MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting Falls 2-1 to New England

Published on April 22, 2023 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Captain Johnny Russell scored his 50th career goal in MLS competitions on Saturday night as Sporting Kansas City (0-6-3, 3 points) fell 2-1 to Eastern Conference leaders New England Revolution (6-1-2, 20 points) at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

After New England took a two-goal lead behind Giacomo Vrioni's first-half brace, Sporting produced a spirited fightback as Russell struck in the 50th minute on a set piece assist from fellow winger Daniel Salloi. Despite being reduced to 10 men on a 61st-minute red card to Andreu Fontas, Sporting nearly conjured a late equalizer when Felipe Hernandez's venomous blast in the 90th minute was touched onto the post by New England goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.

Manager Peter Vermes made four changes to Sporting's lineup from last weekend, including three changes along the backline as Fontas replaced the suspended Robert Castellanos, Cam Duke replaced the injured Graham Zusi and Logan Ndenbe landed his 2023 debut in place of Robert Voloder. Hernandez also made way for fellow midfielder Roger Espinoza, who notably earned his 300th career start in MLS competitions. On Sporting's bench, Designated Player Gadi Kinda was part of the club's matchday squad for the first time since Nov. 28, 2021, after recovering from knee surgery.

Visiting Gillette Stadium for the first time since April 2018, Sporting began brightly by manufacturing the game's first chance inside three minutes. Mexican striker Alan Pulido split New England's midfield lines, galloped goalward and spread the ball centrally to Erik Thommy, who played a first-time pass to Salloi on the left side of the box. The Hungarian international took a settling touch and unleashed a deflected shot that forced Petrovic into a reflex save.

New England quickly responded with a pair of fleeting opportunities at the opposite end. Eighteen-year-old winger Esmir Bajraktarevic planted a header over the crossbar off Emmanuel Boateng's cross before Vrioni tried his luck with a strike that lacked the power and placement to beat veteran goalkeeper Tim Melia.

Vrioni would not be denied in the 31st minute, as the Italian-born striker lifted New England ahead by finishing off an incisive attack catalyzed by Boateng and Revolution captain Carles Gil. He doubled his tally just four minutes later on another play involving Gil, whose initial shot was saved well by Melia before Vrioni tucked home the rebound to make the score 2-0.

Ndenbe provided a spark for Sporting in the 40th minute, surging into the final third and threading a through ball into the path of an on-running Espinoza, but Petrovic rushed off his line to extinguish the danger and compound Sporting's first-half frustrations.

Five minutes after the restart, Russell opened his 2023 scoring account and snapped Sporting's 404-minute goalless drought. Awarded a free kick on the left wing, Vermes' men duly cashed in as Salloi's teasing delivery to the far post was steered home by Russell to cut New England's lead in half. The Scottish winger has now scored in each of his last two appearances against the Revolution, while Salloi is the ninth player in Sporting history to record 75 combined goals (49) and assists (26) for the club in all competitions.

Enjoying momentum, Sporting suffered an unwelcome counterpunch on the hour mark when Fontas was sent off for fouling Vrioni on the breakaway and denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity. Referee Nima Saghafi first showed Fontas a second yellow card, which resulted in the ejection, but VAR prompted Saghafi to review the play and brandish an inconsequential straight red card.

The final 20 minutes unfolded in breathless, end-to-end fashion. Melia, who finished the game with seven saves, did brilliantly to spare Sporting's blushes on three occasions. In the 74th minute, the Revolution thought they had restored their two-goal cushion when Gil slipped a clever pass into the penalty area for substitute Justin Rennicks, but his shot and Vrioni's rebound effort were both smothered by Melia. Not long later, Sporting's gloveman dove at full extension to cast aside Damian Rivera's curling strike and spread himself to thwart Gil at point blank range following a costly Sporting giveaway inside its own box.

The final quarter-hour belonged to an energetic Sporting side that refused to fold under adverse circumstances. Russell's bid for a brace went begging in the 81st minute when his bending effort lifted over the crossbar, then substitute Hernandez saw his admirable strike from 15 yards pegged onto the near post by an outstretched Petrovic.

Sporting opens its 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign on Tuesday by hosting Tulsa Athletic in the third round of the prestigious knockout competition. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT and tickets are available at SeatGeek.com, including a buy one, get one offer that grants admission to both the Open Cup game as well as Sporting's MLS home match against CF Montreal on Saturday.

QUOTES

Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes

Thoughts on how the team started the match...

I don't think we were good in the first half. I think we started fine, but I just don't think that we had a good first half. I think the second half we came out with a different fire.

On what sparked the team in the second half...

We just said we needed to step up and stop sitting back and apply pressure on them higher up the field. We needed to step out and start taking the game to them.

On the red card in the second half...

I haven't seen that aspect of that play yet so I don't know what I can tell you there. It seemed like he got pushed down, knocked down, whatever. But I don't know, I can't really comment to that piece. I have seen the replay on the play. I don't think it's a straight red card. If you're going to call something, it would be a yellow. But, whatever, it would have been a second yellow and he would have been out of the game. It's the first yellow that he should have never got in the game.

On Remi Walter playing left back...

That wasn't the idea. We were going to bring (Robert) Voloder on because obviously we're still managing minutes on (Logan) Ndenbe. When the red card came, we had to get another central defender in and we thought it would be best for a left footed central defender. But then as the game went on, it made sense because (Erik) Thommy was running out of gas. He was running 18 to 18. So that's why we pushed Remi back into the midfield and then Robert Voloder pushed out and put Chris Rindov in the other central defender position.

On the team's performance with only 10 men...

I just think you've got a different gear that you go into. You have to fight. You know you're down a man. You just start playing a little bit more instinctive and I think the guys had a fight in them in the second half and I think that was the difference between the first half and the second half.

On the play of Chris Rindov on his MLS debut...

It's a difficult situation for any player to come in as your first game with a man down, but he did fine. He did fine.

On the play of Cam Duke at right back...

He had good moments. Again, when you don't play in those spots quite regularly, it's hard to have a routine. He had a good work ethic. I think, at times, he was also good going forward. For the first goal, I think he bit on stepping out to the guy when, at that moment, you just drop. Those are little things that he doesn't have a great routine in just because right now with both (Graham) Zusi and (Kayden Pierre) out, we had to put somebody else there.

On three red cards in five games...

Nine games, three red cards. It's hard to play a man down. It's just hard to play a man down. I think, in some of those situations, I don't know if you're going to call them bad luck but however you want to say it, there's a situation there that has happened in all the games where I think the first yellow card, like I said, to (Andreu) Fontas tonight, it wasn't a yellow card. So he puts the guy in jeopardy and then what happens is when you get into a situation like he got into, now it didn't matter because whether you give him a straight red or a yellow, it doesn't matter. He's out of the game. Is it concerning? Sure. I don't want to be a man down. Three games going a man down puts you in a really difficult position.

Sporting Kansas City captain Johnny Russell

Thoughts on the first half...

I think, to anyone who watched it, it was night and day. I thought we were really bad in the first half, pretty much in every aspect of our game. And then it took us slightly before we go down to 10 men, but then after that we take the game to them, which is pretty baffling in itself. You can't start games like that in this league, especially against teams like that. They're going to pick you apart and they did that for the first half. I think we showed the reaction. But, again, not enough on the day and not good enough overall.

On the conversation at halftime...

A few guys spoke, sort of the usual stuff, and obviously the manager spoke as well. You're not going to get out of the position we are in by going out and playing like we did in the first half. That's evident. No one's going to help us. We have to do it. The guys that are in that locker room have to be the ones who change us. And you're not going to do it the way we did in the first half. Yes, there were positives and there are good things to take from the second half, but if you're not winning games and you continue to be where we are in the league, then none of that really matters to be honest.

On what he takes from the second half...

I wouldn't say it was a lack of effort in the first half. I think we just gave them way too much respect. We sat off them. We sat too deep. We couldn't get anywhere near them. It wasn't for me a lack of effort, it was just playing within ourselves a little bit and playing a little bit scared it looked like. And then you're 2-0 down, there's nothing to lose. Then we start to go at them and play more like the team that people expect us to be and that we haven't shown this year. We keep saying it every game. It's frustrating, but there are so many things that the players have to take accountability for and we have to look at ourselves. Every single one is. We have to be so much better than what we have right now.

On turning attention to the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday...

You don't look past a team like that. You don't look past any team as far as I'm concerned. You see time and time again upsets in cup games because people go in with the wrong mentality and think they're going to walk over the team. Semi-pro or pro, it doesn't really matter at this stage. You have to go in right mentally. You have to be ready. yYou know that those guys are going to come out and fight, so you have to match that. Then you have to try and prove your quality over them. So we're not looking past any team. We wouldn't normally, but especially not right now with the situation we're in. We can't look past anyone.

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 22, 2023


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