Sporting KC Earns Top Seed with 2-1 Win over LAFC
October 28, 2018 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
Sporting Kansas City (18-8-8, 62 points) earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over LAFC (16-9-9, 57 points) on Sunday at Children's Mercy Park to finish first in the Western Conference and lock up a No. 1 seed in the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Roger Espinoza fired Sporting KC ahead with a stunning goal in the 37th minute, but the hosts were reduced to 10 men on the hour mark when Seth Sinovic received a red card for a hand ball infraction inside the box. Carlos Vela buried the ensuing penalty kick to draw LAFC level, only for Daniel Salloi to strike back in the 79th minute to seal a thrilling win on Decision Day as the 2018 MLS regular season came to a dramatic end.
With the No. 1 seed locked up, Sporting KC receives a Knockout Round bye and will begin their postseason campaign in the two-legged Western Conference semifinals, playing away in the first leg on Sunday, Nov. 4, before hosting the decisive second leg on Sunday, Nov. 11. Kickoff times and broadcast details for those matches will be announced in the near term.
Tickets for Sporting KC's first home playoff match on Nov. 11 are now on sale via SeatGeek.com. Season Ticket Members have first right to their seats for all playoff matches, excluding the MLS Cup final, and can contact their Client Services Executive for questions and further information.
Sunday's monumental tilt at sun-drenched Children's Mercy Park pitted the top two teams in the Western Conference battling for the division's top seed, serving as the marquee matchup on Decision Day as 11 MLS contests unfolded simultaneously. Salloi, who has now scored the winning goal each of Sporting KC's three straight victories, nearly found the back of the net just 15 seconds into the match, but his left-footed effort was palmed aside by LAFC goalkeeper Tyler Miller.
Salloi, Sporting KC's 2018 golden boot winner with 11 MLS goals and 13 across all competitions, forced Miller into another save shortly thereafter when he settled a pass from Johnny Russell and unleashed an audacious long-range blast that the LAFC gloveman snared cleanly.
LAFC entered Sunday with a league-best 35 away goals and first tested Sporting KC goalkeeper in the 30th minute. Vela did well to pirouette past a defender and curl a shot goalward from the right side of the box, but Melia dove to make his lone save of the afternoon in style.
A sellout crowd at Children's Mercy Park erupted eight minutes before halftime when Espinoza's individual brilliance resulted in the opening goal. Graham Zusi advanced into the attacking third and picked out Espinoza with a pocket of space in the central channel. The Honduran promptly took advantage, sending a 30-yard rocket into the top right corner for his career-high third goal of the season and his first at home since 2016.
Both sides traded near misses early in the second half. Salloi was denied by Miller on the breakaway, having been played through by Espinoza, before Zusi slid to block Diego Rossi's attempt from a tight angle.
Making his 100th regular season start in a Sporting KC uniform, Ike Opara intervened heroically in the 59th minute to keep his side in front. Former Sporting KC forward Latif Blessing's low curler was bound for the far corner, but Opara was stationed on the goal line to hammer the ball away and extinguish the danger.
The game's complexion changed significantly with 60 minutes on the clock. LAFC forward Adama Diomande latched onto a corner kick and steered a powerful header toward goal, where Sinovic cleared the ball off the goal line. The act initially went unpunished, but Video Assistant Referee Mark Geiger prompted a review of the play. Head official Allen Chapman deemed Sinovic to have committed a hand ball and brandished a red card to Sinovic, giving LAFC a numerical advantage for the remainder of the day.
Vela bagged the resulting spot kick for his team-leading 14th goal of the season, setting up a tense final half hour. He almost doubled his tally in the 71st minute when LAFC forced a turnover in Sporting KC's defensive third, but the Mexican international missed the target by a matter of inches.
Down a man but undeterred, Sporting KC reclaimed the lead a minute after Vela's miss. Khiry Shelton swung in a low cross from the right wing that Salloi settled and tucked low into the left corner, tying a single-season club record with his sixth game-winning goal of the MLS campaign.
LAFC pushed forward in search of a late leveler, but were unable to crack a resolute Sporting KC backline and consequently fell from second to fourth place in the Western Conference standings.
Sporting KC will learn its conference semifinal opponent upon the conclusion of the single-elimination Knockout Round on Thursday night. Manager Peter Vermes' side will face the lowest-seeded team to advance from the Knockout Round, with No. 3 LAFC hosting No. 6 Real Salt Lake and No. 4 FC Dallas hosting No. 5 Portland Timbers.
QUOTES
Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
On the team's performance...
We knew going into the game it was going to be very difficult. LAFC is a very good team. They have a lot of weapons. It was not easy for us to keep them out of our goal. We did the best we could. Going down a man and to show the resiliency that we did; not only to be able to defend but also to get a goal being a man down the way we did is top class by the group. We understood the situation where we could tie today and get through. But we wanted to do it in style. We wanted to make sure that we won. It was important to us, especially in front of our home fans. So I'm really proud of the guys for doing that.
On the game-winning goal...
We kept the ball alive on the other side. We played a one-two. The ball gets played across to him. He has a good first touch. Daniel's a very good finisher. He's very crafty in and around the box. He found himself in a really good position. He finished off a great goal.
On finishing in first place...
The first thing is that this was our goal from the outset of our season. I'm very proud of the group for achieving it. Now that it's over with, now it's time to get to the next aspect of this season and that is the playoffs and hopefully a road to the Cup. It's going to be one game at a time. And we're going to need our fans to do what they did today. I really believe that when Seth (Sinovic) went out of the game, they became the 11th man in this game today and changed it for us.
On heading into the playoffs with a win...
We've got to get prepared for our next game. This was our objective to get to this place. But we have a lot of work to do still. We just got the maximum points that we could get in our division. That's what we wanted to do.
On securing the No. 1 seed...
I think it's a lot of things. I think it says that we're a pretty good team. It says that we're consistent about our business. It says that we can do it in a lot of different ways. Going down a man like we did, being able to not only defend at that point but also get a game winner says a lot about the group. The final piece is, this game tonight was - as I said to the guys - this was not a league match, but a final. We played it like a final, which was great. We left everything out on the field. We were victorious. That's a good thing. It's a little confidence. We've had some pretty good games here as of late. I hope the form continues on as we move into our next game in the playoffs.
Sporting Kansas City forward Daniel Salloi
On pulling out a win despite being down a man...
It shows that we are a great team. We can play together and we can fight through situations. I think it was a long regular season. We had our ups and downs, but mostly ups. That's why we ended up being first. It shows that this team is ready for the playoffs and ready to win the Cup.
On his goal...
(Graham) Zusi played me a ball. I played it to Khiry out wide. He told me after that he saw me running and he played me a perfect ball. I just tried to take a quick touch and finish it strong to the first post. I had my chances in the game. I was just hoping for another. I got it and finished it. I'm very happy that we got the win with that goal.
On finishing in first place...
It's awesome. Last year we had a Knockout Round (game) and it didn't go well. We've put ourselves in a great position. I think we gave our best in the regular season. I think our team is better than ever and ready for the playoffs. I think we deserved first place.
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza
On the team's performance...
I'm very happy for all of my teammates. I thought they all did great work throughout the season. Everybody worked hard. Starting the game today, we knew that we had to come out and play very strong. That's what we did. We knew we had one chance. Everybody, I thought, did an unbelievable job. I'm very happy for every single one of my teammates.
On securing the top spot in the West...
From minute one, we wanted to win. We weren't looking to tie the game. I thought everybody worked hard. It says a lot about the team. It shows character. We're here to win. Our fans were unbelievable today and every time we play at home. That's one of the reasons why we wanted to win. We wanted to be the No. 1 seed so we can have as many games as we can at home.
On his goal...
I got myself in a good position to receive the ball. We know (Graham) Zusi, throughout the years, is able to pick people out. He was able to pick me out. I saw that I was the only guy up front and I had the angle to shoot. That ball could have easily gone all the way out of the stadium or into the corner, and that's what it did. I'm very happy and I'm glad that we won.
On home field advantage in the postseason...
We're very excited. It's been a long time. I think our fans deserve it. Everybody in Kansas City deserves it. We're very happy that we're able to play at home in front of our fans.
LAFC Manager Bob Bradley
On Sunday's performance...
I don't think we were any good today, so actually I'm pretty angry. But I also understand it's the end of the regular season and the playoffs are coming very quickly. The focus turns immediately towards recovery and getting ready for Salt Lake. I thought football wise, the game was choppy. It was physical, there was no flow at all to the game. Then when we get back to 1-1 and we're up a man. At that point, to get control of the game, play the football that we've played all year, get the next goal, we gave away a very careless ball. Then we needed to deal with the second part of the play. I don't think we defended well. On that end, (I'm) disappointed with today's performance and ready to get going in the playoffs.
On the match-up with Real Salt Lake...
It's like rolling dice on the table and then you see what happens at the end. The only part that you control is how you play. That's why, in the moment, I'm disappointed with the way we played. But we've had other games this year where I think we responded really well to a game that didn't go the way we wanted or a game where we didn't play as well as we normally do, and so that's the challenge this time around.
On the Decision Day results...
I'm so focused on our team. You want to be a team football wise that does things consistently and in a way that you always have an advantage. What you don't want is to get into games at the end of the year where the game gets out of control. That for me is on us today, because when we had moments where we had to play the football, connect the passes, and find the way to finish the game, we just didn't.
On the short week...
The way we work is always the same. There's a football part to what we do, and then there's the part of, it's the playoffs. It's going to be physical. You have to compete. It may not be that every call goes your way. You've got to take your football part, but you've got to be combined with a mentality that helps you win games. That sometimes things don't go exactly the way you'd like.
On the second half performance...
I don't think we were any good today. We were worse in the first half. We picked it up to start the second half. That was positive. We got to 1-1. But then from that moment on, I thought we played too many long balls. I thought we stopped finding the right passes and the game became disjointed. They were very happy to take time on throw-ins and take time on goal kicks, and do what they needed to do to manage the game. The responsibility at that point in the game is on us to get control, make the right passes, keep things moving, and find a way to create. I don't think we did a good enough job.
On how far LAFC has come...
I think we've shown that we're a good team. We feel good about the football we play. We feel very good about the identity and mentality that we bring to the field. We hold ourselves to the highest standard. We're hoping that as we go into the playoffs, we can raise the level again. Of course, it's a knockout game against Salt Lake. Take care of that one, which won't be easy, and then push on in the playoffs.
LAFC goalkeeper Tyler Miller
On the slow start...
It's always difficult when you're traveling from the west coast to somewhere in the Midwest or the east with the time change and everything. A lot of guys aren't sleeping in their own beds. There's a lot of factors that can play into it. Overall, we needed to start a little bit better. I think after 15-20 minutes the guys start to settle in and really find the pace of the game.
On the adjustments...
We've preached on it all year. It's sticking to our style of play, having a lot of good passing sequences, and breaking down teams that way. I think we got away from that a little bit tonight. There were still times where we were able to switch the field quick and break them down that way. Ultimately, we need to stick to our style of play throughout the full 90 minutes.
On the short week...
We knew what the stakes were coming into this game. We knew if we won, we won the west. And we knew if we didn't win, there was a chance, we finish anywhere from fourth through second. I think our guys are good at quick turnarounds. We've proven that through a tough stretch of the season in August where we had six games in 19 days. I'm very confident that our team will be able to turn it around.
On facing Real Salt Lake...
It's definitely crazy because they didn't even play today. That's just how MLS goes, and as they add more teams it's just going to get more exciting. I think days like this where every team plays at the same time, and you're on the field playing trying to win your game, but you're also in the back of your mind wondering what else is going on in every other game. At the end of the day, we came here and we knew that if we won the game, we won the west. When it comes down to these types of games, we need to take care of our business and win when we have the opportunity to.
On making the playoffs in their first year over the Galaxy...
It's just a part of it. There's only six teams that are going to make it and I think that we deserve to be in. I think that we earned a lot of the results that we got this year. I think we got a little bit unlucky in some games. When it comes to your rival, it's all fair game. We got into the playoffs and they didn't make the playoffs and that's just how it is.
LAFC midfielder Benny Feilhaber
On what went wrong in the game for LAFC...
Well the game started - I don't think either team was playing the greatest soccer - so it felt like a playoff game, a lot of second balls being won and so it was a tough game from the get-go and they were able to strike first on a mistake from us in trying to play out of the back and Roger (Espinoza) with a ridiculous finish. Playing from behind is obviously never easy, I think we get a little bit of a gifted lifeline there with the penalty and the red card so it's 1-1 and we're up a man. We were playing better at that point in the second half even before the penalty but it just didn't seem like we were able to play our game as well. They're a tough team to play against, they definitely try to take away the things that you're good at. We didn't play as well regardless of that fact, so tough to get going at that point and then obviously giving up a pretty bad goal when you're up a man is the nail in the coffin.
On the mindset getting ready for a short week and a playoff game...
Everybody's disappointed with the result but excited about what's ahead. Obviously we've got a big game against Salt Lake now on Wednesday or Thursday. We'll charter home, get ready for this - start preparing tomorrow and so we're all very excited about that possibility, our first playoff game as a club, as an organization, so we're ready for it.
On if it was one of the crazier Decision Days he's experienced in MLS...
It seems like there's always one or two games that go crazy but this - I mean we needed a draw up until one minute left in all the games for us to get into second place. Seattle were down by one, Dallas was up by one and ended up losing, Seattle comes back from 1-0 in the last 10 minutes of the game. It kind of felt like that was going to happen in the East over there with Toronto playing at home against Atlanta but I mean, there's a lot of crazy stories and it would've been nice to add to the craziness from our perspective but it wasn't to be and we still feel good about the things that we've done in the whole of the regular season and put ourselves in a position now to be in third place in the playoffs and get a home game, and hopefully go into the Conference Semifinals after that.
On if the resilience of the team will be put to the test this week...
We're not too disappointed in the sense that we've got another game in three, four days to get back on it and play a better match than we did here. I think we're all excited about that and the fact that it's at home is a huge plus. I know that more than most, maybe not more than most people here in this organization but we know how crucial a home playoff game is in that Knockout Round. We're excited for it and we're going to do everything we can to make it count.
Major League Soccer Stories from October 28, 2018
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- D.C. United Draw Chicago 0-0 and Finish Fourth in the Eastern Conference - D.C. United
- LA Galaxy Postgame Quote Sheet: LA Galaxy 2, Houston Dynamo 3 - Sunday, October 28, 2018 - LA Galaxy
- Orlando City Loses Season Finale at New York Red Bulls - Orlando City SC
- Sporting KC Earns Top Seed with 2-1 Win over LAFC - Sporting Kansas City
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- LA Galaxy Postgame Notes: LA Galaxy 2, Houston Dynamo 3 - Sunday, October 28, 2018 - LA Galaxy
- Storybook ending: Bayern-bound Davies puts bow on WFC career with brace in 2-1 victory - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
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- Chicago Fire Soccer Club Forward Alan Gordon to Retire Following Today's Regular Season Finale - Chicago Fire FC
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
