MLS Sporting Kansas City

Manchester City Prevails 4-1 in Champions Shield

Published on July 24, 2014 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Reigning English Premier League champions Manchester City opened their tour of the United States on Wednesday with a 4-1 victory over Sporting KC in an international friendly at Sporting Park. C.J. Sapong scored for the home side while the visitors tallied twice in each half with goals from Bruno Zuculini, Dedryck Boyata, Aleksandar Kolarov and Kelechi Iheanacho.

MCFC opened the scoring courtesy of Zuculini, a 21-year-old Argentine youth international, at the game's the two-minute mark with an opportunistic finish from the top of the penalty area. His right-footed strike beat Andy Gruenebaum and kissed off the inside of the post to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead.

Playing an EPL opponent for the fourth time in four years, Sporting Kansas City nearly leveled the score just over a minute later only to see Sapong's shot strike the crossbar. In the ninth minute, Dom Dwyer was on the end of a Benny Feilhaber free kick and buried the ensuing rebound however the Englishman was ruled offside and the goal was disallowed.

Gruenebaum made four saves in his 45 minutes of first half action with three coming in a three-minute span. He twice denied well-taken attempts from the 17-year-old Iheanacho along with a stop on a long-range effort from Stevan Jovetic. His final save came on a header from Micah Richards off a corner from 2010 World Cup veteran Jesus Navas.

Sporting Kansas City weren't without chances of their own in the back-and-forth affair, including a superbly struck shot from Seth Sinovic that sailed narrowly over the crossbar in the 27th minute. Manchester City goalkeeper Willy Caballero -- one of three new signings for the club this summer -- was then beaten by Sapong three minutes later for the game-tying goal.

Feilhaber, the reigning MLS Player of the Week, delivered the perfectly placed pass from the left flank and Sapong was given ample time to settle before slotting his shot home from 10 yards out. The former MLS Rookie of the Year, who scored his first of the year a week earlier in a 2-1 win at Columbus, celebrated with an acrobatic backflip in front of the sold-out crowd of more than 18,000.

Minutes after making an important intervention on the defensive end to thwart Jovetic, MLS All-Star Aurelien Collin came close to giving Sporting KC the lead in the 41st minute but could not connect at the back post following a head from fellow centerback Matt Besler.

Manchester City would prove to be the more clinical of the two sides on the night in the remaining 45 minutes and grabbed the game-winning goal in the final minute of the first half. A Navas free kick from outside the right corner of the penalty area was met by Boyata with a powerful header as City capitalized on the set piece opportunity.

Sporting Kansas City introduced an entirely new lineup for the second half, featuring the debuts of the team's three newest acquisitions: Jorge Claros, Michael Kafari and Martin Steuble, who had arrived in Kansas City earlier in the day. The opposition, on the other hand, elected to make a single swap with Gael Clichy -- a member of France's 2010 World Cup team -- replacing Richards.

Homegrown goalkeeper Jon Kempin was forced into action in the 49th minute with an impressive save on Jovetic. Sporting Kansas City responded with a pair of scoring opportunities, first when Designated Player Claudio Bieler's snap header was directed wide of the near post in the 52nd minute and then 10 minutes later when Antonio Dovale's corner was pushed over the crossbar by Caballero.

The ensuing corner had Sporting KC poised to pull even when Jimmy Medranda found space inside the area with options to play the ball across or go it alone on goal. The 20-year-old Colombian elected to shoot and his shot sprayed wide of the far post.

Kafari, signed earlier this month, was in position to score on his debut when Sal Zizzo's cross from the right touchline was put into his path. The attempt was aimed on target but turned away by Caballero and five minutes later Kafari was whistled for a foul on Scott Sinclair inside the penalty area. Kolarov converted the penalty kick to his right to double Manchester City's lead in the 72nd minute.

Bieler would have one last look at goal in a one-on-one opportunity with Caballero, albeit from a tight angle, before MCFC added their fourth and final tally in the 88th minute. Manuel Pellegrini's squad, which scored a club record 156 goals in all competition during the 2013-14 campaign, closed out the scoring through Iheanacho.

The Nigerian youth international, the Golden Ball winner at the 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, placed his first-time shot inside the near post with a left-footed strike from 20 yards out. Navas earned his second assist of the night on the goal as Manchester City picked up their second consecutive victory of their preseason.

Sporting Kansas City, atop the Eastern Conference standings, returns to MLS action on Saturday in Toronto with a 6 p.m CT kickoff at BMO Field live on KMCI 38 the Spot and SKCTV. The team's official watch parties will be held at the Johnny's Tavern locations in the KC Power & Light District (1310 Grand Blvd.) and Overland Park (6765 W. 119th St.).

FAST FACTS Sporting KC dropped a 4-1 decision to Manchester City at Sporting Park on Wednesday. The match featured defending MLS Cup champions (Sporting KC) and defending English Premier League champions Manchester City. The match was nationally televised on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. C.J. Sapong scored in the 30th minute on the club's only shot on goal of the first half. Benny Feilhaber, the reigning MLS Player of the Week, earned the assist. Manager Peter Vermes introduced a new starting XI for the second half of the match on Wednesday. Michael Kafari, Jorge Claros and Martin Steuble all made their Sporting KC debuts after signing with the club earlier this month. Sporting KC started the second half with three homegrown players in the middle of the defense - Jon Kempin, Erik Palmer-Brown and Kevin Ellis. In all, 23 players saw action for Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday.

The loss snaps Sporting Kansas City's undefeated record against English Premier League opponents. Sporting KC defeated Manchester City's rival Manchester United 2-1 in 2010, played to a scoreless draw against Newcastle United in 2011 and earned a 1-1 result against Stoke City in 2012. Sporting KC held the majority of possession in the match with 52% to Manchester City's 48%. Manchester City entered in the midweek match as part of a preseason tour in the United States. Manchester City continues their preseason tour by facing A.C. Milan on July 27 at Heinz Field. Manchester City earned the English Premier League title at the conclusion of the 2013-14 season boasting a 27-6-5 record and 102 goals scored. Manchester City scored three or more goals in half (19) of their EPL matches in 2013-14, and scored at least five goals on five occasions. Manchester City set a club record with 156 goals across all competitions in 2013-14. Manchester City's +65 goal differential during the 2013-14 EPL season was at least 14 goals better than any other team. Manchester City scored 102 league goals in 2013-14 (2.68 per game), second most in Premier League history. Sporting Park welcomed 18,484 fans on Wednesday as the reigning champions battled for ownership of the Champions Shield. Sporting KC returns to MLS competition on Saturday as they look to claim a historic fifth straight road win. Sporting KC is 1-2-3 all-time in international friendlies under Manager Peter Vermes.

QUOTES

Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes

On Sporting KC's 4-1 loss to Manchester City...

It would be interesting if we got that kind of workout on a weekly basis. It's a great team for us to play for a number of reasons. Obviously, for us, our focus is on the League. We are playing a big game on Saturday and that is where our concentration is and was. Our biggest thing is we want to make sure to get out of here unscathed, because as you know we have had quite a few injuries over the course of the season. So from that perspective, everyone got out of there with no injuries, which was great. It was a good environment, a good game for us, a good 45 minutes for both groups and now we can get ready for the game we have to get ready for and that is Toronto.

On the performance of Sporting KC's new additions...

It was great to see [Jorge] Claros because he brought a dimension that we thought he would. He is going to fit into our team very well. Martin [Steuble] just got here this morning and Michael [Kafari] is a young player who is going to need some time. The biggest thing for him is his fitness. It was good for all three, but I think right now, Claros and Martin are guys that have a good chance of being impact players down the stretch.

On the performance of Erik Palmer-Brown...

We were just having a get-together with their coaching staff and we were talking about him. When we first started our Academy, he was in our U-10 / U-11 group when he was nine or 10 years old. So he is one of the first kids that has been through a full Academy with us. It's great to see him get on the field and play at that level. I thought he was very good and he has been good since he came on in first game where we put him on in a very tough situation. He has been very good and just keeps getting more experience. He has a great future ahead of him.

On the announcement of the National Training Center next to Sporting Park...

It just continues to show that we have big plans and the organization continues to keep moving forward with the State and continues to grow our organization from a facilities perspective. It's great with U.S. Soccer, with their interest in doing this and being a part of this. It's really starting to demonstrate to everyone else that Kansas City truly is the soccer capital of the country in that fact that we are getting this training center, co-hosted with us as well. There are a lot of great things coming in the future here and they are coming pretty quickly. It's an exciting time.

On the team's road success...

I think we are a very disciplined team. We play very intelligently and we make it very difficult for teams to play against us. We do the same thing at home, but at times we get a little anxious when they are so bunkered in and we want to score. We want to make sure we reward the environment that we play in and I think at times we get a little undisciplined. We are very focused and disciplined on the road, which makes it very difficult to play against us.

Sporting KC goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum

On Sporting KC's loss to Manchester City...

We looked at tonight's game as an opportunity to test ourselves against a great team. We knew the result wasn't that important. Having said that, we're competitors and we still want to win. In the 45 minutes (the starting 11) played, it essentially felt like a loss. At the same time, we have a game that really matters on Saturday night. I thought we moved the ball well and played well at times. So we can take that away from it and look ahead to Toronto.

On what separates Manchester City from MLS opponents...

Their technical ability is just a little bit better. It's the little things where they just don't take a bad touch in certain situations. Everything's just crisp. Tonight I thought we had good stretches of possession and looked dangerous at times. We did some silly things defensively, but we'll clear that up for Saturday.

Sporting KC midfielder Benny Feilhaber

On Sporting KC's first half performance against Manchester City...

I thought we played a pretty good 45 minutes to be honest. We maybe had a few jitters in the first 10 or 15 minutes where we weren't feeling as comfortable as we normally do, but I thought we played pretty well. I thought we controlled big parts of the first half. When we got the goal, C.J. (Sapong) was really confident and composed with it. We were unfortunate to give up a goal at the end of the half and not be at least tied at halftime. But having said that, we played a pretty good game and got what we wanted out of it.

On assisting C.J. Sapong's goal in the 30th minute...

It was a very composed finish from C.J. He knew he had the space, so he was able to bring it down instead of first-timing it. He took his time and placed it; a great finish from him.

On traveling to Toronto FC on Saturday...

This is a big event individually and obviously for the fans. We want to be prepared for the Toronto game on Saturday, and this was essentially another day in the preparation for that game. We got what we wanted out of the game but were unfortunate not to get a better result. We'll move on and be very confident going into Toronto.

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini

On Manchester City's win over Sporting KC...

People who came to the stadium saw a good game, especially the first 45 minutes when the two teams were with their best players. As Sporting Kansas City changed their eleven players for the second half, it was useful for us because it was a very physical game. I understand that Sporting Kansas City was thinking ahead to the weekend, having a very important game against Toronto. And for us, we have a lot of players that are not with our squad at this moment. That's useful to the other players to demonstrate what they can do.

On the atmosphere at Sporting Park...

It's different because in England the stadiums are still a bit bigger. This is a very beautiful stadium. The pitch was in good condition to play good football, and the atmosphere of the stadium was very good.

Manchester City midfielder Jesus Navas

On playing in Kansas City and the club's goals for the coming season...

This is a great facility. Kansas City was a good place to us. The squad is coming together and we are getting to know the new players on our team. We have players with a lot of experience, which will help this team. We have quality in this squad to win the league. It would be great to win that again, but obviously the Champions League is our biggest goal.

On playing against the MLS champions...

It was an amazing experience. The fans were great. [Sporting KC] were a lot more fit than us, but we were just a bit more clinical in front of goal. I think the boys fully enjoyed it out there tonight. It was a good game in the end.

On how Kansas City compares to other American cities where MCFC has played...

Kansas City is definitely one of the best places we've been to in the States. The fans are amazing. There were a lot of fans in our hotel earlier on who were all looking forward to the game. It's definitely one of the better places we've been.

On Manchester City's overall performance...

We played quite well. We've still got to brush up on a few things in the preseason, but we'll enjoy this win and look forward to heading to New Jersey.

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Major League Soccer Stories from July 24, 2014


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