15 minute read
SPORTING KANSAS CITY
Sporting Kansas City (6-14-5, 23 pts.) travels south to take on second-place Austin FC (13-5-6, 44 pts.) on Saturday night, marking the second meeting between the two teams in the space of 14 days.
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Two weeks ago, Austin rode into Children’s Mercy Park and capitalized on some Sporting errors to claim a 2-0 victory. Cam Duke was shown a pair of yellow cards late in the first half for Sporting before Austin midfielder Alex Ring’s low effort slipped through the grasp of John Pulskamp and into the back of the net on the stroke of halftime. MLS MVP candidate Sebastian Driussi sealed the win late on.
Sporting and Austin split the regular-season series 1-1-1 during Austin’s expansion season in 2021. On May 9, 2021, Sporting fought back from a halftime deficit to record a 2-1 victory as late goals from Ilie Sanchez and Gadi Kinda buoyed Sporting to all three points.
Austin returned to Kansas City just over a month later and again raced into a firsthalf lead through Cecilio Dominguez. Sporting scrapped back to earn a 1-1 draw after Daniel Salloi found the equalizer midway through the second half.
The third and final meeting saw Sporting make their first-ever visit to Q2 Stadium on the penultimate day of the season. Austin raced into a three-goal lead on the night before Johnny Russell pulled a goal back to make the final score 3-1.
Austin finished second to last in their expansion season in 2021, but have gone from strength to strength in 2022 and currently sit second in the West.
#ATXvSKC: Recent Meetings (Austin leads 2-1-1 in regular season) Date Score Result Details
07/30/2022 KC 0 vs ATX 2 L Duke sent off in first half before Ring and Driussi win it for ATX 11/03/2021 KC 1 at ATX 3 L Russell nabs consolation after Driussi, Cascante & Stroud goals 06/12/2021 KC 1 vs ATX 1 T Salloi tallies equalizer after Dominguez gives Austin the lead 05/09/2021 KC 2 vs ATX 1 W Ilie and Kinda score late goals to secure three points at home
#ATXvSKC: PLAYER HISTORY
• Forward Johnny Russell leads the team with one goal and two assists vs.
Austin. He set up Ilie Sanchez’s goal in the 2-1 home win on May 9, 2021 before assisting on Daniel Salloi’s equalizer in the 1-1 home draw on June 12, 2021. He also scored in the 3-1 road loss on Nov. 3, 2021. • Midfielder Gadi Kinda has scored once and added one assist against Austin
FC, netting the game-winner in the 2-1 home win on May 9, 2021 - the first-ever meeting between the two teams. He added an assist in the 3-1 road loss on Nov. 3, 2021. • Forward Daniel Salloi has scored once against Austin, tallying the equalizer in the 1-1 home draw on June 12, 2021. • Forward Khiry Shelton has recorded one assist against Austin FC, setting up
Gadi Kinda’s late winner in the 2-1 home win on May 9, 2021. • Goalkeeper Tim Melia is 0-1-1 all-time against Austin FC, with a 2.00 goals against average. • Goalkeeper John Pulskamp is 1-1-0 all-time against Austin FC with a 1.50 goals against average.
#ATXvSKC: PLAYER/COACH CONNECTIONS
• Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff spent two stints with the Kansas City Wizards during his playing career (2003-2006, 2008-2010) and was inducted to the
Sporting Legends hall of honor in 2019. • Austin FC assistant coach Davy Arnaud spent 10 seasons with the Kansas City
Wizards/Sporting KC from 2002-2011. • Sporting defender Ben Sweat spent the 2021 season with Austin FC, but made just two appearances before suffering a torn ACL in the second game in club history on April 24, 2021 in Colorado. • Defender Ben Sweat was teammates with Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver at the Columbus Crew in 2014 and New York City FC from 2018-2019, while he was also teammates with Ethan Finlay and Hector Jimenez at the Crew in 2014 and with Alex Ring at NYCFC from 2017-2019. • Prior to becoming a MLS league pool goalkeeper, Tim Melia was under contract with Chivas USA in 2013 when Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver was assigned to the club as the league pool goalkeeper at the time. • Goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh was teammates with Austin’s Julio Cascante at the Portland Timbers from 2018-2019 as well as Jared Stroud at the New York
Red Bulls in 2020. McIntosh was also coached by current Austin FC goalkeeping coach Preston Burpo at the Red Bulls in 2020. • Manager & Sporting Director Peter Vermes played alongside Austin FC Sporting
Director Claudio Reyna on the U.S. National Team from 1994-1997. • Austin FC head athletic trainer Satoshi Iida spent four years with Sporting KC as an assistant athletic trainer from 2017-2020.
#ATXvSKC: BY THE NUMBERS
Sporting KC Team Notes
• Sporting snapped a five-match winless run in all competitions with a 4-2 victory over the LA Galaxy last Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park. • Sporting is the only club to reach the U.S. Open Cup semifinals, MLS conference semifinals or Concacaf Championship League semifinals in each of the last six seasons since 2017. • Sporting are 5-2-2 when scoring first and 1-12-1 when conceding first during the regular season. • Sporting rank last in MLS in points per match (0.92), goals (23), goals per match (0.92) and expected goals per match (0.99). • Sporting rank last in MLS in big chances created (20) and second-to-last in shot conversion rate (8.7%). • SKC have conceded 29 goals on the road, the most in MLS at 2.23 per match. • Sporting went 426 minutes without scoring in all competitions prior to scoring in the 10th minute of the 4-2 win over LA Galaxy last Saturday. • Ten of Sporting’s 16 regular season assists have come from Sporting KC Academy products.
Sporting KC Player Notes
• Forward Johnny Russell leads Sporting with eight goals in all competitions, while fellow winger Daniel Salloi ranks second with seven. • Midfielder Felipe Hernandez leads Sporting with four assists in all competitions and has appeared in all 29 competitive matches this season. He also leads the team with 27 interceptions in the regular season. • Midfielder Remi Walter leads MLS in distance covered (167.9 miles), ranks third among field players in recoveries (189) and leads SKC with 26 key passes. His three goals are a career-high for a single league season dating back to 2013. • Midfielder Remi Walter is the only Sporting player to start in all 25 MLS matches this year and has been on the field for 97% of Sporting’s regular season (2,183 minutes).
Austin FC Team Notes
• Austin lead MLS in goals scored (50) and ranks second in goals/match (2.08). • Austin lead MLS in assists (51) and home goals per match (2.55). • Austin are 5-2-4 at home but have won just three of their last nine home matches at Q2 Stadium (3-2-4 record) after winning their first two. • Austin have one loss in their last 10 regular season matches, a 4-3 setback to the New York Red Bulls at home on July 24. • Austin have conceded seven goals in their last two home matches, the 4-3 loss to New York and a 3-3 draw against San Jose last Saturday, and allowed 12 goals in their last five home matches since May 22 (1-1-3 record). • Austin are 4-3-4 when conceding the first goal this season. Their four wins when falling behind are the second most in MLS behind CF Montreal’s five. • Austin are tied for the MLS lead with 17 points gained from losing positions, consisting of four wins and five draws. • According to Opta, Austin has outperformed its expected goals number by 11.9, at least three goals better any other team (50 goals scored, 38.1 xG).
Austin FC Player Notes
• Midfielder Sebastian Driussi leads MLS with 16 goals, while fellow attacker Maxi Urruti leads the league with five game-winning goals. Five of Urruti’s seven goals have been match-winners, while only one of Driussi’s 16 have been match-winners. • Midfielder Sebastian Driussi leads MLS with 23 goal contributions (16 goals, seven assists) and has scored or assisted in each of his last seven appearances since July 4. He has five goals in his last three games. • Midfielder Diego Fagundez is tied for fourth in MLS with a career-high 10 assists. • Goalkeeper Brad Stuver has a 12-2-6 record as a starter this season with seven shutouts and a 1.19 goals against average.
NOTEWORTHY MILESTONES
• Midfielder Felipe Hernandez is one shy of his 50th career regular season appearance for Sporting. • Manager Peter Vermes is set to reach 600 matches played or coached for
Sporting on Saturday.
SPORTING KC SOCIAL PROPERTIES
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Sporting KC Game Notes | August 13, 2022 at Austin FC | SportingKC.com/Game-Notes SPORTING KANSAS CITY NEWS AND NOTES
BACK TO WINNING WAYS AT HOME
Sporting Kansas City finally snapped both a five-game winless run in all competitions and a five-game home losing streak this past Saturday when the team confidently dispatched the LA Galaxy by a 4-2 scoreline behind goals from newcomers Erik Thommy and Willy Agada (2), along with a strike from Daniel Salloi.
The five-game home losing streak in MLS play - stretching back to the 1-0 defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps FC on May 28 - was the longest home losing run in club history. The club now has nine matches left in the MLS regular season to try to make any noise in the MLS Cup Playoffs picture. Sporting currently sits 10 points out of the seventh and final spot for a berth in the postseason, currently occupied by the Portland Timbers with 33 points.
If the team can build on last Saturday’s home victory, there will be an opportunity as the club plays five of their final nine regular-season matches at Children’s Mercy Park, leaving 15 points on the table at home.
Sporting has work to do this season not only to stand a chance of making the postseason, but inversely to avoid finishing dead last in the league for the first time in club history. Sporting is currently in second-to-last place in the Supporters’ Shield standings, one point ahead of a D.C. United team that has two games in hand. Sporting ranks last in MLS in points per match (0.92).
Following Saturday’s match against high-scoring Austin FC, Sporting will see their postseason fate crystallize with a pair of home games against Portland (Aug. 21) and the San Jose Earthquakes (Aug. 27).
AUSTIN BECKONS FOR SECOND TIME IN 14 DAYS
For the second time in the last two weeks, Sporting Kansas City is set to take on second-place Austin FC. Sporting hosted the Texas side at Children’s Mercy Park on July 30, falling to an ill-fated 2-0 defeat, and will now pay just their second-ever visit to Q2 Stadium on Saturday night to take on the high-flying Austinites.
Two weeks ago, Sporting and Austin played out a relatively even match that was defined by a few major flashpoints. First, Sporting midfielder Cam Duke received two yellow cards in the space of four minutes late in the first half to reduce the hosts to 10 men before Alex Ring’s low shot squirmed through the grasp of John Pulskamp on the stroke of halftime. Sporting stayed in the game until the closing moments when Driussi boosted his case for MLS MVP with a well-taken finish into the corner to make the score 2-0.
The two teams split the season series 1-1-1 in 2021, with Sporting going an unbeaten 1-0-1 at home and losing their only visit to Q2 Stadium to date.
AGADA FIRES HOME BRACE
Sporting Kansas City enjoyed a thorough 4-2 victory over the LA Galaxy at Children’s Mercy Park last Saturday, with newly signed forward Willy Agada bagging his first two goals for the club just before halftime. VAR confirmed that his first goal crossed the line in the 40th minute before Agada slotted him Daniel Salloi’s cross in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time.
Agada - who earned a spot on the MLS Team of the Week bench - is one of 11 different players to start at the center forward position since the start of 2020.
SPORTING KC STARTERS AT CENTER FORWARD SINCE START OF 2020
CENTER FORWARD GS GLS AST
Khiry Shelton 31 3 6 Alan Pulido 26 14 8 Gadi Kinda 4 0 3 Nikola Vujnovic 4 0 0 Erik Hurtado 3 2 0 Willy Agada 2 2 0 Gianluca Busio 2 1 0 Johnny Russell 2 1 0 Daniel Salloi 2 0 0 Wilson Harris 1 0 0 Felipe Hernandez 1 0 0
THOMMY OPENS HIS ACCOUNT
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Erik Thommy opened his account for the club during last Saturday’s 4-2 victory over the LA Galaxy at Children’s Mercy Park. Thommy, who signed for Sporting as a free agent after running down his contract with VfB Stuttgart in Germany, volleyed home a stunning effort in the 10th minute to send Sporting on their way to all three points.
Thommy’s goal, a result of terrific build-up play between Willy Agada and Daniel Salloi before Roger Espinoza dinked a gorgeous ball into his path, was nominated for MLS Goal of the Week for the precision shown by the German in both his chest control and finish on the turn.
ACADEMY MID BAZAN REPS AT MLS NEXT ALL-STAR GAME
Sporting KC Academy and Sporting KC II midfielder Edgar Bazan represented the club as one of 45 players selected for the first inaugural MLS NEXT All-Star Game earlier this week. The match occurred Wednesday morning at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota as a part of the MLS All-Star festivities.
That visit to Austin came on the penultimate day of the season, with first place still within reach for Sporting. Austin FC raced into a 1-0 lead within the first minute through Driussi before Julio Cascante added a second before the break. Jared Stroud fired home a third shortly after halftime before Johnny Russell headed home a consolation midway through the second half as Austin closed out their home slate with a 3-1 win.
Sporting remains 10 points out of the seventh and final MLS Cup Playoffs spot in the Western Conference with nine games left to play, but Saturday’s match marks the final match of the season against a team that is more than 13 points ahead of SKC.
SALLOI PRODUCES ONE GOAL, TWO ASSIST PERFORMANCE
Sporting Kansas City Homegrown forward Daniel Salloi produced one of his best performances of the 2022 season this past Saturday when he bagged a goal and two assists to lead Sporting to a 4-2 victory over the LA Galaxy at Children’s Mercy Park.
Salloi played a role in the build-up to Erik Thommy’s opener, combining with Willy Agada up front before laying the ball off to Roger Espinoza who found Thommy streaking through on goal. Salloi was awarded a secondary assist on the goal for his involvement.
Late in the first half, Salloi earned a primary assist as he chased down Graham Zusi’s searching pass from right back, latching onto the ball in the area and squaring a brilliant cross over to Agada who plundered home his second of the night.
With the Galaxy clawing their way back into the game late on, Salloi made the points safe in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time when he pounced on Julian Araujo’s weak backpass and prodded the ball beyond Jonathan Bond in the Galaxy goal for his fifth goal of the MLS season and seventh in all competitions in 2022.
Salloi, a finalist for MLS MVP in 2021, has struggled to put up the same numbers from last season (16 goals, 10 assists in all comps) with a host of injury issues plauging the team in 2022, but has still put up a respectable seven goals and three assists in all competitions for the club, second in both categories behind Johnny Russell who has eight goals and Felipe Hernandez who has four assists. Bazan earned a spot in the starting XI, played 45 minutes and provided a spark on both sides of the pitch for the West as they took a 1-0 lead over the East All-Stars into the half. The East went on to defeat the West 2- 1 after scoring twice in the final moments of the match.
Bazan will return to Kansas City and rejoin SKC II for the final five matches of the MLS NEXT Pro regular season. Head coach Benny Feilhaber and SKC II also return to Kansas City for a match against Timbers2 on Sunday, Aug. 14 at 5 p.m. CT.
#SKCvLA QUOTES
Manager & Sporting Director Peter Vermes...
On Willy Agada’s celebration after his first goal: “I’ve never been strangled, how about that? He came running and wanted to jump and for me to catch him. I’m a decently fit guy, but I don’t know if I was catching that. It was good. He told me yesterday if he scored, he’s going to do that. I was a little bit prepared.”
On Thommy’s goal: “A world-class finish. First off, you’re running, you take the ball off your chest, you still got in the air, and you hit the full volley, technically clean as could be. Just a great run, but also a great ball. We work on that run and that movement a lot. I actually feel pretty good about it because as much as we work on it, it showed up in the game. We’ve done that kind of stuff before, but sometimes you miss or the guy misses a part. Maybe he does the first touch, but not the second touch. It was just very rewarding for a lot of the work that we do.”
On what clicked on the night: “We’ve been there, we’ve been in front of the goal quite a bit. I wish I had the answer, and I would say that every other coach and fan in the world wishes they had the answer for that. I don’t have the answer. I think we have it in us. We have very good players on our team. We just have to be snipers in front of the goal. We get great chances and tonight we were good. It’s also good to score opportunistic goals and we did that.”
