunday in Philadelphia. Curacao is the surprise of the tournament so far, getting past the group stage after never having previously scored a goal in Gold Cup competition.

The Gold Cup is the regional tournament among the nations in North and Central America and is played every two years. This year, the tournament is held at 15 sites around the United States, along with sites in Costa Rica and Jamaica.

 
U.S. midfielder Cristian Roldan took a shot in the first half. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

U.S. midfielder Cristian Roldan won a header over Panama defender Jose Luis Rodriguez. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

U.S. midfielder Christian Pulisic came on as a substitute in the second half. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes attended the game and got a loud cheer from the audience. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

U.S. fans wore their patriotic best to the game. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Panama fans were disappointed with the outcome. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

U.S. defender Reggie Cannon tried to turn the corner on Rodriguez. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

U.S. defender Omar Gonzalez won a header over Panama midfielder Marcos Sanchez. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

U.S. forward Jonathan Lewis was taken down just outside the penalty area on a run in the first half. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Sporting Kansas City players Graham Zusi and Benny Feilhaber attended the game and signed autographs for fans afterward. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Jozy Altidore headed the ball back toward goal in the first half. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)

 

Panama defender Kevin Galvan slid in front of a shot from U.S. forward Jozy Altidore. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)
 
U.S. defender Jordan Morris tried to hold off a challenge from Panama’s Jose Luis Rodriguez. (Photo copyright 2019 by Brian Turrel)