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Sporting KC suffers 2-1 loss in Vancouver

Sporting Kansas City (15-7-7, 52 points) suffered a 2-1 loss at the Vancouver Whitecaps FC (10-9-10, 40 points) on Sunday and remains in second place in the Western Conference.

Brian White, who had scored the Whitecaps last six goals, this time played the part of provider and set up first half goals for Ryan Gauld and Russell Teibert at BC Place in the Vancouver victory.

Johnny Russell was once again on the scoresheet for Sporting, stretching his scoring streak to six straight games and in doing so became the first player in club history to score in six consecutive MLS regular season matches. The streak is the longest by an MLS player this year and ranks eighth longest in MLS history.

MLS MVP candidate Daniel Salloi earned his eighth assist of the season on the goal, and added along with his 16 goals to date, also extended his lead with the most combined goals and assists in Major League Soccer in 2021.

Sporting Kansas City center back Andreu Fontas tallied the first shot of Sunday’s showdown in the 15th minute, coming forward for a corner and directing a glancing header into the arms of Maxime Crepeau.

The Whitecaps would prove more efficient, finding the back of the net with their opening attempt in the 23rd minute. Javain Brown’s cross into the area was headed down by White and fell to Gauld, who gave the hosts a 1-0 lead with his first-time finish from eight yards out.

Gauld, a former teammate of Russell’s in Scotland, nearly added a second goal just over a minute later if not for a sprawling save by Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia to push the effort past the post.

Gadi Kinda tried his luck at a leveler from long range with a well-struck shot saved by Crepeau in the 27th minute, but it was Vancouver that struck next. Teibert doubled his side’s lead in the 37th minute with a perfectly-placed shot from beyond the penalty area for the Whitecaps captain’s first regular season goal since 2018.

Down two goals, it was the Sporting Kansas City captain who cut the deficit in half on the cusp of halftime. Collecting a pass from Daniel Salloi, Russell cut inside and curled a superb strike past Crepeau for his 11th goal of the season and 36th of his four-year MLS career.

With the stage set for a significant second half for both sides with less than a month remaining in the regular season, the MLS Week 30 finale ultimately came to a close in anti-climactic fashion as neither side recorded a shot on goal in the final 45 minutes.

Vancouver snapped a six-game winless run, and three-game losing streak, against Sporting to move within one point of playoff position.

Meanwhile, Sporting could clinch a playoff berth as early as Wednesday – with 12 MLS matches on the mid-week agenda – before traveling to face first-place Seattle at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday in a match nationally broadcast on Univision and TUDN, in addition to local telecasts on Bally Sports Kansas City and Bally Sports Midwest.

Story from Sporting KC

Sporting plays for playoff berth Sunday at Vancouver

Following a restful week off, second-place Sporting Kansas City (15-6-7, 52 points) will continue their push to the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs on Sunday night when the club visits eighth-place Vancouver Whitecaps FC (9-9-10, 37 points) at BC Place in Canada.

The Western Conference clash will kick off at 9:08 p.m. Sunday with three hours of live coverage beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports Midwest, BallySports.com and the Bally Sports app. Supporters can also catch the action locally on ESPN 94.5 FM (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish) and access the Sporting KC mobile app.

Winners in four of their last five matches and trailing first-place Seattle Sounders FC by five points in the Western Conference table, Sporting can secure a spot in the 2021 MLS postseason with a win or a draw on Sunday.

However, manager Peter Vermes’ side may have its playoff berth locked up even before they take the field in Vancouver. If Minnesota United FC lost or tied at Austin FC or the LA Galaxy lose to the Portland Timbers on Saturday night, Sporting will punch its ticket to the postseason. Minnesota won on Saturday night, however, and the LA Galaxy was tied at halftime Saturday night.

Sporting has reached the playoffs in nine of the last 10 seasons and will look to improve upon that mark by ousting a hungry Vancouver team that sits just one point below the playoff line. While Vermes’ men have been regular postseason contenders and won four major championships over the last decade, the Whitecaps are seeking a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017 after enduring three straight losing campaigns.

Sporting most recently took the field on Oct. 3, posting a 4-2 home win over Houston Dynamo FC as captain Johnny Russell bagged a brace to go with goals from MLS MVP candidate Daniel Salloi and midfielder Gadi Kinda. Salloi and Kinda have returned to Kansas City this week after representing Hungary and Israel, during the international window and will aim to continue their scoring ways as Sporting looks to keep pace with Seattle at the top of the division.

Salloi leads MLS with 23 combined goals (16) and assists (seven) and his 16 non-penalty goals are three more than any other MLS player. Kinda, meanwhile, has five goals of his own this year and notably scored in Sporting’s last visit to Vancouver, sparking an away win on the opening day of the 2020 season.

Sunday’s contest will feature two of Major League Soccer’s hottest attacking players in Russell and Vancouver striker Brian White. Russell has tied a club record by scoring in five consecutive regular season matches, bagging six goals during that run, while White has notched nine goals in 10 appearances dating back to Aug. 18.

Russell’s productivity since arriving in Kansas City in 2018 is almost unmatched. He is one of two MLS players alongside Carlos Vela with at least 30 goals and 30 assists in the regular season over the last four years and one of only five MLS players with 10 goals and seven assists in 2021. White, on the other hand, scored once in his first 16 games this season but has found his form under interim head coach Vanni Sartini, who took over on an interim basis in late August after Marc Dos Santos was relieved of his duties.

The Whitecaps were among those at the bottom of the Western Conference standings from 2018 to 2020 but have found their footing this season, especially over the last three months.

From July 17 to Oct. 2, Vancouver lost just once in 15 MLS matches before taking a 4-1 defeat at Seattle last Saturday. Sartini has posted a 4-2-2 record as the interim boss, getting the most out of White and fellow attacker Cristian Dajome, who has eight goals and four assists.

Vancouver have been equally strong defensively: prior to conceding four against Seattle last weekend, goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau and the Whitecaps went on a 337-minute shutout streak, the fifth-longest in MLS this season.

Vancouver has been particularly tough at home, winning five of its last six at BC Place while outscoring opponents 12-4 during that stretch.

Recent history in the head-to-head series has favored Sporting, who are 5-0-1 in the last six regular season meetings and own wins in each of their last three trips to BC Place.

During their six-game unbeaten run against the Whitecaps, Sporting has scored 20 goals and conceded only three.

The teams last met on May 16 at Children’s Mercy Park when Salloi scored and Alan Pulido bagged a brace to spark a 3-0 home win. The most recent meeting at BC Place took place on Feb. 29, 2020, a few weeks before MLS paused due to COVID-19, as Sporting secured a 3-1 victory with goals from Pulido, Kinda and now-departed Erik Hurtado.

Pulido, Sporting’s club-record signing who has eight goals and three assists this season, will miss Sunday’s match through injury and is expected to return near playoff time. Defender Jaylin Lindsey will also be absent as he recovers from a long-term hamstring issue.

Story from Sporting KC

Russell scores 2 in dynamic win over Houston

Forward Johnny Russell scored on a penalty kick in the first half of Kansas City’s 4-2 win over the Houston Dynamo. Russell has scored in five consecutive matches, tying the team record. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

Sporting Kansas City doubled up the Houston Dynamo 4-2 at Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday afternoon. Johnny Russell scored twice, his sixth goals in the past five games, having just renewed his contract with the club for at least the next two years.

The Scottish winger earned his first goal in the 16th minute when he was brought down just inside the penalty area by Houston defender Teenage Hadebe. Though Russell had to wait for a video review, the penalty was confirmed, Hadebe was booked, and Russell slapped the ball confidently inside the right post for the 1-0 lead.

Daniel Salloi doubled the home side’s lead in the 26th minute. After Salloi’s near-miss in the 22nd minute, Gadi Kinda slotted in a pass down the left side of the box that Salloi knocked inside the far post from about 8 yards. The goal was the Hungarian forward’s 16th of the year, just one off the pace of league-leading Ola Kamara of D.C. United.

Blanked in the first half, Houston brought renewed urgency after the halftime break, and shortly had Kansas City under pressure. Goalkeeper Tim Melia made a sliding, spinning save to hold off a shot in the 49th minute, but Houston was right back and scored in the 50th minute, on a Fafa Picault shot aided by defender Griffin Dorsey.

Houston nearly scored again 6 minutes later, but Picault’s possible equalizer was waved away for offsides.

Kansas City earned back its two-goal advantage in the 58th minute. Salloi returned Kinda’s favor and played a give-and-go to the midfielder. Kinda then juked to his right to create an opening and fired home from just outside the 6-yard box.

Houston pulled back within one in the 76th minute on Darwin Quintero’s header of a cross from Picault.

Russell scored again in the final minute of regulation. He created his own opportunity by racing past Houston defender Maynor Figueroa on the right wing and jumping an attempted tackle from Hadebe. Facing only goalkeeper Michael Nelson, Russell curled his shot across the goal and inside the far post.

After the match, manager Peter Vermes extolled Russell’s virtue as a player and team captain.

“You see what he does on the field,” Vermes said, “but he’s an incredible leader with the group. He has a great personality. He’s one of those guys that in the big moments, he doesn’t break. He bends, but he always comes back. He’s got more than just what you see him do on the field. He’s got a big presence in our team. We’re lucky to have him on our team and in our club.”

Forward Alan Pulido came on as a late substitute in his second match back from injury. Pulido struggled to get on the end of some passes forward and looked to have some work to do to get back in game condition.

The win vaulted Kansas City back into first place in the MLS Western Conference. However, Kansas City’s closest rivals, the Seattle Sounders and Colorado Rapids both have two games in hand and can spring back in front with favorable results.

Sporting KC will have a two-week break for international play. Kinda (Israel) and Salloi (Hungary) have both been called up to their national teams.

Kansas City’s next game will be on the road against the Vancouver Whitecaps, although the match will take place in Portland due to Canada’s Covid restrictions. The next home game will be at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27 against the L.A. Galaxy.