MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC Falls 2-0 at Colorado

March 12, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Sporting Kansas City (1-2-0, 3 points) slipped to a 2-0 road defeat against the Colorado Rapids (2-1-0, 6 points) on Saturday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The hosts struck on both sides of halftime through Diego Rubio and Mark-Anthony Kaye, snapping a six-game winless drought in the series by claiming victory against a Sporting side that had four different players make their club debuts.

Two attacking changes highlighted the Sporting Kansas City lineup as debutant striker Nikola Vujnovic spearheaded the frontline and fellow European newcomer Marinos Tzionis earned his first MLS start on the left wing. Forwards Daniel Salloi and Khiry Shelton missed out with calf problems, having featured in Sporting's 1-0 home win over Houston Dynamo FC seven days earlier. In defense, center back Andreu Fontas notably logged his 50th regular season start in a Sporting uniform.

Rubio put his former club to the sword in the 21st minute, firing the hosts into a 1-0 advantage. Rapids left back Lucas Esteves made an incisive run into the attacking third, cut centrally and played a scoop pass to the feet of Rubio, who took a touch and slotted home for his second goal in as many matches.

Only two minutes later, Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia did brilliantly to prevent Colorado from doubling its lead. Kaye lifted a pinpoint long ball over the top for diminutive winger Michael Barrios, who raced through on goal unimpeded. His shot on target was cast aside, however, as Melia dropped low for a vital reflex stop.

A choppy first half-hour for Sporting was further complicated when Felipe Hernandez was forced off through injury. Fellow homegrown midfielder Cam Duke was summoned as his replacement and almost pulled Sporting level in the 38th minute. Belgian left back Logan Ndenbe marauded down the flank following a neat exchange with Tzionis and cut the ball back to Duke, whose first-time effort near the penalty spot deflected off outstretched Colorado defender Auston Trusty and sailed marginally over the crossbar.

Sporting went close once more shortly before the break, testing Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough for the first time. Remi Walter's corner kick nearly found the head of captain Johnny Russell but instead caromed off Colorado defender Keegan Rosenberry. The ball was bound for the back of the net but Yarbrough sprawled out to smother it on the goal line.

Colorado went ahead 2-0 six minutes into the second half. After Sporting center back Nicolas Isimat-Mirin defended heroically to cut out a cross and force a corner kick, Jack Price's subsequent delivery was steered back across the face of goal by defender Steven Beitashour. Kaye was on hand to smash a simple finish past Melia for his first goal of the 2022 campaign.

Duke remained a bright spot in the center of the park and was unlucky not to cut into Sporting's deficit in the 54th minute, darting past a pair of defenders before seeing his shot under duress lift over the woodwork from 18 yards. Espinoza was next to threaten for the visitors, hammering a shot to the near post that Yarbrough palmed away after the Rapids failed to clear from Russell's blocked free kick attempt.

Sporting Manager Peter Vermes made a triple substitution with less than 10 minutes remaining, giving club debuts to MLS veterans Kortne Ford and Ben Sweat and a second career MLS appearance for 20-year-old homegrown Jake Davis. Shortly thereafter, 19-year-old homegrown defender Kayden Pierre landed his MLS debut with a late cameo in place of Russell.

Vermes' men will look to bounce back next Saturday, visiting Chicago Fire FC (1-0-2, 5 points) in a 5 p.m. CT kickoff at Soldier Field. The inter-conference clash will be shown live on 38 The Spot, the Sporting KC app and SportingKC.com

QUOTES

Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes

On the absences of Daniel Salloi and Khiry Shelton...

It's hard when you have all the guys out that we have out right now. All of them. I'm talking about (Alan) Pulido, Gadi Kinda, Daniel (Salloi), Khiry (Shelton), just keep going. Having all those guys out - and Felipe, that's why I had to take him out in the first half - right now it's just too many guys out and too many changes within the group and a lot of new guys in the team that haven't been here before. So it's just very difficult.

Thoughts on the match...

It's hard to talk about each individual goal - just difficult to talk about the two of them. I just don't think that we were good enough to win tonight. I think they were better. We were disconnected and we just didn't have a good night. There were just too many people on the field that are just kind of getting indoctrinated to us, to the league, to everything. It's too many new guys. Normally I wouldn't do this, but I don't have any choices at the moment so it's kind of how we're dealing with it. It's okay. The guys gave a good effort. They tried. We just have to keep working. That's where we are. We have to work and that's what you have to do. You have to keep finding a way.

On the play of Tzionis and Vujnovic...

It's hard. It's not a good opportunity for them to play in the group this way. You put people into games to try to have success. To do that, they need to spend a little time with the team. They need to see the League a little bit. All those things those guys aren't getting because of the situation we're in, but we're going to have to fight through it. They're going to have to figure it out. We'll have to keep working. That's really what it comes down to.

Sporting Kansas City midfielder Cam Duke

On trying to break down the Rapids...

I think in the second half, we came out a little bit slow. That second goal definitely hurt us a bit, but I think in that situation we need to respond and keep fighting because if we get a goal back, we have a chance to tie the game and even win the game.

On the introduction of newcomers to the squad...

Obviously the new guys, we need to start understanding our tendencies. We're still building chemistry, but I think we're starting to get adjusted to how they play. So I think in the next couple of games we should be sharper in that aspect.

Sporting Kansas City defender Kortne Ford

Thoughts on the match...

I think it's tough anytime you have a couple of guys out of the lineup. We got some new players in and we had a week of training to kind of get them integrated into the system. At the end of the day, it's never easy. It's early on in the season. We're trying to get everybody on the same page tactically. It's tough. It's tough to come here, play at altitude and put a performance together. I just think, at the end of the day, they came out on the top side and it's rough.

On adapting to Sporting's system of play...

I think the coaching staff asks a lot. Peter asks a lot. They demand a lot because we want to play. We want to play good football. We want to keep the ball. So when we're playing in tough conditions where that can't happen, it makes it difficult. At the end of the day, we've got to be better. We've got to have a better mindset going into the game. It's not easy and it's our job to take in what they want to implement tactically and to get it done on the field. And that's not what happened tonight.

On making his debut for the club...

First and foremost, my job is to perform. I was focused on taking advantage of an opportunity when it came. Unfortunately, it was at a time where we were already down and trying to have to push forward. At the end of the day, I'm stoked to get that debut but we came here for three points and we didn't get that. So from that perspective, we didn't achieve our goal. It's not good enough. So it's kind of tough to kind of digest the emotions right now just because we didn't come here and achieve what we wanted to. I'm sure once I get home, once I'm on the bus, some of those emotions will sink in. But as of right now, we're not happy.

2022 MLS Regular Season | Match 3

Dick's Sporting Goods Park | Commerce City, Colorado

Attendance: 12,387

Weather: 51 degrees and clear

Score 1 2 F

Sporting Kansas City (1-2-0, 3 points) 0 0 0

Colorado Rapids (2-1-0, 6 points) 1 1 2

Sporting Kansas City: Tim Melia; Graham Zusi, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin, Andreu Fontas (Kortne Ford 81'), Logan Ndenbe (Ben Sweat 81'); Remi Walter, Roger Espinoza (Jake Davis 81'), Felipe Hernandez (Cam Duke 28'); Johnny Russell (C) (Kayden Pierre 83'), Nikola Vujnovic, Marinos Tzionis

Subs Not Used: Kendall McIntosh, Kaveh Rad, Robert Voloder, Ozzie Cisneros

Colorado Rapids: William Yarbrough; Steven Beitashour (Sebastian Anderson 89'), Keegan Rosenberry, Lalas Abubakar, Auston Trusty, Lucas Esteves (Drew Moor 67'); Michael Barrios (Darren Yapi 88'), Jack Price (C), Mark-Anthony Kaye, Jonathan Lewis (Max Alves 89'); Diego Rubio (Andre Shinyashiki 73')

Subs Not Used: Clint Irwin, Bryan Acosta, Nicolas Mezquida, Collen Warner

Scoring Summary:

COL -- Diego Rubio 2 (Lucas Esteves 2, Michael Barrios 2) 21'

COL -- Mark-Anthony Kaye 1 (Steven Beitashour 1, Jack Price 1) 51'

Misconduct Summary:

SKC -- Nicolas Isimat-Mirin (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 29'

SKC -- Cam Duke (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 57'

COL -- Keegan Rosenberry (yellow card; time wasting) 62'

Stat SKC COL

Shots 13 9

Shots on Goal 3 3

Saves 1 4

Fouls 11 12

Offsides 2 2

Corner Kicks 7 5

Referee: Alex Chilowicz

Assistant Referee: Jeremy Kieso

Assistant Referee: Adam Garner

Fourth Official: Ricardo Fierro

VAR: Rosendo Mendoza

AVAR: TJ Zablocki

Check out the Sporting Kansas City Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from March 12, 2022


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