MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC Falls 3-1 at First Place LAFC

Published on April 17, 2022 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Sporting Kansas City fell 3-1 at first place Los Angeles FC on Sunday at Banc of California stadium as the hosts moved atop the Supporters' Shield standings. Sporting opened the scoring in the 38th minute as club captain Johnny Russell drove forward down the right flank and delivered a cross from the endline that was deflected into the back of the net by LAFC defender Diego Palacios. However, LAFC rallied to level the score on the brink of halftime before scoring two second-half goals to extend Sporting's road losing streak to seven matches dating back to 2021.

The Easter Sunday match-up produced more goals than shots on goal in the first half with the statistical anomaly made possible by the Palacios own goal. Russell, who led all players with three chances created on Sunday, picked up possession of the ball 10 yards inside his own half after Nicolas Isimat-Mirin did well to win the ball. Russell then embarked on a 70-yard run which culminated with a 1-0 lead for Sporting as Russell's final touch sent the ball off Palacios and across the goalline from the acutest of angles to stun the home crowd.

The advantage was ultimately shortlived as LAFC knotted the match at 1-1 six minutes later on a play that began with Cristian Arango hammering a free kick off the woodwork and ended with Arango heading home the equalizer in short succession. The set piece caromed off the post and was cleared out of danger, but only momentarily, as Palacios served the ball back into the box, where Mamadou Fall rose to direct his header back across the goalmouth and into the path of Arango to head the ball home from just three yards out.

Having capitalized on their only shot on goal of the first half, LAFC would do the same in the second half with two goals in as many attempts on target. The game-winner came in sublime fashion as second-half substitute Ismael Tajouri-Shradi ran onto a long ball from Palacios and let loose an audacious left-footed half volley from the corner of the penalty area that dipped over Tim Melia for his second goal of the season after scoring from a free kick in his club debut last month.

Eight minutes later, Jose Cifuentes - who entered the match alongside Tajouri-Shradi in the 66th minute - made his impact off the bench to secure all three points for LAFC with the team's third goal of the day. The 23-year-old Ecuadorian playmaker found a pocket of space in the final third and dribbled into the penalty area before burying a shot low into the corner.

Fielding the team's eighth different lineup in the team's first eight matches of the season due to injuries and international call-ups, Manager Peter Vermes gave a club debut to 20-year-old defender Robert Voloder in the game's final minutes on a day in which three Sporting players reached significant milestones. Graham Zusi made his 350th career appearance in MLS competition - becoming one of only seven active players in Major League Soccer to do so - while Roger Espinoza tied Matt Besler for second on the club's all-time regular season games played chart with his 294th appearance and Melia made his 203rd regular season start for Kansas City to equal Jimmy Conrad for seventh on Sporting's all-time regular season games started list.

Sporting Kansas City will now return home to host Columbus Crew SC at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 23 for College Night at Children's Mercy Park featuring packages that include a match ticket and co-branded scarf for fans of the following area schools: University of Kansas, University of Missouri, Kansas State University, University of Missouri - Kansas City and Johnson County Community College. In addition, match sponsor Price Chopper will give away 5,000 reusable bags to attendees after the match while supplies last.

QUOTES Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes

On Sporting's 3-1 loss to LAFC...

I actually thought we were pretty good in the first half. In certain places it's not easy to come in and play, and I thought we did. I thought we did a decent job of that in the first half. I thought that Marinos (Tzionis) was very good underneath. He caused a lot of problems for them and found some really good spaces, which in turn kind of helped us get on the attack and eventually get the first goal. I haven't seen the replay (of LAFC's first goal) yet, but they get a free kick and the ball goes wide, then the guy hits it from a long way away and they get a header off the cross. It's a little tough to give up that goal right before halftime. We've got to do everything we can not to, but we were in a good place coming into the second half, for sure. I thought we were playing well.

We maybe could have done something differently on the second goal in how we covered, but the one thing you can say is (Ismael Tajouri-Shradi) hit an absolute bomb. Sometimes it happens and unfortunately it happened at that point. Tim (Melia) is not saving that and it's not his fault. It's a great shot, so now we're behind. The third goal I can't really talk too much about from our point of view and where the referee was from me. Both referees weren't in a good area to see it, but I thought we were in a good place in the game. We were keeping the ball well and breaking through them. We were coming up the field and building out and going on the counter a couple of times. At the end, that second goal (from LAFC) was a back breaker.

On if Marinos Tzionis will continue playing as an attacking midfielder in future matches...

I'm not sure. He played really well there today. Right now with us having to move the team around as much as we have to, it was interesting. We thought he could do a good job there and he did a lot better than we even thought, so that's a plus.

On Vermes' decision to play a double pivot with Roger Espinoza and Remi Walter as defensive midfielders...

It was how we felt was the best way to go into this game and for the most part, it really was. It was really good. Roger and Remi did a really good job. Roger was running out of gas, so that was why I made the (substitution) with him, but we were in a good place for the most part. I think the (midfield) change was based on the game.

Sporting Kansas City forward and captain Johnny Russell

On Sporting's 3-1 loss to LAFC...

It's a really difficult place to come, especially with the sort of run we're on right now. I thought we played really well, especially in the first half. I thought we looked back to our old selves keeping the ball well. I think Marinos gave us a little something different as well. He created a lot of opportunities. Up until conceding a goal right before halftime, and that was poor from us. Obviously you want to try and get into halftime ahead and then work on it from there. The second goal (from LAFC) is a bit of magic, really. It's a great strike and it sort of kills you, then they get the third from there. It's always going to be a difficult place to come back against a quality side. We ran out of steam in the end, so it's a difficult one to take. It's a difficult position we're in but we just need to keep fighting and figure out a way to get out of this. The positive signs of the first half show us that we can come here against one of the better teams in the league and show what we can do. We need to tighten up and some of the goals were giving away are pretty soft, to be honest.

On what needs to change for Sporting to start clicking...

We all need to lift our game, individually and as a team. We all need to lift each other and battle harder for each other. Then our quality will shine through. We've shown it at times this season how good we can be, we just haven't done it consistently. We're causing ourselves problems the other way. It's up to all of us as a team. We need to defend better as a team and we need to attack better as a team. That's on us forwards, as well. We haven't been anywhere near the standards we set last year, so we need to get back to that level. In the times we do concede goals, we need to make sure we're getting some on the other side as well.

On Sporting's mentality in recent weeks...

In this game, mentality comes in different ways. I think we showed in the first half the way we set out to come here and play, things aren't going well for us but we didn't want to set up shop and invite pressure and feel sorry for ourselves. We wanted to go out and do what we were capable of and what we should be doing, and that's keeping possession and attacking teams. I thought we had done it really well in the first half, but their goal before halftime took the wind out of us a little bit. At stages of the second half, we did we but probably didn't get to the standards we had set ourselves in the first half. The guys' mentality is to go out there and win every game. It's not happening right now but we don't have guys who are going to sink under pressure. It's time that we turn it around. It's easy talking about it. We can talk about winning games, but it's time that we really need to start getting our act together and turning this season around.

On Sporting's attacking struggles...

I feel it's just a matter of time. We're missing some players, haven't had a consistent lineup and haven't been able to find ourselves in the attack yet. We've got too many quality players all over the field to not create chances or score goals. I'm not going to lie-it's been massively frustrating. I'm not worried that it's going to be like that all year. I've got confidence in my teammates and myself that we'll all come good, but it's time to do it now. We can't keep losing games. It's a horrible position to be in and a horrible feeling after games. We have to turn it around and the good thing is we've got two home games coming up. So we need to go and take the first one. We have to go out there with everything we've got, fight for everything and come out with three points. No other result is good enough for us.

2022 MLS Regular Season | Match 8

Banc of California Stadium | Los Angeles, Calif.

Attendance: 22,097

Weather: 65 degrees and sunny

Score 1 2 F

Sporting Kansas City (2-6-0, 6 points) 1 0 1

Los Angeles FC (5-1-1, 16 points) 1 2 3 Sporting Kansas City: Tim Melia; Graham Zusi, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin, Andreu Fontas (Robert Voloder 86'), Logan Ndenbe; Remi Walter, Roger Espinoza (Felipe Hernandez 66'), Marinos Tzionis (Cam Duke 77'); Johnny Russell (C), Khiry Shelton (Nikola Vujnovic 77'), Daniel Salloi

Subs Not Used: John Pulskamp, Kortne Ford, Ben Sweat

Los Angeles FC: Maxime Crepeau; Jesus Murillo, Mamadou Fall, Diego Palacios, Ryan Hollingshead; Ilie Sanchez, Latif Blessing (Jose Cifuentes 66'), Kwadmo Opoku (Ismael Tajouri-Shradi 66'), Kellyn Acosta (Francisco Ginella 81'); Cristian Arango (Danny Musovski 74'), Carlos Vela (C)

Subs Not Used: Franco Escobar, Sebastien Ibeagha, Doneil Henry, John McCarthy

Scoring Summary:

SKC - Own Goal (Diego Palacios) 38'

LAFC - Cristian Arango 2 (Mamadou Fall 1, Diego Palacios 1) 44'

LAFC -- Ismael Tajouri-Shradi 2 (Diego Palacios 2) 70'

LAFC -- Jose Cifuentes 1 (Jesus Murillo 2) 78'

Misconduct Summary:

SKC - Roger Espinoza (caution; unsporting behavior) 6'

LAFC - Jesus Murillo (caution; unsporting behavior) 8'

LAFC - Marinos Tzionis (caution; unsporting behavior) 25'

SKC - Johnny Russell (caution; unsporting behavior) 43'

LAFC - Steve Cherundolo (caution; dissent) 49'

LAFC - Diego Palacios (caution; unsporting behavior) 51'

SKC - Nicolas Isimat-Mirin (caution; unsporting behavior) 80'

Stat SKC LAFC

Shots 10 15

Shots on Goal 2 3

Saves 0 2

Fouls 17 19

Offsides 0 2

Corner Kicks 1 7

Referee: Armando Villarreal

Assistant Referee: Frank Anderson

Assistant Referee: Jeffrey Greeson

Fourth Official: Victor Rivas

VAR: Kevin Stott

AVAR: Chantal Boudreau

Check out the Sporting Kansas City Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 17, 2022


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