Category: Sports

Sporting offense stays hot, trounces Portland 4-1

Forward Willy Agada blasted a shot into the upper left corner of the goal to put Sporting Kansas City up 1-0 in the first half. Agada scored twice in the 4-1 win. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

Sporting Kansas City cut down the Portland Timbers 4-1 Sunday evening at Children’s Mercy Park, getting some measure of payback for the 7-2 paddling the Timbers administered when Kansas City visited in May.

Willy Agada scored twice, continuing the torrid offensive output he’s shown since starting with his new club in July. Fellow summer window signee Erik Thommy added another goal. Defender Andreu Fontas scored as well, surprisingly earning two goals in two games after scoring only once in 70 previous appearances with Kansas City.

Graham Zusi set up the opening score in the 31st minute, playing a cross from the right side that bounced dangerously across the front of the Portland goal. It took another high bounce to the far post, falling to Agada who whipped an unstoppable shot into the upper left corner.

In the 40th minute, Fontas doubled the lead by striking home a corner kick that fell into the scrum in front of the Portland goal.

Before the celebratory smoke had cleared from Fontas’s goal, Kansas City scored again. Agada made a run up the middle, picking up a long pass from Zusi and drawing the Portland defense. He played a touch back into the path of Thommy who had a clear lane to the goal and put all his momentum into a scoring blast from 20 yards out.

Agada scored his second of the game, and fifth of his short MLS season, in the 75th minute. Ben Sweat earned an assist with a perfectly executed cross from the left side that intersected Agada’s path just as he surged past the Portland defensive line.

Kansas City goalkeeper Jon Pulskamp deserved the clean sheet that he nearly got, putting on a show in the second half to keep Portland from mounting a comeback.

In the 47th minute, Pulskamp raced off his line to disrupt a Portland breakaway, then scrambled back to the goal line to make a leaping tip save. One minute later, he dived to his left to save a shot from Dairon Asprilla and then alertly smothered the ball that had rolled slightly behind him.

Pulskamp made two more diving stops of Asprilla shots in the 54th and 73rd minutes, but the 21-year-old keeper finally conceded an immaterial goal to Timbers forward Sebastian Blanco in the final minute of regulation.

The re-energized Kansas City offense has now scored three first-half goals in three consecutive matches, the first MLS side to ever do so.

Sporting will be back in action at Children’s Mercy Park next Saturday, facing off with the San Jose Earthquakes at 7:30 p.m.

Midfielder Erik Thommy watched his long-range shot sail into the Portland net. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Andreu Fontas sent a header toward goal on a first half corner kick. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Mocking Portland’s mascot Timber Joey, who saws off a slice of a log with each goal, Sporting brought in Brisket Bob, who sliced a brisket after each KC score. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

After the game, Brisket Bob took samples of his brisket into the crowd for fans to sample. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Defender Andreu Fontas raced to celebrate with team captain Johnny Russell after his first-half goal. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Forward Willy Agada was taken down just outside the penalty area. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Forward Johnny Russell raced past Portland midfielder Santiago Moreno. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Portland midfielder Diego Chara got a boot up to deflect a shot from midfielder Erik Thommy. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

 

Forward Johnny Russell slipped a shot past the block of Portland defender Bill Tuiloma. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Wild pitch walk off spoils perfect trip for Monarchs

by Dan Vaughan Jr., Monarchs

Two outs stood between a perfect 6-0 road trip for the Kansas City Monarchs (54-32) Sunday afternoon in Lincoln, but a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning capped a wild finish at Haymarket Park, giving the local nine a 6-5 win.

Lincoln (40-47) got off to a fast start in the home half of the first inning with a two-out RBI single from Jason Rogers, scoring two runs off Monarchs starter Nick Belzer to take a 2-0 lead.

The Lincoln Saltdogs sent in the Pitcher of the Month of July, Greg Minier, and he delivered. The Monarchs only mustered one run on three hits — one of them was a solo home run off the bat of Jacob Robson in the top of the third inning that cut the early Lincoln lead to 2-1.

The Saltdogs added another run in the bottom of the third inning on an RBI double from Rogers to take a 3-1. Belzer tossed a quality start (3 earned runs or less in at least 6 innings pitched), the seventh in a row for the Monarchs and the sixth on the road trip.

The right-hander left after six and scattered seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts in a no decision. In the seventh, Jeremy Rhoades entered the game in relief of Belzer. Rhoades retired the first two batters, but Justin Byrd hit a solo home run to right to make it 4-1 in favor of the Saltdogs.

The Saltdogs turned to Matt Cronin in the top of the eighth after Minier left the game. The left-hander out of California finished with seven innings, giving up one earned run on three hits with eight punchouts.

Cronin surrendered a lead-off double to Pete Kozma and a walk to J.C. Escarra. Kevin Santa reached on a bunt single that loaded the bases for KC. Robson knocked a deep ball to center to wipe the bases clean for the 10th grand slam of the year for the Monarchs, giving the Monarchs a 5-4 lead.

Frank Rubio worked a scoreless eighth, and after a scoreless top of the ninth, at the plate for Kansas City came Brandon Koch in the bottom of the ninth. Koch, working for his third save in three days, walked the leadoff batter Hunter Clanin.

He then got a fly out from Randy Norris, but pinch hitter Matt Goodheart singled to right to put runners at first and second. Justin Byrd drove a single to right center to score Clanin to tie the game at five.

Jameson McGrane was summoned from the pen and saw Rayder Ascanio reach on a soft grounder to second that Santa fielded, but his throw to first pulled Casey Gillaspie off the bag to load the bases.

With one ball and one strike on Ryan Long, McGrane uncorked a wild pitch that sent Goodheart home from third and ended the Monarchs’ seven-game winning streak.

The Monarchs (54-32) finished the road trip 5-1 and return home at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22, to face the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aa baseball.tv.

Tickets to Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com.

Record set for women’s soccer attendance as Current play to 1-1 draw

The Kansas City Current (7-4-5, 3rd place) continued its unbeaten streak with a 1-1 draw against Angel City FC (6-5-4, 7th place) on Friday, Aug. 19, while setting a record for attendance with 10,395.

A penalty kick scored by midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta, her fifth goal of the season, preserved the streak for Kansas City to walk away with a point. LaBonta is now tied for the club record for most goals in a season, alongside forwards Kristen Hamilton and Cece Kizer.

“The risk-reward of the game was that we wanted to set the tempo, we wanted to take the game to them – that’s our identity. I thought we did that really well,” head coach Matt Potter said. “The risk of that is that if you don’t put some of those chances away and you let a good team like Angel City hang around, then at some point in time they’re going to get an opportunity. That’s just the way the game goes.”

Both teams started off with a high pressure, focused attack, with Angel City having the first major chance after an awkward clearance from the KC back line in the fourth minute. Goalkeeper A.D. Franch came up big with a sliding tackle to reclaim the ball and keep the score line level.

Just about 10 minutes later, the Current started peppering shots on the other end of the pitch. Forward Cece Kizer stole the ball away at the near endline and crossed through the box filled with seven Angel City players to find forward Kristen Hamilton, whose shot soared over the bar.

Shortly after, in the 16th minute, defender Alex Loera ran all the way to the Angel City goal line to slide a cross into the box again for Hamilton. Angel City goalkeeper Didi Haracic collected the shot to deny Hamilton a second time.

Angel City found an opportunity in the 27th minute, when forward Jun Endo crossed from a tight angle to try and find Savannah McCaskill on the other side of the box. Current goalkeeper Franch reacted quickly to punch it away at the near post.

The visitors were the first to score in the second half, when defender Aly Riley charged up the left flank and floated a ball in to find Cari Roccaro at the center of the box. Her header sailed over Franch for Angel City to take the lead in the 78th minute.

The Current equalized just four minutes later. While attempting to find space in the box, Angel City defender Paige Nielsen was whistled for a penalty kick after taking down LaBonta from behind. It was then LaBonta who stepped up to the spot to send Haracic the wrong way and bury it in the top right corner. Her fourth penalty goal of the season ties her for most penalty kicks scored with Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC, 4 PK goals).

Kansas City’s unbeaten streak continues with 11 results, and the team has not lost when LaBonta has scored this year.

“Our job as a group is to perform in a manner that represents something bigger than ourselves,” Potter said. “That’s ownership, that’s the people that we work with and for in terms of our leadership in the front office, but also the biggest thing is about the community and the fan base. It’s very important to us to play in a manner that makes them want to come, that makes them want to stand up and shout and they certainly did a good job of that tonight.”

The Current had challenged the fans to #ShowUpKC as the club sought to beat the NWSL record for attendance in Kansas City. In the 70th minute of the match, the fans in attendance cheered when it was announced that the record of 7,594 fans, set on June 4, had been beaten and that attendance on Aug. 19 was 10,395.

During halftime, the record-breaking crowd was treated to a media game featuring 45 of Kansas City’s media personalities. Team Heartland, captained by ESPN’s Brenda VanLengen, defeated Team Electric, captained by the Current’s Dave Borchardt in a 1-0 victory.

Tickets for remaining 2022 home matches and 2023 season ticket memberships are available online at KansasCityCurrent.com/tickets.

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