Category: Sporting KC

The race for first place in the Western Conference will intensify Sunday when Sporting Kansas City (14-6-7, 49 points) plays rival Houston Dynamo FC (5-11-12, 27 points) at world-class Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

The pivotal match will kick off at 3 p.m. and tickets are available at SeatGeek.com as Sporting looks to vault atop the West with a victory ahead of the FIFA international break in October.

Sunday’s contest will be shown live regionally on Bally Sports Kansas City Plus, Bally Sports Midwest Plus, BallySports.com and the Bally Sports app with three hours of live coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. The match will also air nationally in Spanish on UniMas and TUDN while streaming in English via @TUDNUSA on Twitter. Listeners can catch the action locally on ESPN 94.5 FM (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish), and the Sporting KC mobile app will provide additional in-game updates.

The mid-afternoon showdown against Houston will begin six hours before Western Conference leaders Seattle Sounders FC host the third-place Colorado Rapids, who sit a single point behind Sporting in the standings. The team that finishes in first when Decision Day brings the regular season to a dramatic close on Nov. 7 will receive a first-round bye in the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs and advance directly to the conference semifinals in late November.

Sporting kept within two points of Seattle on Wednesday by claiming a 3-1 road win over FC Dallas.

Academy product Daniel Salloi strengthened his league MVP bid with two outstanding goals on either side of halftime and is now one shy of tying the MLS record for most non-penalty goals in a regular season by a homegrown player. The 25-year-old Hungarian international leads MLS with 15 non-penalty goals this year and his 21 total goal contributions (including six assists) are one behind co-leaders Ola Kamara of D.C. United and Hany Mukhtar of Nashville SC.

Captain and fellow forward Johnny Russell also etched his name onto the scoresheet in the midweek triumph, bagging a penalty kick to mark his fourth consecutive game with a goal. The 31-year-old Scottish committed his long-term future to the club by re-signing for Sporting on Thursday and would be the second player in team history alongside Preki to score in five straight regular season matches if he finds the back of the net this weekend.

Under the guidance of head coach Tab Ramos, who played alongside Sporting Manager Vermes on the U.S. Men’s National Team and at the club level in the 1990s, Houston enters the weekend languishing at 12th place in the West.

The Dynamo are 10 points below the playoff line and remain the only MLS team without a road win in 2021, going 0-8-6 on their travels, but have rebounded in recent weeks with two wins and two ties in their last five games. Winger Fafa Picault has notched four of his team-leading 10 goals during the stretch, which included comprehensive road wins over Texas rivals Austin FC and FC Dallas on Sept. 11 and 18.

Sporting and Houston most recently met on May 29 when Vermes’ men posted a wild 3-2 win in the first game back at full capacity at Children’s Mercy Park. Striker Alan Pulido and midfielder Gadi Kinda were among the goal scorers for Sporting — who also received a world-class free kick from now-departed Academy product and U.S. international midfielder Gianluca Busio — while Houston struck through Matias Vera and talented attacker Maxi Urruti.

The Dynamo won the first meeting between the clubs this season 1-0 on May 9 at BBVA Stadium, taking all three points on a 56th-minute goal from Urruti.

Sporting have faced Houston 38 times in all competitions since 2011, more than any other opponent over the last decade.

During that time, the clubs have notably met in four editions of the MLS Cup Playoffs (2011, 2012, 2013, 2017) and five editions of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). Vermes’ side owns a 6-3-2 record in the last 11 regular season meetings dating back to October 2017.

Sporting’s narrow victory over Houston in late May was one of five come-from-behind wins and one of eight three-goal performances for the club this season, both tied for the most in team history.

The club’s success has stemmed from a free-scoring attack that leads the West with 47 goals — Sporting is a perfect 14-0-0 this season when scoring at least twice — as well as an improving backline that has seen goalkeeper Tim Melia post a 12-4-6 record and a .682 winning percentage, the best by a Kansas City keeper in an MLS season since the beginning of the non-shootout era in 2000.

On the opposite sideline, Houston has been a fast starter throughout the year — its eight goals in the first 15 minutes of matches are second-most in the league — but its four goals after the 60th minute rank worst in MLS. During a year that has tended to disappoint more often than not, veteran Tim Parker has provided a defensive bright spot by playing every minute for Houston and leading MLS in minutes (2,520), games played (28) and starts (28).

If Sporting collects three points on Sunday, Vermes would move into a tie for fourth place on Major League Soccer’s all-time chart with 170 regular season coaching wins. Only Bruce Arena of the New England Revolution, Bob Bradley of LAFC, Dominic Kinnear and the late Sigi Schmid have more regular season wins as an MLS head coach than Vermes, who in his 13th season at the helm is the longest tenured manager at one club in league history.

• Information from Sporting KC

Forward Daniel Salloi strengthened his MLS MVP bid with two goals to spark Sporting Kansas City’s 3-1 road victory over FC Dallas on Wednesday night at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

Salloi unfurled a long-range stunner in the early stages and bagged an impressive second in the 61st minute, bookending captain Johnny Russell’s 55th minute penalty kick.

Sporting (14-6-7, 49 points) reclaimed a provisional one-point lead atop the Western Conference standings and became the first team to win twice at FC Dallas (6-13-9, 27 points) in the same season since 2003.

Wednesday’s result saw Sporting improve to a perfect 6-0-0 this year in matches immediately following losses. The win gives manager Peter Vermes’ men momentum heading into a home match on Sunday afternoon against rival Houston Dynamo FC at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Tickets for the 3 p.m. contest, Sporting’s last home game until Oct. 27, are available at SeatGeek.com and fans can catch the action live regionally on Bally Sports Kansas City Plus, Bally Sports Midwest Plus, BallySports.com and the Bally Sports app as well as nationally on UniMas, TUDN and @TUDNUSA on Twitter.

Just 72 hours removed from a 2-1 home loss to Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting rolled out a starting 11 that featured two changes.

Frenchman Remi Walter replaced veteran Roger Espinoza in the center of the park and 20-year-old Cam Duke, customarily deployed as a midfielder, slotted into the right back position as Graham Zusi served a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation.

Salloi opened the scoring in spectacular fashion with 13 minutes on the clock. Left back Luis Martins advanced down the left touchline, received a pass from Gadi Kinda and fed Salloi, who made the goal from 25 yards. His swerving effort screamed past outstretched Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer and nestled into the far right corner, putting the visitors ahead 1-0.

The hosts thought they had equalized in the 18th minute when Ricardo Pepi, who like Salloi was named an MLS All-Star this summer as one of the league’s most prolific homegrown players, stroking home from close range following an incisive Dallas attack. The offside flag was raised, however, and Sporting preserved its one-goal advantage.

Russell, making his 100th career start for the club in all competitions, entered the night with four goals in his previous five games and nearly doubled his side’s lead in the 23rd minute.

After drawing a foul just outside the penalty area, the 31-year-old winger uncorked a blistering free kick that was destined for the left corner. Maurer anticipated the shot well and dove at full extension to produce a save that temporarily denied Russell his eighth goal of the year.

Duke showcased his defensive aptitude on the cusp of halftime, retreating pivotally to cut out a low cross from Jader Obrian that almost reached Pepi on the doorstep.

Dallas had managed a single shot attempt in the first half but began brightly after the restart. Hungarian winger Szabolcs Schon went close to making an instant impact from off the bench, running onto Facundo Quignon’s through ball and lashing a shot over the crossbar from the left side of the box in the 49th minute.

The game’s complexion changed drastically a few minutes later. Sporting forward Khiry Shelton shrugged off a pair of defenders, cut past Bressan, galloped into the box and was chopped down from behind by Dallas midfielder Bryan Acosta, who received his marching orders from referee Jair Marrufo.

Russell stepped to the spot and buried the subsequent spot kick, expertly picking out the bottom right corner for his eighth goal of the 2021 campaign and his fourth in as many games.

Sporting went into cruise control by surging ahead 3-0 on the hour mark. After Dallas relinquished possession in its attacking third, Jose Mauri sprung Salloi free with a long ball down the left channel.

The in-form Sporting KC Academy product charged goalward and sent a left-footed missile high into the roof of the net past Maurer for his 15th goal of the year, second most in MLS behind the 17 scored by D.C. United’s Ola Kamara.

Salloi’s 21 total goal contributions are one off the league lead in 2021 and he is one of nine players in Kansas City history to eclipse 20 combined goals and assists in a single regular season.

Maurer was forced into a reflex save in the 65th minute to thwart Kinda on the breakaway and halt the bleeding for Dallas.

At the opposite end, interim head coach Marco Ferruzzi’s men grabbed a goal back through the influential Pepi, who settled a diagonal through ball from Ryan Hollingshead and raced through on the breakaway before poking into the right corner past Melia for the 13th goal of his breakout campaign.

Pepi threatened once more, chasing a long ball over the top and prompting Melia to drop low for a reflex save just before Marrufo blew his full-time whistle.

• Story from Sporting KC

The race for first place in the Western Conference will continue Wednesday when second-place Sporting Kansas City (13-6-7, 46 points) travels south to face FC Dallas (6-12-9, 27 points) at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. as a pair of MLS charter members square off for the third time this season.

Bally Sports Kansas City Plus, Bally Sports Midwest Plus, BallySports.com and the Bally Sports app will provide three hours of live coverage on Wednesday, kicking off with Sporting KC Live at 6:30 p.m. Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish) will carry the game locally, with The Final Whistle postgame show immediately following on 810 WHB.

Sporting relinquished the top spot in the conference following a 2-1 home loss to leaders Seattle Sounders FC at Children’s Mercy Park.

Captain and forward Johnny Russell scored his fourth goal in five games on the hour mark, but the Sounders had already done damage through Cristian Roldan and Will Bruin to grab their first win in Kansas City since 2013.

Manager Peter Vermes’ side will now look to rebound away from home, having experienced substantial success on away matches over the last two seasons.

Sporting is 11-6-4 on the road since the start of 2020 and went 4-0-2 during a six-game away stretch from July 4 to Aug. 21 before falling at LAFC on Sept. 3.

Goalkeeper Tim Melia has posted shutouts in three of the club’s last four road fixtures, including a 2-0 triumph at FC Dallas on Aug. 14 that saw forwards Daniel Salloi and Alan Pulido both tally a goal and an assist.

Pulido, questionable for Wednesday’s match with a knee ailment, is one of four Sporting players listed on the club’s injury and availability report. Defender Graham Zusi will be absent while he serves a one-game suspension for caution accumulation, fellow right back Jaylin Lindsey remains out nursing a hamstring issue, goalkeeper John Pulskamp will miss out with a facial injury sustained in Sporting KC II’s match versus FC Tulsa last Friday, and midfielder Felipe Hernandez is unavailable for personal reasons.

Russell and Salloi have spurred a prolific Sporting attack that leads the Western Conference with 44 goals this season. The duo will aim to cash in Wednesday against an FC Dallas side that has conceded 16 goals in its last seven matches and hasn’t won a game since Aug. 29.

The club’s recent struggles prompted the Sept. 19 dismissal of head coach Luchi Gonzalez, who has been replaced on an interim basis by FC Dallas Director of Soccer Operations Marco Ferruzzi.

Dallas saw its winless run hit five matches in a narrow 1-0 defeat at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Sept. 25. With five of its next six games at Toyota Stadium — where the team has gone a formidable 31-5-10 in the regular season since the start of 2018 — Dallas will approach Wednesday’s contest as the potential first step toward a late-season turnaround. The team currently occupies 11th place in the West, nine points below the playoff line.

The midweek battle will likely feature the two top-scoring homegrown forwards in Major League Soccer, both of whom landed MLS All-Star recognition this summer.

Salloi is in the midst of a career year, ranking third in the Golden Boot race with 13 goals and placing fourth with 19 total goal contributions (including six assists).

His stat line is remarkably similar to that of 18-year-old Dallas forward Ricardo Pepi, who punctuated his jump into the United States Men’s National Team last month with a goal and two assists against Honduras on Sept. 8. Pepi has 12 goals and three assists on the year, having played one more game than Salloi in 2021.

Pepi is part of a capable Dallas attack that also features fellow homegrown player Jesus Ferreira, who has six goals and six assists this year, as well as in-form winger Jader Obrian. The 26-year-old Obrian scored back-to-back braces in a 3-3 draw at New York City FC on Sept. 14 and a 3-2 loss at Houston Dynamo FC four days later. Defensively, however, Dallas will have to cope with the absence of captain and lynchpin center back Matt Hedges, who is suspended for yellow card accumulation.

On the Sporting sideline, Russell is on the brink of a notable milestone as he approaches his 100th start for the club in all competitions. The dynamic winger recently became just the second MLS player since 2018 to record 30 goals and 30 assists in regular season play alongside LAFC star Carlos Vela. Additionally, veteran midfielder Roger Espinoza is one shy of his 250th regular season start in a Kansas City uniform.

• Story from Sporting KC