Tag: Sporting KC

by Brian Turrel

Sporting Kansas City’s offense went on a tear of productivity on Wednesday night, generating 22 shots. Unfortunately, the Dallas defenders knocked aside so many of those shots that Kansas City settled for a 1-1 draw on their home field.

Dallas’s 14 blocks out of 22 shots (64%) was the highest percentage of blocked shots in an MLS game since 2014. Forward Johnny Russell, on the wrong end of five of those blocks, was frustrated.

“Everything we had seemed to be blocked,” Russell said after the game. “I feel like we created enough chances and just couldn’t get that final touch. That’s the most frustrating part — when you dominate a game that much and you don’t come away with the three points, kind of feels like a defeat.”

Dallas got on the board first, with a goal in the 9th minute. Bryan Acosta picked off a lackadaisical pass near the right corner of the Sporting 18-yard box and rolled it to Franco Jara charging up the middle. Jara chipped the ball over goalkeeper Tim Melia for his first MLS score.

Kansas City equalized the score in first half stoppage time. Gianluca Busio won the ball with a header in the midfield and played it forward to Khiry Shelton. Shelton cycled the ball through Felipe Hernandez and Gerso Fernandes before getting it back on well timed run into the Dallas box. Shelton punched the ball into the right corner past the dive of Houston goalkeeper Kyle Zobeck.

Sporting continued to pile up chances in the second half, and stayed aggressive throughout. Daniel Salloi, on as a substitute in the second half, got a particularly strong opportunity in the 60th minute, forcing Zobeck to make a diving save. However, the final whistle blew with the score still knotted at one apiece.

Sporting will play at the Houston Dynamo on Sept. 5, and then they’ll return home to face Minnesota at Children’s Mercy Park on Sept. 13. The Minnesota game completes the third phase of the MLS regular season. MLS is expected to announce plans for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs within a few days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Following a 1-1 road draw against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City (5-2-1, 16 points) will return to Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday for a showdown with fellow MLS originals FC Dallas (2-1-3, 9 points).

Three hours of live coverage will begin Wednesday at 7 p.m. on FOX Sports Kansas City Plus, FOX Sports Midwest Plus and FOX Sports GO. In Mid-Missouri and Iowa, the game will be shown on Mediacom 22. Listeners can also catch the action locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.

Following detailed safety protocols developed in conjunction with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, Wednesday’s match will be held at a reduced capacity of approximately 14% with extensive safety protocols in place, according to a spokesman for Sporting KC.

Tickets for the game will be available exclusively to Sporting Kansas City season ticket members via lottery and no single-game tickets will be sold by the club on SeatGeek.com or at the stadium box office.

Both teams will be facing quick turnarounds after taking the field last weekend. Sporting overcame a 1-0 deficit in Colorado thanks to a stunning 67th-minute equalizer from 18-year-old midfielder Gianluca Busio, whose standout performance included a game-high five tackles won, seven duels won and completion on 27 of 31 passes.

Busio is one of five Homegrown Players that manager Peter Vermes has relied on in recent weeks, with right back Jaylin Lindsey, forward Daniel Salloi and midfielders Cameron Duke and Felipe Hernandez also earning minutes.

FC Dallas, meanwhile, snapped a four-game winless skid on Saturday with a 3-1 home defeat of Minnesota United FC. The hosts struck twice in the first 12 minutes through diminutive forward Fafa Picault and 19-year-old striker Jesus Ferreira before sealing the result in second-half stoppage time on a goal from defender Reto Ziegler.

Wednesday’s clash will feature one of the league’s best attacks — Sporting leads MLS with 18 goals scored — against one of its best defenses. FC Dallas boasts a 0.67 goals against average, having allowed just four goals in six games this season.

Goalkeeper Jimmy Mauer has made four straight starts since the campaign resumed in mid-August, conceding just twice and making 19 saves during that stretch.

The FC Dallas backline is anchored by veterans Ziegler and Matt Hedges, while head coach Luchi Gonzalez’s attacking options include Ferreira and 31-year-old Czech international Zdenek Ondrasek.

Midfielder Michael Barrios has also enjoyed past success versus Sporting, recording five goals and four assists in 12 regular season appearances against the club.

Sporting’s potent scoring punch has been widespread, as a league-leading nine different players have found the back of the net. Midfielder Gadi Kinda has a team-best four goals, while fellow offseason acquisitions Alan Pulido and Khiry Shelton have three apiece.

On the opposite sideline, Ondrasek has a team-best two goals but hasn’t scored since before MLS suspended play in mid-March.

With Kinda serving a red card suspension, Roger Espinoza sidelined through injury, Ilie Sanchez tending to personal matters and Felipe Gutierrez out for the season, Sporting’s depth will be on display Wednesday.

The possibility of an all-Homegrown midfield looms with Busio, 19-year-old Duke and 22-year-old Hernandez in contention for starts.

The regular season series between these MLS charter members is tied at 25-25-12. Sporting are 8-2-2 in the last 12 home matches against FC Dallas across all competitions, but the Texas outfit won both meetings in 2019. FC Dallas went on a 10-match winless draught at Children’s Mercy Park from 2012-2018 before winning on each of its previous two visits, including a 3-2 result in July 2018 and a 2-0 triumph last summer.

Wednesday marks the continuation of a busy match schedule through the end of the regular season, as clubs will play up to two times per week through Decision Day on Nov. 8 to conclude the 23-game campaign. The MLS Cup Playoffs, featuring an expanded field of 18 teams, are slated to begin on Nov. 20 and culminate with the 25th MLS Cup on Dec. 12.

Fans in attendance on Wednesday will receive a free captain’s armband and have the opportunity to shop for a variety of Kick Childhood Cancer retail items — including limited-edition scarves and beanies — in support of The Victory Project and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. For every beanie sold, Sporting will donate a beanie to Children’s Mercy Hospital for patients battling cancer.

Information from Sporting KC

Gianluca Busio tallied a stunning equalizer from distance as Sporting Kansas City (5-2-1, 16 pts.) salvaged a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids (2-3-2, 8 pts.) at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, on Saturday night.

Sporting extended its lead atop the MLS Western Conference.

Busio scored 10 minutes after Cole Bassett had given the hosts the lead, before Sporting closed out the result with 10 men after Gadi Kinda received his second yellow card in the 78th minute.

Busio, deployed in an unfamiliar defensive midfield role these past three games, shone once again and picked the perfect time to score his first goal of the season and first since scoring in three straight games from March to April, 2019.

Sporting started the game on the front foot in the Colorado altitude, as Khiry Shelton slipped Alan Pulido into the area down the right channel, but the striker’s low effort was well blocked away by William Yarbrough in the Rapids goal.

The visitors kept the pressure on and almost found the opener in the eighth minute when Busio’s corner was cleared only as far as Gerso Fernandes, and his stinging drive flashed narrowly wide of the top corner.

Sporting was forced into two first-half changes due to injury, with the first coming in the 15th minute as Roger Espinoza departed the match with a hamstring concern and was replaced by Homegrown midfielder Felipe Hernandez.
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Gerso was causing the Rapids all sorts of problems with his movement in the first half which almost led to the opening goal in the 29th minute. The speedy winger latched on to a long ball from the backline before laying it off to Pulido, but his low effort from the edge of the area was charged down.

In the 40th minute, Sporting was forced to spurn their second of three substitution moments as New Zealand international Winston Reid pulled up with a groin complaint and Roberto Puncec checked in to replace him.

A mere minute later, Sporting almost took the lead. A cross from the left wing evaded the host of bodies in the area and squirmed out to Graham Zusi on the right wing, and his low drive trickled agonizingly wide of the far post as the two teams headed into the halftime interval scoreless.

Colorado began the second half with added impetus and seriously threatened the SKC goal for the first time when Keegan Rosenberry latched onto a loose ball in the Sporting half and forced Tim Melia into a sharp save low to his left in the 49th minute.

The Rapids found the breakthrough in the 57th minute when Designated Player Younes Namli dribbled at the Sporting backline before flicking a pass into the path of former Kansas City striker Diego Rubio, who smartly dummied the ball which allowed Cole Bassett to smash home his first goal of the year.

The two sides traded blows in the minutes that followed as first Kinda fired a low left-footed shot into the side netting before Rapids substitute Jonathan Lewis forced Melia into another solid save low to his right.

Sporting found the equalizer exactly 10 minutes after falling behind. After Johnny Russell’s corner kick was cleared only as far as Busio, the 18-year-old controlled the ball and struck a fizzing effort beyond Yarbrough from 20 yards out to level the game.

Revitalized, Sporting pushed for the go-ahead goal in the minutes that followed as first Russell fired over the bar from distance before Pulido was denied by Yarbrough after leaving two Rapids defenders in his wake.

The momentum would shift once again in the 78th minute as Kinda was shown his second yellow card of the night and was sent off after catching Rubio on the ankle. Colorado almost took immediate advantage as Namli’s cross from the right was fired into the side-netting by Lewis.

The Rapids continued to press as the clock ticked down, but Sporting held firm defensively to see out an important point on the road.

Sporting KC now heads home to prepare for a Wednesday night bout with FC Dallas at Children’s Mercy Park. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on FOX Sports KC Plus and Sports Radio 810 WHB.

Story from Sporting KC