Category: Sporting KC

Sporting Kansas City (9-4-3, 30 points) will reach the halfway point of the 2021 MLS regular season on Wednesday when the club visits LAFC (6-5-5, 23 points) in a Western Conference clash at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.

Bally Sports Kansas City Plus, Bally Sports Midwest Plus, BallySports.com and the Bally Sports app will air three hours of live coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ahead of kickoff at 9:30 p.m. Listeners can also catch the action locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish), while the Sporting KC app will provide additional in-game updates.

Manager Peter Vermes’ side saw its five-game unbeaten run and 11-game regular season home unbeaten streak end Saturday in a frustrating 2-1 loss to FC Dallas at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Paxton Pomykal and Jesus Ferreira struck early in each half for the visitors, and although captain Johnny Russell grabbed a goal back in the 85th minute on a Daniel Salloi assist, Sporting’s spirited late rally fell short.

Russell now has three goals in his last four games, while Salloi is tied for the MLS lead with 13 combined goals (nine) and primary assists (four) as one of the league’s premier players this season.

When Salloi assisted Russell’s header last weekend, Sporting’s talented crop of Academy products extended a collective streak that underscores the club’s Homegrown reliance.

Dating back to May 16, during a stretch in which Sporting has posted a 7-2-2 record, Academy products have scored or assisted in 11 successive MLS matches.

On the opposite sideline, no MLS player has scored more goals (59) or contributed more combined goals and assists (96) than LAFC star forward Carlos Vela.

The prolific Vela navigated injury problems at the start of 2021, but the dynamic attacker has hit full form over the last fortnight with goals in four straight games. Complementing Vela are Diego Rossi, the reigning MLS Golden Boot winner with 47 goals over the last four seasons, and unsung midfielder Jose Cifuentes, who has scored or assisted in seven of his last nine appearances.

Sporting has won three of five regular season meetings against LAFC all-time, including a 2-1 comeback victory on June 26 at Children’s Mercy Park. After Kim Moon-Hwan gave the visitors an early lead, Sporting rallied in the second half with goals from Pulido and Salloi to claim victory.

Sporting leads MLS with 17 points gained from losing positions, eight more than any other team, while LAFC’s 14 points dropped from winning positions are the most in MLS. Head coach Bob Bradley’s team enjoyed a three-match winning run to begin the month of July, but a last-gasp loss at Portland followed by consecutive 2-2 home draws against Vancouver and Minnesota have stunted momentum.

Sporting has competed at or near the top of the West even though numerous players have missed action through injury or international duty. Entering Wednesday’s trip to Los Angeles, however, only two players are ruled out or questionable: midfielder Felipe Hernandez will be absent for personal reasons, while fellowing Sporting KC Academy product Cam Duke is day-to-day with a hamstring issue. Elsewhere, Gold Cup champion Gianluca Busio and runner-up Alan Pulido have concluded international duty with the United States and Mexico.

Wednesday marks the start of a frantic stretch that will see Sporting play six matches in 18 days. This week proves particularly difficult with trips to LAFC and the fourth-place Colorado Rapids on the horizon.

Following a Leagues Cup quarterfinal clash against Club Leon on Aug. 10, Sporting will travel to FC Dallas on Aug. 14, host the Portland Timbers on Aug. 18 and trek to Minnesota United FC on Aug. 21. This congested run marks the first time that Sporting has played six times in 18 days since Feb. 28 to March 17 in 2019, when Vermes’ men juggled the start of the regular season with the Concacaf Champions League.

• Story from Sporting KC

Sporting Kansas City (9-4-3, 30 points) fell 2-1 to FC Dallas (4-7-5, 17 points) on Saturday night at Children’s Mercy Park, suffering its first regular season home loss since September 2020.

Paxton Pomykal and Jesus Ferreira struck early in each half for the visitors, and although captain Johnny Russell grabbed a goal back in the 85th minute, Sporting’s spirited late rally wasn’t enough to extend an 11-game home unbeaten run.

Saturday’s frustrating defeat keeps Sporting in second place in the Western Conference, three points behind leaders Seattle Sounders FC.

Dallas, meanwhile, broke a club-record eight-match road losing streak that dated back to November 2020 and improved to 5-0-1 in its last six meetings against Sporting.

An unchanged Sporting Kansas City side from last Sunday’s 3-1 road win over Seattle Sounders FC fell behind inside three minutes.

A well-worked Dallas attack culminated with Ryan Hollingshead playing to Pomykal, who picked out the low left corner with an impressive 20-yard strike past goalkeeper Tim Melia.

The goal was Pomykal’s first of the season and the earliest conceded by Sporting since June 23, 2018.

The visitors could have doubled their advantage in the eighth minute, but Ricardo Pepi’s close-range chip shot at a tight angle was repelled by Melia.

Sporting gradually grew into the game from there, with Gadi Kinda on the end of two fleeting chances near the half-hour mark. His bouncing header off a pinpoint Graham Zusi cross was smothered by Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Mauer before another headed attempt — this one off a looping Daniel Salloi cross — skipped marginally wide.

Dallas had scored twice in its first seven away matches this season but doubled that haul in the 51st minute.

Following a giveaway at midfield, head coach Luchi Gonzalez’s side cashed in as Ferreira sent an excellent curler into the top right corner from the top of the box. The homegrown forward now has three goals in five career appearances against Sporting, including two at Children’s Mercy Park.

Playing their 400th regular season home match, Sporting gained steam as the second half wore on and almost halved the deficit in the 54th minute. Salloi dashed onto Russell’s high-arching long ball and lobbed his shot over the bar with multiple defenders putting him under duress and Mauer advanced well off his line.

Sporting amplified their pressure and were unlucky not to find the back of the net in the 60th minute. Kinda’s low drive was cast aside by the outstretched Mauer, Salloi was toppled to the turf by Ema Twumasi on the rebound and Russell’s follow-up effort was blocked through traffic.

Shortly after Dallas substitute Jader Obrian spurned a chance to put the game to bed on the breakaway, Kinda tucked the ball into the back of the net amid a chaotic goalmouth scramble. However, the linesman had raised his flag after Salloi was deemed to be offside in the buildup to the goal.

Russell delivered Sporting a deserved goal in the 85th minute, snapping a powerful header low across Mauer off Salloi’s teasing delivery from the right wing. The Scottish winger has three goals in his last four appearances, while Salloi is tied for the MLS lead with 13 combined goals (nine) and primary assists (four).

Salloi’s helper also extended a streak as Sporting KC Academy products have now scored or assisted in 11 straight matches.

Manager Peter Vermes’ men pushed hard in search of a late leveler, but Dallas leveraged the waning clock to their advantage and emerged with all three points.

Sporting will have an opportunity to bounce back quickly as it begins a stretch of six matches in 18 days starting next week. First is a challenging road trip to LAFC (6-5-5, 23 points) on Wednesday, with kickoff at Banc of California Stadium slated for 9:30 p.m. Fans can catch the action live on Bally Sports Kansas City Plus, Bally Sports Midwest Plus, BallySports.com and the Bally Sports app.

• Story from Sporting KC

Second-place Sporting Kansas City (9-3-3, 30 points) will put a five-game unbeaten streak on the line Saturday when it plays longtime Western Conference foe FC Dallas (3-7-5, 14 points) at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. and a limited number of tickets for the match are available at SeatGeek.com.

Bally Sports Kansas City Plus, Bally Sports Midwest Plus, BallySports.com and the Bally Sports app will provide three hours of live coverage on Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. The contest will also air locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish), with The Final Whistle postgame show immediately following on 810 WHB. The Sporting KC app will give additional in-game updates.

Sporting will recognize the service and sacrifice of military members and their families on Saturday when the club celebrates its fourth annual Sporting Salutes, held in partnership with match sponsor Hallmark.

Five military medical personnel will be honored during an on-field ceremony before kickoff, featuring representation from the U.S. Navy, the Kansas National Guard and the U.S. Air Force’s 303rd Fighter Squadron.

Also, COVID vaccines will be given at 7:30 p.m. through halftime at the Mazuma Plaza at Children’s Mercy Park, in partnership with the Unified Government. All fans who have tickets and are eligible for the shot may get a vaccine, and will receive a Sporting KC scarf.

Riding a wave of momentum, Sporting is 7-1-2 in its last 10 matches and posted a statement 3-1 road victory over West Seattle Sounders FC last weekend.

Manager Peter Vermes’ men are three points shy of first place in the Supporters’ Shield race, owning a game in hand on leaders New England Revolution, and haven’t lost at Children’s Mercy Park since September 2020. Sporting’s 11-game home unbeaten run in the regular season is the third longest in club history, one shy of moving into a tie for second longest.

Red-hot forward Daniel Salloi has led the way for a Sporting attack that tops MLS with 1.87 goals per match. The 25-year-old Sporting KC Academy product has a league-best 12 combined goals (nine) and primary assists (three) as well as five game-winning goals.

Captain Johnny Russell has also caught fire in recent weeks, tallying two goals and three assists during the month of July, while center back Andreu Fontas, goalkeeper Tim Melia and emerging 20-year-old midfielder Cam Duke — who opened his MLS scoring account in Seattle — have also given Sporting major lifts.

Saturday’s showdown will feature a pair of MLS originals that take pride in developing homegrown talent.

On the Sporting sideline, Salloi, Duke, Gianluca Busio, Jaylin Lindsey, Kaveh Rad, Wilson Harris and Felipe Hernandez have together accounted for 15 of Sporting’s 28 goals and nine of 23 assists this year.

Remarkably enough, Sporting KC Academy products have scored or assisted in 10 consecutive matches dating back to May 16.

Dallas, meanwhile, has seen 18-year-old forward Ricardo Pepi blossom into one of the best teenage attackers in American soccer. The U.S. youth international ranks fifth in MLS with eight goals and erupted for a hat trick in a 4-0 home triumph against the LA Galaxy last Saturday.

Busio is one of five Sporting players ruled out for Saturday’s game. The 19-year-old midfielder has helped the U.S. Men’s National Team reach the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Final, where they will square off against Sporting striker Alan Pulido and archrivals Mexico on Sunday night in Las Vegas.

While Busio and Pulido are out for international duty, Hernandez will be absent for personal reasons and Amadou Dia and Grayson Barber won’t be available due to health and safety protocols.

Led by head coach Luchi Gonzalez, FC Dallas boasts a strong record against Sporting in recent meetings. The Texas side has four wins and a draw in the last five head-to-head matchups and wields an impressive 3-0-1 record in its last four visits to Children’s Mercy Park.

Dallas has lost all seven away matches this season and its eight-game road losing streak dating back to the end of 2020 is the longest in team history. Dallas has gone unbeaten at home in 2021, collecting three wins and five draws at Toyota Stadium, but its seven defeats on the road have condemned the club to 10th place in the West.

After missing each of the last two matches due to health and safety protocols, Vermes will return to the sidelines this weekend. Should he lead his team to victory on Saturday, it would be his 200th coaching win for the club in all competitions.

Vermes’ men are on pace to collect 68 points in the regular season, which would eclipse the club record of 63 points set in 2012.

• Story from Sporting KC