Sporting KC Falls 3-1 at LAFC

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MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC Falls 3-1 at LAFC

June 9, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Sporting Kansas City (4-9-4, 16 points) saw its four-game unbeaten run end in a 3-1 road loss to LAFC (7-4-5, 26 points) on Sunday night at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

Serbian striker Dejan Joveljic continued his red-hot run of form with Sporting's go-ahead goal in the 39th minute-extending his scoring streak to four consecutive appearances with his team-leading 10th goal of the season-but prolific winger Denis Bouanga spearheaded LAFC's comeback with a goal and two assists as the hosts pushed their unbeaten run to 10 matches across all competitions and 10 games without a loss in the head-to-head series against Kansas City dating back to 2021.

With half of the 34-game regular season in the books, Sporting will play five of the team's next six matches in the friendly confines of Children's Mercy Park. The home-heavy summer stretch begins Saturday when FC Dallas visits for a 7:30 p.m. CT kickoff with tickets available via SeatGeek and live coverage on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin made two changes to Sporting's starting lineup from a 3-1 win at Houston Dynamo FC last weekend. Midfielder Memo Rodriguez earned his first start since the previous matchup with LAFC on March 22, replacing Zorhan Bassong who was on international duty with Canada. Further up the field, winger Shapi Suleymanov started in place of the injured Erik Thommy.

Eight days after beating Club America on home soil to book a spot in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, LAFC created the game's first chance midway through the first half. Bouanga received a pass with his back to goal, nutmegged his defender and pulled the trigger from a tight angle on the right side of the area, but Sporting goalkeeper John Pulskamp dropped low for a smart save. Only a minute later, Bouanga was on the receiving end of a teasing ball to the back post, but his first-time volley struck teammate Marlon to spare Sporting's blushes.

Sporting drew first blood on a brilliantly worked team goal six minutes before halftime as three newcomers combined to pierce the LAFC backline with quickfire incision. Suleymanov played centrally for midfield maestro Manu Garcia, who exchanged passes with Joveljic before setting up the striker for a shot from 12 yards that beat LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Joveljic's 10 goals are third most in MLS and he becomes one of two Western Conference players-alongside Vancouver forward Brian White-with double-digit goals in both 2024 and 2025. The 25-year-old now has five goals in his last four appearances and boasts a four-game scoring streak, the longest active run in MLS. Joveljic has also scored in three straight away games after each of his first five strikes this year came at home. Fellow Designated Player Garcia, meanwhile, has a team-best five assists in 2025.

Sporting center back Jansen Miller did superbly to deny Bouanga a quick equalizer in the 41st minute, retreating to the goal line for a crucial clearance after the Gabon international smacked a low shot on target, but the visitors relinquished their lead on the stroke of intermission. Bouanga's out-swinging corner kick was nodded into the left corner by central defender Eddie Segura, who etched his name onto the LAFC scoresheet for the first time since 2020.

LAFC were a constant threat in the second half as Sporting defended bravely to keep head coach Steve Cherundolo's men at bay. Left back Logan Ndenbe produced a huge block to thwart Sergi Palencia from 15 yards before Bouanga hit the outside of the left post from a tight angle and saw another goal-bound shot repelled off the line by Miller.

However, Bouanga's persistence was rewarded in the 57th minute when he drew a foul on Memo Rodriguez inside the box. Referee Ricardo Montero wasted no time pointing to the spot and Bouanga buried the subsequent penalty kick for his eighth goal of the MLS campaign.

Pulskamp was busy in the late stages and conjured an excellent save in the 72nd minute, adjusting well and tipping aside a free kick from French World Cup winner Olivier Giroud that took a wicked deflection through traffic. Giroud was stymied again seven minutes later, his close-range flick-on attempt smothered by Pulskamp off a Bouanga cross. Sporting then survived a moment of mayhem near the goalmouth as multiple LAFC players had a bite at the apple, only for Kansas City to manage a desperate clearance.

With a result still in sight, Sporting pushed forward in the dying embers and saw three speculative efforts go begging-a side volley from Joaquin Fernandez, a long-range blast from Garcia and a 30-yard piledriver from Miller that Lloris was forced to touch over the crossbar. LAFC then put the result to bed with a goal on the counterattack, Giroud slotting home off a Bouanga feed.

QUOTES

Sporting Kansas City head coach Kerry Zavagnin

Thoughts on the game...

I think we came up against a very good team today, a confident team that obviously is coming off a big win. I think they brought a lot of their experience and know how into the game tonight. We had a difficult time in the beginning, stringing passes together and finding ourselves in the game. Obviously (we score) a goal against the run of play, a little bit opportunistic goal Dejan was good to get us on the scoresheet. I think we made a few key errors in key moments and we've talked about key moments and being good in those instances. I think today, giving up the corner kick right before halftime, going backwards and finding ourselves 1-1 at half, I think we could have gone in at halftime (in the lead) if we would have managed those last couple minutes of the half a little bit better. I think in the second half we found ourselves chasing, They put a lot of pressure on us. We tried to make a few substitutions to get more attacking players on the field, and we went for it. And to credit to the guys, we didn't stop until the end, so that piece of our game is still intact, but we have to get much, much better, both on the defensive and the attacking side. And final point is LA are very good on attacking set pieces. They capitalized today and they got a heck of a game from Bouanga.

On what the team can do to create more chances...

Well, I don't even think we got close to the goal, to be honest with you. We were trying to connect passes, it's probably the most organized team we played against. They put a lot of pressure on us, our ball movement. We talked about being more purposeful with the ball and I think we just couldn't get ourselves going and creating good chances and for that matter, really getting into the final third in dangerous situations and that carried on for a lot of the game. I know the game was, in a different state when they were up 2-1 in the last 10 minutes. I think we put more attacking players on. Obviously we were punished with the last goal, but we had a little bit more activity there. But on the day, LA were the better team.

On if it's frustrating to score great goals but not replicate those patterns...

I think we do a lot of good things. We're not at the elite level of the league yet, and we are pursuing that. Tonight we saw an elite team that has been very good in our league over the last number of years. And we got some pretty good feedback. And that feedback is, we need to be more consistent on both the attacking and the defending side of the ball, even better on set pieces, although we've improved greatly. That's our pursuit. Like I said, we got some pretty good feedback today, that we have to be better, and we will be better. With seven of the last nine on the road, we're excited to come back for the home stretch where I believe we have the next five or six. So it'll be welcomed and important for us to get back home in front of our fans. We're going to do our best to be better than what we were today.

On the performances of Jansen Miller and John Pulskamp...

Well, they've been consistent. Consistent how? They've left everything out on the field. Said this before, young players will make mistakes, but veterans do as well. And for them to get these experiences in these kinds of games against the quality opponent like LA, I think is beneficial to both their career, but also beneficial to our club and that we're getting young players in these environments so that as they mature, they'll be ready the next time.

On if bringing on Jake Davis was a pre-planned substitute and thoughts on his performance...

Yes, it was pre-planned. Not just to get him on the field but also Memo Rodriguez, who has not been starting, didn't have the ability to go 90 minutes and so we knew that sub was going to be somewhere between the 45th and 60th minute. Jake getting on the field is welcome for all of us. We know what he brings to the game and as he now is integrating himself more in training after the injury, he's putting himself in a better position to be on the field more often and I think him getting those minutes today, he got the ability to get used to the speed of the game again so I think it'll be beneficial for him moving forward.

On if the defense has to get better or if LAFC's pace was too much...

Both. The other team was faster, they're quicker on the ball. They were playing with a lot of confidence from the recent championship that they had at the stadium and some of those factors factor in but I always think about what can we do right, how can we be at our best? Certainly defensively, we absorbed a lot of pressure. There's been times this year where we've been very, very good. But that's always an aspect and will always be an aspect that we're trying to optimize and at this point of where we are in our progression, we have not optimized it.

Sporting Kansas City defender Jansen Miller

On the challenge of facing LAFC's Denis Bouanga...

He's difficult, he's a good player. But I like to play the top players in the league, I feel like people can see that. I feel like I get up for it. It was good, I feel like I kind of showed that I can play with any of the top guys in the league. That's how I felt with that battle.

Thoughts on the game...

It's tough, I feel like we would have liked to go in halftime up 1-0, maybe seeing out the end of the half better. Because it gave them a little momentum going in the second half. It was always going to be tough coming in here. This is my first time playing here, but I knew it'd be hard. I think we showed moments of being able to play. I didn't really feel like we were ever out of it. I think until they scored that third goal, we were right around their box and it was close.

On what Bouanga was saying during their confrontation in the second half...

I honestly couldn't tell you. He was speaking French. I don't speak French.

2025 MLS Regular Season | Match 17

BMO Stadium | Los Angeles, California

Attendance: 17,031

Weather: 72 degrees and sunny

Score 1 2 F

Sporting Kansas City (4-9-4, 16 points) 1 0 1

LAFC (7-4-5, 26 points) 1 2 3

Sporting Kansas City: John Pulskamp; Khiry Shelton, Jansen Miller, Joaquin Fernandez, Logan Ndenbe (Tim Leibold 81'); Jacob Bartlett, Manu Garcia, Memo Rodriguez (Jake Davis 60'); Shapi Suleymanov (Santiago Munoz 71'), Dejan Joveljic, Daniel Salloi (C) (Stephen Afrifa 81')

Subs Not Used: Ryan Schewe, Andrew Brody, Ian James, Mason Toye

LAFC: Hugo Lloris (C); Sergi Palencia, Marlon, Eddie Segura, Ryan Hollinsghead (Artem Smoliakov 90+4'); Igor Jesus, Timothy Tillman (Ryan Raposo 85'), Mark Delgado; Yaw Yeboah (Frankie Amaya 65'), Jeremy Ebobisse (Olivier Giroud 65'), Denis Bouanga

Subs Not Used: David Ochoa, Maxime Chanot, Aaron Long, Nkosi Tafari, Adrian Wibowo

Scoring Summary:

SKC -- Dejan Joveljic 10 (Manu Garcia 5) 39'

LAFC -- Eddie Segura 1 (Denis Bouanga 4) 45+1'

LAFC -- Denis Bouanga 8 (penalty kick) 59'

LAFC -- Olivier Giroud 3 (Denis Bouanga 5) 90+3'

Misconduct Summary:

LAFC -- Ryan Hollingshead (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 27'

SKC -- Jake Davis (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 67'

LAFC -- Sergi Palencia (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 88'

STAT SKC LAFC

Shots 5 21

Shots on Goal 2 8

Saves 4 1

Fouls 14 15

Offsides 2 4

Corner Kicks 2 8

Referee: Ricardo Montero

Assistant Referee: Eric Weisbrod

Assistant Referee: Kevin Lock

Fourth Official: Gerald Flores

VAR: Michael Radchuk

AVAR: Joshua Patlak

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Major League Soccer Stories from June 9, 2025


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