Busio Strikes Again as Sporting Ties FC Cincinnati
April 7, 2019 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
Sporting Kansas City (2-1-2, 8 points) battled back to claim a 1-1 road draw with expansion side FC Cincinnati (2-2-2, 8 points) on Sunday afternoon at Nippert Stadium. After falling behind to Darren Mattocks' 19th-minute penalty kick, Sporting equalized through blossoming Academy product Gianluca Busio in the 62nd minute to secure a point and extend the club's regular-season unbeaten run to four matches.
At 16 years and 314 days, Busio becomes the youngest player in Major League Soccer history to score in back-to-back regular season matches, having opened his 2019 scoring account in last Saturday's 7-1 home victory over the Montreal Impact.
Less than 72 hours removed from a Concacaf Champions League defeat to CF Monterrey in Mexico, Manager Peter Vermes fielded a vastly different lineup on Sunday. Among the eight changes were Sporting KC and MLS debutant Gedion Zelalem, who joined Busio and captain Ilie Sanchez in midfield. In defense, goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas earned his MLS debut, while veteran outside backs Nicolas Hasler and Rodney Wallace also logged their first league appearances for the club. Further up the pitch, Yohan Croizet made his first start of the year as a central forward, flanked by wingers Kelyn Rowe and Johnny Russell.
Zendejas was forced into action within 35 seconds of kickoff. Allan Cruz's low cross from the right wing reached U.S. international Kenny Saief, who saw his near-post effort repelled by the spry 23-year-old. The visitors were quick to reply, however, as Rowe created a turnover that set Croizet free down the left channel, but Cincinnati goalkeeper Spencer Richey produced a reflex save to deny the Frenchman.
Referee Ismael Elfath's first major involvement came in the 19th minute when he awarded the hosts a penalty after Fontas nudged Roland Lamah inside the box. Mattocks coolly converted the ensuing spot kick to Zendejas' left, becoming FC Cincinnati's eighth different goal scorer of the MLS campaign.
Sporting's indifferent start was compounded in the 27th minute when Wallace sustained an injury, prompting Seth Sinovic to enter the fray. Not long later, an impressive kick-save from Zendejas prevented Mattocks from bagging his brace and doubling the lead.
At the opposite end, Sporting spurned a golden opportunity to restore parity in the 33rd minute when Busio's deflected shot fell favorably to Rowe and was steered narrowly over the crossbar. Some 30 seconds later, Mattocks continued to wreak havoc with a bending strike that rattled the woodwork and ushered Sporting sighs of relief. The forward was then thwarted by Zendejas from close range after Sporting failed to clear a free kick delivery on the stroke of halftime.
Hasler helped Sporting manufacture the first decent look of the second period, winning a tackle on the edge of the penalty area and allowing Russell to scoop up the loose ball and poke a shot just wide in the 49th minute.
The contest burst into life near the hour mark when both sides exchanged agonizing misses. Croizet ran onto Fontas' brilliant through ball and unleashed a laser that was pushed aside by Richey, and although Sporting were able to keep the play alive, substitute Felipe Gutierrez's strike near the penalty spot was blocked through traffic. FC Cincinnati wasted a chance of their own when Mattocks played substitute Kekutah Manneh clean through on goal, only for the pacy winger to pull his shot wide of the mark.
Busio's historic strike leveled terms in the 62nd minute. Rowe's searching ball over the top caused confusion between Richey and defender Greg Garza, allowing the U.S. youth international to swoop in, win possession and slot into an empty net from a tight angle. The goal was Busio's second in as many MLS matches and the third of his Sporting KC career, and it gave Vermes' side newfound momentum heading into the final half-hour.
Nick Hagglund thought he had nodded Cincinnati ahead once more in the 84th minute, his six-yard header beating Zendejas inside the near post, but the offside flag was raised. Seven minute later, Sporting's last opportunity of the day went begging when Russell curled one over the bar following quick buildup involving Busio and Rowe.
In the final addition to a compelling plotline, Zendejas made sure Sporting split the points with a finger-tip save in the 94th minute after Leonardo Bertone put a dipping free kick on frame.
With a two-game road trip in the books, Sporting Kansas City will return to Children's Mercy Park for back-to-back home fixtures next week. Vermes' men will host Monterrey in the decisive second leg of the Concacaf Champions League Semifinals at 8 p.m. CT Thursday-hoping to overturn a 5-0 deficit on aggregate-before squaring off with reigning MLS Supporters' Shield winners New York Red Bulls at 6 p.m. CT Sunday. Tickets for both marquee matchups are available at SeatGeek.com.
QUOTES
Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes
On the starting lineup...
"Lot of changes obviously to the lineup. I thought the guys that came in, with not having a lot of games under their belt, actually all did a really good job. It's not easy anywhere in this league, let alone do it with a bunch of guys that haven't played a lot of games in succession. So from that perspective, I'm very proud of the guys. I also think that I'm proud of them for trying to play the way we want to play. At times, we actually did some really good things, other times we fell short. But, you know the good thing is they had the courage to do it and then another piece is that they found a way to get back in the game and grind out a result, which is not easy. You kind of expect what the first half was like because there's a little disconnect on our side, but we built ourselves into the game and took some good information into halftime, which then now translated into the second half, which was really good."
On resting players for Monterrey...
"It'd be great to do well in the game and see if we can make a run at it. We'll see. We'll see how it goes. I mean, that's our big thing. They just lost 5-1 to Toluca so stuff happens."
On Sporting KC's ability...
"I think we have a good team. I've said this before: I don't think we're seven goals better than Montreal, and I don't think we're five goals worse than Monterrey. Sometimes games happen like that. We've got to respond in the correct way. I thought today was a good step in that direction."
Sporting Kansas midfielder Gianluca Busio
On scoring in consecutive games...
"Yeah, I guess every time I score a goal it's some kind of history now. I tend not to look at that stuff. I try to just go out there and play my best and if that means getting a goal, then that means getting a goal. I'm happy to get it and hopefully I can just keep on going."
On scoring in front of his parents...
"That was the first professional game they saw that I scored in. So it was good to see them in person and, you know, they don't have to watch it on TV all the time. I was just happy to have a family that can support me."
On momentum going into second leg of Concacaf Champions League...
"It definitely gives us more confidence going into the second leg. Obviously we wanted to get three points. We want to get three points in every game. It's definitely difficult, but it's also a hard result so we're going to take it and move on."
FC Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch
First thoughts on the match...
"I just spoke to the team -- and in the big picture, which I think is the most important when playing against a team like Sporting Kansas City, and for us, our sixth game together -- to get a point, that's satisfying. In the small picture, actually the individual game that we played today and how the game unfolded, our hope, our goal was to get three points. I think if we capitalized on more of our chances, we make it 1-0, we make it 2-0, the game may or may not be over at that time. So, a little disappointing in the small picture, in terms of not getting the three points today. But in terms of the big picture, playing against really -- what I think is definitely one of the best teams and one of the best franchises in the league -- I'm satisfied to have gotten a point."
On not capitalizing on opportunities...
"That's why I speak about the big and the small. It's kind of a combination of both. I think that when you're 1-0 up and you create chances, if you don't take your second chance, a lot of the time you leave teams in the game. If you give a team like Kansas City -- with the quality players that they had on the pitch today and the quality players that they brought onto the pitch today -- you leave us in a precarious position. So obviously, it's always frustrating when you're leading in a game and you don't get the three points. So, if we take more of our chances when we're 1-0 up, make it two, it may be a different story right now."
FC Cincinnati forward Darren Mattocks
On the match...
"We performed just pretty good, especially the first half. But I think everyone's a little bit disappointed, because we think that was the game we could get three points. You know, I think we created a number of chances in the first half and a really good chance in the second half to put them away. Against good teams, if you don't put them away, they're going to find ways to get back into the game and they did just that. But overall, we take a point from a very good SKC team. They showed their best tonight."
On the goal and creating chances...
"Yeah, I'm never worried about scoring goals. I know the goals are going to come, (I've) just got to be a little bit more consistent. Not just me, the team total. When we get chances, especially home games like this, you have to put them away."
On the result after last week's loss...
"I think, even though it's a bit disappointing, we took a lot of positives from this game to just create so many chances. We could've scored four, five goals. That's a really big positive we can take from this game because coming next week, playing the best team in the league, we are going to need to be confident to create chances."
FC Cincinnati midfielder Leonardo Bertone
On chances created...
"I think the great chances is one thing, but we have to score the chances. We can finish the game. We didn't finish the game, so they came back and at the end it feels like a loss."
On the biggest difference from last week's match...
"The biggest difference I think were chances. We had so many chances and we didn't score. They had like one or two chances and they scored."
On how physical the game was...
"I think it was like every game physically. We have to run a lot and we have to move a lot and it is the same like every time."
FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Spencer Richey
On dropping points at home...
"I don't feel good about it at all. We know they rotated a bit today and they're probably one of the two deepest teams in the league in terms of they can go 15, 16 guys deep and still put a good team out. They showed that today. But at the end of the day, if we want to be a competitive team in this league and is in the playoffs each other year and striving for a Cup, these are the games we need to win. A mistake from me in the back lets one in and then a couple missed chances up front. We leave two points on the table."
2019 MLS Regular Season
Game 5 of 34
Nippert Stadium | Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 26,023
Weather: 72 degrees and cloudy
SportingKC.com Links
WATCH: Full match highlights
GOAL: Busio equalizes in second half
Score 1 2 F
Sporting Kansas City (2-1-2, 8 points) 0 1 1
FC Cincinnati (2-2-2, 8 points) 1 0 1
Sporting Kansas City: Adrian Zendejas; Nicolas Hasler, Botond Barath, Andreu Fontas, Rodney Wallace (Seth Sinovic 27); Ilie Sanchez (C), Gianluca Busio, Gedion Zelalem (Felipe Gutierrez 56); Johnny Russell, Yohan Croizet (Krisztian Nemeth 70), Kelyn Rowe
Subs Not Used: Eric Dick, Abdul Rwatubyaye, Tyler Freeman, Gerso Fernandes
FC Cincinnati: Spencer Richey; Mathieu Deplagne, Nick Hagglund, Kendall Waston (C), Greg Garza; Allan Cruz, Leonardo Bertone, Victor Ulloa, Roland Lamah (Kekuta Manneh 46); Darren Mattocks (Caleb Stanko 82), Kenny Saief (Eric Alexander 77)
Subs Not Used: Jimmy Hague, Justin Hoyte, Alvas Powell, Frankie Amaya
Scoring Summary:
CIN -- Darren Mattocks 1 (penalty kick) 19
SKC -- Gianluca Busio 2 (unassisted) 62
Misconduct Summary:
SKC -- Andreu Fontas (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 18
SKC -- Yohan Croizet (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 35
SKC -- Gedion Zelalem (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 38
CIN -- Greg Garza (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 78
CIN -- Leonardo Bertone (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 88
SKC -- Botond Barath (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 93
Stat SKC CIN
Shots 18 10
Shots on Goal 4 4
Saves 3 3
Fouls 11 13
Offsides 3 2
Corner Kicks 6 5
Referee: Ismail Elfath
Assistant Referee: Jason White
Assistant Referee: Adam Garner
Fourth Official: Ismir Pekmic
VAR: Jon Freemon
AVAR: Peter Balciunas
Major League Soccer Stories from April 7, 2019
- Busio Strikes Again as Sporting Ties FC Cincinnati - Sporting Kansas City
- Mattocks tallies from the penalty spot to secure a point for the Orange and Blue - FC Cincinnati
- Sounders FC Remains Unbeaten with 1-0 Home Win over Real Salt Lake - Seattle Sounders FC
- Real Salt Lake Falls 1-0 at Seattle Sounders FC - Real Salt Lake
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