MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC Beaten 2-1 by Philadelphia Union

Published on May 15, 2014 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Sporting Kansas City suffered their first home loss of the 2014 season on Wednesday, falling 2-1 to the Philadelphia Union at Sporting Park. The defeat snapped an 11-game home unbeaten streak in all competition dating back to 2013, when the same Philadelphia side were 1-0 winners on Sept. 27.

After a scoreless first half, Danny Cruz opened the scoring in the 49th minute to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Dom Dwyer scored his team-best seventh goal of the season in the 80th minute to level the score, however the Union's Cristian Maidana scored the game-winning goal less than a minute later.

Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Eric Kronberg made a season-high five saves on Wednesday, including three in a back-and-forth first half. His first came with a routine stop on Leonardo Fernandes in the seventh minute, followed by a more challenging save in 19th minute on a well-taken attempt by Cruz. His final save of the first 45 minutes was recorded in the 29th minute on a long-range effort from Vincent Nogueira.

Manager Peter Vermes' squad -- playing their third of seven matches in the month of May -- matched the visitors with three shots on target in the opening stanza and all came from winger Sal Zizzo. Returning after missing two matches with a groin strain, Zizzo was on the end of an exquisite pass from Graham Zusi in the 12th minute and rolled his shot on frame from the right side. The two connected again in the 33rd minute as Zusi's cross from the left flank found Zizzo, whose header was saved on the goalline off the leg of MacMath from close range.

The Zusi-to-Zizzo combination continued to create chances and nearly gave Sporting KC the lead in the final minute of first-half stoppage time. Zizzo lined up a shot from 10 yards out that forced MacMath into a sprawling stop at the near post to deny Zizzo his first goal of the campaign.

The second half began with more of the same as MacMath, a fourth-year pro at age 22, was called into action again in the 48th minute. Seth Sinovic let loose a dipping half volley from outside the penalty area that was smothered by the Maryland product with a dive to his right.

The save proved crucial when 30 seconds later Philadelphia pulled ahead on the opposite end of the field. Kronberg made the initial save to turn away Maidana's left-footed strike only to see Cruz pounce on the rebound with a sliding finish from inside the six-yard box for his first goal of the season and 10th of his MLS career.

The Union could have doubled the lead in the 59th minute if not for an important intervention by Kronberg to come off his line. Andrew Wenger, acquired in a trade last month, shrugged off a tackle by Aurelien Collin but couldn't slip his shot past Kronberg.

Dwyer entered the match in the 71st minute, replacing Designated Player Claudio Bieler who had directed a header on target moments before his exit. The move paid off within 10 minutes via a give-and-go with Paulo Nagamura that setup Dwyer's thunderous goal into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area. The Generation adidas product now has goals in back-to-back games after scoring twice in a 2-0 victory at Montreal on the weekend and his seven goals are fourth most in MLS this season.

The momentum from the equalizer was ultimately short-lived as Philadelphia responded with a goal of their own from the ensuing kickoff. Cruz played an entry ball inside the area to Wenger and the former No. 1 overall draft pick held off challenges from Benny Feilhaber and Lawrence Olum before laying the ball off to Maidana. The Argentine placed his first-time shot past Kronberg from 12 yards out for his first career MLS goal, which proved to be the difference in the first of three meetings between the two teams this season despite a 90th minute red card to Union midfielder Corben Bone within a minute of entering the match.

Sporting Kansas City remains in first place in the Eastern Conference and will next travel to Chicago for a 2 p.m. CT match-up with the Fire on Sunday at Toyota Park. The team's official watch parties will be held at Johnny's Tavern locations in the KC Power & Light District (1310 Grand Blvd.) and Olathe (10384 S. Ridgeview Rd.), featuring food and drink specials for all fans in attendance.

Defender Matt Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi will join the U.S. Men's National Team on Thursday as part of the 30-player preliminary roster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. While serving as a sendoff for those two, Wednesday's match was also the debut for Igor Juliao as he became the youngest player in club history to start and play the full 90 minutes in an MLS match at 19 years of age.

FAST FACTS

- Sporting KC remains in first place of the Eastern Conference with 17 points despite falling 2-1 to the Philadelphia Union at Sporting Park on Wednesday night. - Sporting KC is now 4-3-3 against the Union all-time and 2-2-1 at home. - With the loss, Sporting KC's record moves to 5-3-2 in 2014. - Sporting KC has not conceded a goal in the first half during 2014, marking 14 consecutive matches during the MLS regular season that Sporting KC has not given up a goal in the first half dating back to 2013. - Wednesday's match, sponsored by Price Chopper, marked the 42nd consecutive sellout at Sporting Park in MLS competition. Wednesday's attendance was 19,073. - Philadelphia midfielder Danny Cruz opened the scoring in the 49th minute on Wednesday, snapping a 408-minute shutout streak at Sporting Park. - The goal was only the second goal Sporting KC has allowed at home this season. - Wednesday night was the last match for Sporting KC's Matt Besler and Graham Zusi before they join the U.S. Men's National team in preparation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup this summer. - Philadelphia's Maurice Edu was not available on Wednesday and was listed on the injury report as questionable (concussion symptoms). Edu was also named to the U.S. 30-player preliminary roster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. - Sporting KC defender Igor Juliao started his first game for the club on Wednesday and becomes the third youngest player in club history to start a league match and the youngest player in team history to go the full 90 minutes in a regular season match.

- The loss is Sporting KC's first at home this season (3-1-2) and snapped an 11-game unbeaten streak at home dating back to 2013.

- Dom Dwyer equalized for Sporting KC in the 80th minute, marking his team-leading seventh goal this season. Seven goals in 2014 ranks Dwyer fourth in MLS for goals scored. - Paulo Nagamura assisted on Dwyer's goal, his second of the season and fourth of his Sporting KC career. - Cristian Maidana put the Union back in the lead one minute later. Andrew Wenger earned the assist, his first since joining the Union. The goal is also Maidana's first in MLS. - The win breaks a winless streak of six straight on the road for Philadelphia this season, moving their record to 1-4-2 on the road in 2014. - The win on Wednesday broke a club-record nine-game winless streak for the Union. - Wednesday was the first of three regular season meetings between Sporting KC and the Philadelphia Union in 2014. The Union visits Sporting Park again on August 1 before Sporting KC travels to Philadelphia on October 18. - Philadelphia's Corben Bone entered Wednesday's match as a second half substitute in the 89th minute. Less than a minute later, Bone picked up a straight red for a reckless tackle. - Sporting KC affiliates Orlando City SC and OKC Energy FC advanced to the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as both teams secured victories on Wednesday. - Orlando City defeated Ocala Stampede 4-1.OKC Energy FC defeated Tulsa Athletics 2-0. Sporting KC Academy product David Leichty scored the game-winner. - Tomorrow night Sporting KC will learn their opponent and location for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup fourth round.

QUOTES

Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes

On Sporting KC's 2-1 loss to Philadelphia...

We deserved to lose. (Philadelphia was) the better team. They worked harder than we did and they were hungrier than we were. They beat us to all the balls. Very seldom do we get outworked playing against one of our opponents, but tonight we got outworked in our home stadium. That doesn't sit well with me, that's for sure.

On Sporting KC's lack of energy during parts in the game...

Maybe they thought we were playing the same game on Saturday in Montreal. We just didn't have the juice we normally have. I'll have to go back and look at the training that we've done over the last couple days. We lacked the pop that we normally have. Again, we got outworked today and they deserved to win because they were the better team.

On Philadelphia outhustling Sporting KC throughout the match...

MLS is a very hard league to play in because the one thing you have to bring all the time (competitiveness) and hard work. You have to come with your work ethic, and if you don't bring that, you're not going to be competitive. (Tonight) is not a norm within our team. Is it a concern? Yeah, we just lost a game. But at the same time, it's not something that's going to be a trend, that's for sure.

On Sporting KC's approach to the match...

I'll look at the last couple days of training and see if we overworked them. I don't think that's the case because we monitor that every day. More importantly, it's just mentality. You can easily flip the switch in your head to (play hard). When we were down a goal, we sure were firing away at points, going after it and trying to score. All the sudden we scored, and the next thing you know we give up a goal. For us to give up a goal right after kickoff is very unlike us. That shows the mentality that we weren't ready for the game today.

On Sporting KC's missed goal scoring chances...

We should have scored two goals in the first half. Sal (Zizzo) could have had two goals himself in the first half. We had two great chances. There was a third chance that wasn't as good as the other two because those came from inside the six-yard box. So at one point we could have been up 2-0. It still doesn't matter-we got outworked on the field.

On the debut performance of 19-year-old defender Igor Juliao...

I said to the staff before (the game) that he was a bright spot. For a 19-year-old, I thought he played very well. I think he is very scrappy. You have to understand he just started with us. So in a short period of time, I thought he did a great job in the game. He's a bright spot for the team.

On Philadelphia's approach to the match...

They didn't do anything that we didn't know they were going to do. They dropped in and played a 4-2-3-1 and countered. We knew they guys they were going to leave up, so it was nothing we weren't prepared for. The difference is that they brought a hunger and a level of work ethic that we didn't match. When you look at the stats, they don't always tell the story. But when you end the game and the other team out-fouls you 20-5, it's because they're more aggressive. Everyone always complains about us because it's normally the other way around. When you play aggressive, it's not because you're dirty, it's because you're hungry. You want to win the ball back. Today they were more (hungry) than we were. That's not something that's going to become the norm for this group.

Sporting KC defender Matt Besler

On Sporting KC's 2-1 loss to Philadelphia...

We played like crap. That's the frustrating part of the game-we can play like we do (last) week, and hten come out tonight and play like we did tonight. It's frustrating because it's up-and-down like that. Credit to Philadelphia-they played a good game, they worked. We didn't work as hard as them, they wanted it more and they beat us in our own place.

On his impression of Philadelphia heading into the match...

I couldn't tell you their record. I know what they did in their last two games-those were the game we looked at. But record-wise, I had no idea. We knew they would be a tough team. They beat us last year with pretty much the same game plan.

On Philadelphia's defensive performance...

I think they dropped off, but they also played man-to-man in their defensive half. We weren't able to figure out a solution of how to break them down. The goal that Dom (Dwyer) scored put us back in the game, then they drove right down the field and we gave something up. That can't happen, and that's on me. The final goal came in my part of the field, and that's hard for me to swallow.

Sporting KC forward Dom Dwyer

On scoring the equalizing goal in the 80th minute, only for Philadelphia to quickly regain the lead...

I scored a goal and we tried to go straight back at them again. We just got caught sleeping a little bit. It's a tough one to swallow, really. We should be picking up points at home. It's nice to have another game this week. We'll have a day off tomorrow, get back to training and get fresh and ready for Sunday.

Sporting KC forward Sal Zizzo

On nearly scoring on two occasions in the first half...

As a whole, (Philadelphia) did well and pressed us in the first 10 minutes, but they ended up bunkering. In the first half, I had to put away those chances. Those are chances that, eight or nine times out of 10, I'm going to put away. It's frustrating for sure. So I'll work on my finishing in practices, and hopefully when I get those opportunities again, I'll be able to bury them. It's really disappointing because you should never lose at home. Dom scored a great goal to make it 1-1 then we let down for a split second and they scored again. It's unfortunate because that's never something you want to do at home. We'll look to correct things and move on.

On playing his first match after returning from injury...

I felt fine. If I had put away those two (chances) I'd be feeling really good. Unfortunately I didn't and life goes on. You have to look to the next game. We won't be thinking about this one if we come out and play well against Chicago (on Sunday).

Philadelphia head coach John Hackworth

On Philadelphia's 2-1 win over Sporting KC...

I can't say enough about the guys in our locker room. That was an incredibly gutsy performance against probably the best team in the MLS. We came into a very tough place to play, and you've got to give Sporting Kansas City a lot of credit because they are an excellent team. For large parts of the game they put us in a difficult spot. But again, credit to our guys-they fought. We didn't play our best soccer, but we got the goals when it mattered. The response after the Sporting Kansas City goal was fantastic, and we held on to the end.

On the challenges of playing against Sporting KC...

Sporting Kansas City (played) us back further than we wanted to be. The way we started the game, we tried to come out and press them. But they were very composed, split their center backs wide and were okay with spreading the field out. The more the game went on, they kept coming and we backed off. That was a mistake on our part because you can't give these guys time and space to get the mobility to do well. They're difficult to defend.

Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath

Thoughts on the match...

They put a lot of pressure on us in the first half and I think we dealt with it pretty well. Sal [Zizzo] got two pretty good chances and thankfully I was in a good position to clear them out.

On the late goal...

We showed a lot of fight tonight. Especially giving up a goal late and coming back and scoring another goal and holding out to the end. I think it showed a lot of confidence in the team and hopefully we'll take that into the rest of the season.

On the team scoring two goals...

Everyone feels pretty confident in the offense when we are scoring two goals. It's been a while since we scored two goals and to get two goals in the run of play is really good for the confidence of the offense.

Philadelphia Union midfielder Danny Cruz

On celebrating the first goal with head coach John Hackworth...

Definitely something we talked about before. We are behind him. He knows we are behind him and we've tried to make that clear to the media, to the fans ... and tonight was big for everybody including him. I think you could see the fight in everybody for that reason.

On the team's effort...

You saw a little bit of a different team tonight. You saw a team willing to fight for each other. It reminded me a lot of last year. We had a lot of shots. At the end of the day, we've been lacking that fight and it came out today.

On a quick turnaround... We walked into the locker room and said we are focused on Saturday now. This game is over. It's a quick turnaround. We are playing a team that just beat arguably the best team in the League, Seattle, 5-0 last week, and they are going to be good. Our home form has not been good and it needs to turn around. This is certainly a result we can build off of and I think you will see the same fight next weekend.

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