Category: Sports

Sporting wins final 2022 home game, beats Sounders 1-0

Forwards Johnny Russell and Willy Agada were all smiles as Agada got up after scoring the game-winning goal in Sporting Kansas City’s 1-0 victory over Seattle, capping a streak of six consecutive home wins. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

Sporting Kansas City closed its home schedule on a high note, winning 1-0 over the Seattle Sounders on Sunday afternoon at Children’s Mercy Park and booting the Sounders from playoff contention, the end of an impressive 13-year streak.

Despite Kansas City’s lowly position in the standings, the home team had the better chances all afternoon, forcing Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei to make 10 saves against only one for Sporting’s John Pulskamp.

Forward Willy Agada was responsible for most of the danger up front, taking crosses from Johnny Russell and Daniel Salloi on the wings. In a notable sequence in the 29th minute, Agada headed a cross from Russell on goal and then fired back the rebound. Frei made a diving stab to parry the header and then scrambled into position for a body block on the rebound shot.

Agada broke through in the 42nd minute, picking up a cross from Salloi, taking one touch to settle the ball, and then turning on it to blast it inside the far post.

Sporting kept up the pressure through the late stages of the game, fending off Seattle’s attempts to find an equalizer, and bringing on Felipe Hernandez and Kayden Pierre for fresh legs. Kortne Ford entered in the 77th minute for defensive reinforcement to protect the lead.

Kansas City manager Peter Vermes will have some difficult decisions to make in the off season. Fan favorites Graham Zusi and Roger Espinoza are out of contract and at the tail end of their careers.

After the match, Vermes talked about the team’s great late-season form. “It’s always good to leave a last impression to start the next year,” the veteran coach said. “So the win, the shutout, the way we played, it’s all very important to how we finish here but more importantly, to how we go into next year.”

Also, designated players Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda will return from missing a season due to injury and expect to find playing time in an offensive corps that found success in their absence.

After the match, Vermes talked about the team’s great late-season form.

“It’s always good to leave a last impression to start the next year,” the veteran coach said. “So the win, the shutout, the way we played, it’s all very important to how we finish here but more importantly, to how we go into next year.”

Sporting Kansas City wraps up the 2022 season next Sunday on the road against FC Dallas.

Forward Johnny Russell headed the ball in front of the Seattle goal. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Forward Willy Agada turned on a cross from Daniel Salloi and hit it inside the far post for a score. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Seattle defender Yeimar Gomez Andrade slid in to disrupt a run from defender Ben Sweat. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Forward Willy Agada headed a shot on goal in the first half. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei came off the line to intercept a run from forward Daniel Salloi. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Forward Daniel Salloi took a shot on goal in the second half. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
After the game, forward Daniel Salloi signed a girl’s cast, then a boy’s shoe, then a shirt, a poster, a hat, an arm and several other items. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Current drop road trip to Louisville, next enter playoffs Oct. 16 on the road

The Kansas City Current (10-6-6, 36 pts, 5th place) closed its 2022 regular season campaign in heartbreaking fashion Saturday night, losing 1-0 to Racing Louisville FC (5-9-8, 23 pts, 9th place).

A goal from Louisville forward Jessica McDonald in second-half stoppage time provided the only score of the game. Saturday’s result means Kansas City will enter the National Women’s Soccer League postseason as the fifth seed.

“Difficult ending to a tight game,” head coach Matt Potter said. “That wraps up our…regular season and now we move on to the playoffs which is something that obviously we get to look forward to doing and others don’t right now.”

The KC Current will make its playoff debut on the road as the club travels to play the Houston Dash at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, at PNC Stadium in Houston.

Six teams qualified for the NWSL Playoffs. OL Reign and the Portland Thorns each earned a first-round bye as the first and second seeds. They will play host to the NWSL semifinals Oct. 23.

On Saturday, both sides had plenty of scoring opportunities, and Kansas City generated six shots on goal to Louisville’s two in the contest. One of the most clear-cut came in the first few minutes of the match from forward Claire Lavogez.

On a recycled ball following a Current corner kick in the seventh minute, defender Elizabeth Ball got on the end of a cross in the penalty area and nodded the ball toward goal. Lavogez swung her foot high and volleyed the ball at the net, but Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund made a diving save to keep the match level.

Louisville responded with a quality opportunity of its own minutes later. McDonald headed a second-chance cross back to the penalty spot, which fell right to midfielder Lauren Milliet. However, Milliet fired her shot over the bar.

After Milliet’s warning shot in the 14th minute, the remaining 30 minutes of the opening half played to a stalemate. Kansas City and Louisville both tested the opposing goalkeepers from distance, and Current goalkeeper A.D. Franch made a near-post save on a dangerous header in the 37th minute, but neither side could find a breakthrough and the match remained scoreless at halftime.

In the 58th minute, Kansas City had its most clear-cut opportunity of the match. Midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta made a sliding challenge in the attacking third that fell perfectly to forward Cece Kizer as she sprinted toward goal. Presented with a one-on-one opportunity with Lund, Kizer fired a left-footed strike that Louisville’s goalkeeper dove to deny. Defender Hailie Mace ripped a shot from distance in the 68th minute, but the ball fell comfortably to Lund. Louisville’s goalkeeper, who entered Saturday with a league-high 108 saves, made six stops in the victory.

Then, in the 78th minute, Current midfielder Desiree Scott picked up her second yellow card of the match, resulting in a red card and ejection from the match. The red card marked the first of Scott’s NWSL career.

Kansas City defended valiantly with 10 players, but Louisville took hold of the contest in stoppage time. Following a dangerous cross, Louisville midfielder Jaelin Howell collected the loose ball and slid a pass to midfielder Savannah DeMelo in the Current’s penalty area. She found McDonald, who raced forward and slotted the ball past Franch in the 90+2 minute to win the match.

  • Information from KC Current

Sporting KC’s Fan Appreciation match to be Sunday

Sporting Kansas City will take the field at Children’s Mercy Park for the final time in 2022 when the team plays host to the Seattle Sounders on Sunday in the club’s annual Fan Appreciation match.

Kick off is set for 4:25 p.m. and tickets for the match are available online without fees at SeatGeek.com, including recently released standing room only tickets for $22.

The Western Conference clash will be nationally televised on FS1 and will be live streamed on FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App. Radio coverage will air live on SiriusXM FC, ESPN Kansas City 94.5 FM and La Grande 1340 AM.

The first 5,000 fans in attendance on Sunday will receive a Sporting KC key chain and Sunday’s home finale will feature several more Fan Appreciation festivities.

Riding a six-match unbeaten run – the longest in the Western Conference – and a five-match home winning streak, Sporting will take on a Seattle Sounders FC side on Sunday that won the Concacaf Champions League in May, however is winless in its last eight MLS road matches (0-7-1) and in a must-win situation to stave off playoff elimination.

Two of the most successful clubs in the past decade of American soccer with four major domestic trophies apiece, Sporting has been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention with two matches remaining while Seattle sits five points back of playoff position and on the brink of missing the playoffs for the first time in the club’s 14-year history.

Sporting has won four of the last six meetings with the Sounders dating back to 2019, however Seattle won the most recent matchup by 3-0 in June and also prevailed in the team’s last visit to Children’s Mercy Park with a 2-1 win last September. The pair of victories have given Seattle the all-time lead in the regular season series with an 11-9-4 record.

Club captain Johnny Russell has six goals and an assist in eight career regular season appearances against Seattle, with his six goals in the match-up tied for his most versus any MLS opponent. Recently named the team’s MVP for 2022, Russell leads the club’s Golden Boot race with eight regular season goals on the campaign – one ahead of fellow forwards Willy Agada and Daniel Salloi.

Seattle’s roster, which features a pair of former SKC teammates in defender Jimmy Medranda and midfielder Kelyn Rowe (suspended on Sunday), is headlined by a plethora of MLS All-Stars in Nicolas Lodeiro, Jordan Morris, Alex Roldan, Cristian Roldan, Nouhou, Yeimar, Joao Paulo and Raul Ruidiaz. However, Paulo suffered a torn ACL in May and Ruidiaz – the team’s leading scorer with nine goals – was injured recently while on international duty with Peru.

Similarly, Sporting remains without designated players Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda due to season-long knee injuries, while veteran goalkeeper Tim Melia (hamstring) has missed the last two months of action and Graham Zusi (quad) is questionable after being sidelined for the past four matches.

Sporting has enjoyed a resurgence since the start of August with the best winning percentage (.750), most goals per match (2.63) and most shutouts (3) of any team in the Western Conference. Historically, Sporting is 14-3-5 all-time in regular season home finales – including a 7-2-2 mark at Children’s Mercy Park – and the club is unbeaten in 11 straight October home matches (9-0-2) dating back to 2015.

  • Story from Sporting KC