Category: Sporting KC

Sporting Kansas City midfielder Gadi Kinda has joined the Israel Men’s National Team for two friendly matches during the FIFA international window in June.

Kinda and Israel will travel to face Montenegro this Saturday, June 5, at Podgorica City Stadium in Podgorica before visiting European powerhouse Portugal on June 9 at Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon. Both matches will kick off at 1:45 p.m.

Kinda, 27, has earned his first selection to Israel’s senior team since fall of 2019 when he was named to the squad for UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying.

The attacking midfielder has yet to make his senior debut, having represented Israel at the U-18, U-19 and U-21 youth levels. Kinda previously featured in qualifying matches for the 2013 UEFA European Under-19 Championship as well as the 2015 and 2017 editions of the UEFA Under-21 Championship.

Led by head coach Willibald Ruttensteiner, Israel is 85th in the latest FIFA rankings and will use the upcoming friendly matches as tune-ups for the start of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying in September.

After facing Montenegro, the Israelis will serve as an exhibition opponent for a star-studded, fifth-ranked Portugal side preparing for the UEFA European Championship later this month.

Born in Ethiopia and raised in Israel, Kinda has reclaimed a national team spot thanks to strong displays as an integral member of Sporting.

The playmaker has recorded three goals and one assist in eight appearances this season for a Sporting side that occupies second place in the Western Conference and boasts a three-game winning streak.

He opened his 2021 scoring account in a 2-1 victory at the New York Red Bulls on April 17 and tallied game-winning goals in exciting home triumphs over Austin FC on May 9 and Houston Dynamo FC on May 29.

An impressive debut season in MLS saw Kinda receive Sporting KC Newcomer of the Year honors last November.

He placed sixth among MLS newcomers in 2020 with 10 combined goals and assists while also creating 26 scoring chances, second-most on the team behind Johnny Russell. He started 16 of 18 regular season appearances and was particularly effective in the early and latter stages of the campaign.

Kinda was the only MLS player to receive Team of the Week honors in Week 1 and 2 and later notched two goals and two assists in his final three regular season matches.

Prior to joining Sporting in early 2020, Kinda logged over 200 professional appearances in Israel. He spent the first seven and a half years of his career at FC Ashdod before moving to Beitar Jerusalem in 2019.

• Story from Sporting KC

by Brian Turrel

On Saturday evening, Children’s Mercy Park was packed and roaring for the first time since March 2020, and Sporting Kansas City treated its 20,086 returning fans to a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over the Houston Dynamo.

Houston scored first, in the 14th minute, setting up Kansas City’s fourth comeback win of the year. The Dynamo had trouble breaking through Kansas City’s midfield defense, but building up a lengthy attack wasn’t necessary when Fafa Picault stripped the ball from Luis Martins near the Kansas City endline.

Picault crossed the ball to Maxi Urruti in the center of the suddenly scrambling Kansas City defense. Urruti laid the ball off to Matias Vera who put it home for the early Houston lead. It was Houston’s only shot of the first half.

Kansas City continued undaunted to control the ball and generate scoring chances. Though none paid off before halftime, Kansas City scored three times in 15 minutes soon after the break.

In the 51st minute, Gianluca Busio provided the highlight of the match on a direct kick earned by Gadi Kinda about 30 yards from the Houston goal. Busio beautifully bent the ball over the wall of defenders and into the upper left corner of the goal. Houston goalkeeper Marko Maric could only watch in amazement.

Alan Pulido scored the go-ahead goal in the 61st minute on a penalty kick he earned when he was brought down by Boniek Garcia in the box.

In the 65th minute, Kansas City broke out on a counterattack with a 5-on-3 advantage. Busio in the center played the ball out left to Kinda, who belted the ball inside the near post for the score.

The crowd noise intensified with each score, and the fast-paced action on the field kept the energy in the stadium high through the end of the match.

In stoppage time, Houston scored an inconsequential goal on a counterattack for the final margin.

After the game, head coach Peter Vermes praised the fans. “They were great,” said the coach. “They were loud. They were so energetic. They haven’t lost their connection to the team. It was just rekindled tonight.”

The win keeps Sporting in second place, just one point behind conference-leading Seattle.

MLS will take a two-week break for international play. Pulido has been called up to the Mexican national team, and will compete in the Concacaf Nations League finals in Denver.

Sporting Kansas City will return to action with a home match against Austin FC at 2 p.m. June 12.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Houston Dynamo FC will visit Sporting Kansas City tonight at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, in front of the first full-capacity crowd allowed at the stadium since early 2020.

A limited number of tickets for the Western Conference clash are available at SeatGeek.com while supplies last. The Sporting Sustainability match is in partnership with Compass Minerals, Missouri Organic Recycling and the Nature Conservancy. The occasion will also see Sporting welcome 1,000 local medical professionals who have served the Kansas City community during the pandemic.

Saturday’s contest will kick off at 7:30 p.m. with three hours of live coverage beginning at 7 p.m. on Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports Midwest Plus, BallySports.com and the Bally Sports app. Listeners can follow the action live locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish), while the Sporting KC app will provide additional in-game updates and exclusive offers. The Final Whistle postgame show will air immediately afterward on 810 WHB.

For the first time in almost 15 months, Children’s Mercy Park will welcome a full house as Sporting transitions to 100% capacity this weekend.

Houston coincidentally served as Sporting’s opponent in the most recent full-capacity match at Children’s Mercy Park on March 7, 2020, as Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda scored on their stadium debuts to spark a 4-0 victory for the hosts.

The fierce rivals have met 37 times in all competitions since 2011, including a hard-fought battle on May 12 that saw the Dynamo prevail 1-0 at home thanks to Maxi Urruti’s 56th-minute strike.

Winners in three of their last four matches, Sporting has jumped to second place in the West behind influential performances across all areas of the field.

Last Saturday’s 3-1 road triumph over the San Jose Earthquakes saw 21-year-old defender Jaylin Lindsey open his professional scoring account before Pulido and Daniel Salloi continued to scorch the nets with second-half goals.

Sporting leads MLS with three comeback wins and nine points from losing positions in 2021, already eclipsing the eight come-from-behind points they claimed in both 2019 and 2020.

Pulido (four goals, one assist) and Salloi (three goals, two assists) enter the weekend as an in-form attacking duo, having scored in back-to-back matches as two of 10 MLS players with five combined goals and assists this season.

Pulido has earned consecutive MLS Team of the Week honors for his excellent displays and is set to join the Mexico Men’s National Team following Saturday’s game for the Concacaf Nations League Finals on June 3 and 6.

In defense, Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia is seeking his sixth straight regular season win dating back to last October, while Ilie Sanchez — deployed almost exclusively as a holding midfielder during his five-year tenure in Kansas City — could be poised to retain a center back role after excelling at the position in Sporting’s previous two matches.

A major milestone is also within touching distance for defender Graham Zusi, who could tie Matt Besler for most competitive appearances in club history (348) if he takes the field against Houston.

Second-year Houston head coach Tab Ramos — who played alongside Sporting manager Peter Vermes at the club and U.S. international level in the 1990s — has guided Houston to fourth place in the West thanks to three early home victories at BBVA Stadium.

Urruti has scored the decisive goal on each occasion and leads MLS with three game-winning strikes this season. However, the Dynamo have been far less successful on their road travels: Houston is 0-2-1 away from home this season and owns a dreary 5-33-9 regular season road record since 2018.

Sporting and Houston have forged a fierce rivalry over the last decade, squaring off in four editions of the MLS Cup Playoffs and five Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups while also meeting frequently in the regular season. The sides locked horns four times during the shortened 2020 regular season, taking two wins apiece.

As part of the league-wide Greener Goals initiative, Sporting and Houston will boast fresh looks on Saturday as they don the new adidas PrimeBlue jerseys made from Parley Ocean plastic.

In partnership with Anheuser-Busch and Parisi Coffee, Sporting will introduce two new beverage additions this weekend at Children’s Mercy Park. Sporting Argyle Amber Ale, a commemorative craft beer inspired by “A Force for Good” and Sporting’s commitment to serve communities across the region, will be available at concessions. In addition, a co-branded Parisi espresso blend honoring Vermes called ” Il Mentore” can be purchased at Sporting Style locations.

• Story from Sporting KC