Sporting KC Falls at Seattle
MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC Falls at Seattle

Published on August 25, 2025 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Sporting Kansas City (6-15-6, 24 points) sustained a 5-2 road loss at Seattle Sounders FC (12-7-8, 44 points) on Sunday night at Lumen Field.

Mason Toye scored his second goal of the season in the 36th minute and Tim Leibold's cross to Daniel Salloi forced an own goal early in the second half, but Sporting was outdueled by a Seattle side that rode Danny Musovski's hat trick to victory.

Sporting will look to rebound when the team returns home to face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday at Children's Mercy Park. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT with live coverage on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin made one change to Sporting's lineup from a 3-1 loss at Orlando City SC last weekend as Salloi, donning the captain's armband, replaced Shapi Suleymanov in the right midfield spot of a 4-4-2 formation.

The visitors survived a scare inside 25 seconds when Georgi Minoungou raced down the left wing and flashed a low ball into the box for Musovski, whose sliding effort on the edge of the six-yard area sputtered wide. Shortly thereafter, Musovski intercepted an outlet pass and misfired from a tight angle near the endline.

Seattle's fast start was then rewarded in the 11th minute. Kalani Kossa-Rienzi latched onto Minoungou's low delivery from the left channel, and although the winger's initial effort was blocked by Sporting midfielder Zorhan Bassong, his rebound effort rippled the roof of the net to peg Kansas City into a 1-0 deficit.

Zavagnin's side responded well to falling behind as the hosts found joy attacking down the left flank. Left back Tim Leibold brandished a clever cross to the opposite side of the box for Salloi, whose strike in the 20th minute was blocked behind for a corner kick. Not long later, central midfielder Jake Davis clipped a brilliant ball over the top for Sporting's leading goal scorer Dejan Joveljic, whose shot on the run was smothered by Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei.

Sporting restored parity in the 36th minute on a wonderfully worked team goal. An incisive move through the middle culminated with Bassong spreading the ball left to the overlapping Leibold, who pinged an inch-perfect cross into the middle for Toye. The New Jersey native made no mistake from there, hammering an emphatic finish into the right corner for his third career goal at Lumen Field and his second tally of the season. The play gave Leibold and Bassong their second and third assists of the campaign, respectively.

The Sounders reclaimed their lead on the cusp of halftime when Reed Baker-Whiting's looping service was nodded home by the leaping Musovski. The in-form Seattle striker bagged his second goal on another header five minutes into the second half, connecting with Danny Leyva's corner kick to give the hosts a 3-1 cushion.

Kansas City reduced the deficit again in the 53rd minute. Leibold was afforded space to whip a ball into the penalty area for the on-running Salloi, prompting Sounders defender Cody Baker to stick out a foot and steer the ball into his own net. It was the third own goal Sporting has forced this season and cut the scoreline to 3-2.

Sporting's frustrations were compounded on the hour mark, however, when 18-year-old Snyder Brunell converted from close range to open his MLS scoring account. Salloi then had a chance to reply for Kansas City but lashed his strike high in the 65th minute.

Joveljic snapped a header wide in the 70th minute and substitute Suleymanov had a shot saved from an acute angle three minutes later before Musovski completed his hat trick. Leyva drew a foul inside the box and Seattle's center forward placed the ensuing spot kick into the left corner for his team-best 13th goal of the MLS campaign.

Suleymanov almost salvaged a consolation goal for Sporting in second-half stoppage time, intercepting a pass and charging into the box only to see his shot blocked. Fellow substitute Jacob Bartlett found Santi Munoz on the resulting corner kick, but his flick-on header was corralled by Frei.

QUOTES

Sporting Kansas City interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin

Thoughts on the match...

I think to start the game off, we absorbed a lot of pressure. They were rewarded in the 11th minute. They're playing with a lot of confidence right now. It's a good team, even though they didn't have their maybe preferred best XI out there. It's still a strong and confident team. We absorbed a lot in the beginning of the game. I think the balls we gave away, particularly on the second goal right before halftime, were unfortunate in terms of timing and how we lost the ball in a poor area of the field. We did a good job to get back in the game. In the 36th minute, we get a goal to equalize and we think we're going in even at halftime. We actually started the half, I would say, on the front foot, only to be penalized again with another, another cross right after the half. Obviously, the set piece corner kick was an issue and I think we were just too easy defending tonight. We gave up too many chances that were just clear-cut chances for them. We didn't give up and that's a consolation in things, but at the end of the day I think we just came up against a better team.

On the lost momentum...

I think we play such on the edge and part of that is with the idea that we do want to go for it. We understand that we're flawed in certain areas in the game and we've shown the inability to defend the goal in key moments throughout the course of this entire season. I think tonight was no different. And with that, I think we try to outscore and we try to stay on the front foot, even when we're away. Sometimes when you go for it, you're penalized and certainly tonight we were on the losing end of that. I think the group competed. I think there were moments in the game that we were good, but at the end of the night, the performance was flawed in so many ways.

On the 4-4-2 formation...

We've shown in the previous games that with a two-striker system, especially with Mason (Toye) extending the game and (Santi) Munoz underneath, that we've shown the ability to create chances. Even tonight, we created opportunities. I think tonight, where we needed to make an adjustment through the middle of the first half, we did. Our outside midfielders were a little bit too wide and they were getting the run of the game through the middle of the field. I think once we addressed that and brought Daniel (Salloi) and Munoz a little bit closer to even out the numbers through midfield, that helped. The intention of tonight was to compact the middle of the field. We understand that they like to open the game, get numbers through the middle, get the ball wide and cross the ball. That was no different tonight and we were penalized on that. That was the strategy going into the game. We wanted to make sure that we advanced the ball quickly and that in transition that we were effective and efficient. I think the first goal was an execution in that, along with the second goal. There were some things and positives to take from the night, but as I said, it was such a flawed performance in many other ways, particularly giving up goals at key moments of the game (like) right before half and right after half. At the end of the day, that's what really did us in.

On the club's remaining matches...

We need to evaluate the players that will be coming back into the group. A formation at the end of the day is just four numbers put together. It's how we defend the goal, it's how we possess the ball and make efficient attacks going forward. That's what a balanced team is and that's what a complete team is. That's something we've been battling over the course of the season. Our focus still is no different from any other week. Whether you lose 5-2 or you win 3-0, it doesn't really matter. You try to get better starting Tuesday to get ready for the next opponent.

Sporting Kansas City forward Mason Toye

On his goal...

It was a great, great play. All the guys on the attacking side of the ball were involved. Tim (Leibold) got a few chances to cross the ball. They were in good spots. We were going to continue to try to just flood the box and put crosses in there. Tim made a great run. I think Dejan (Joveljic) got on the ball and laid it off to Zorhan (Bassong) and Zorhan played Tim in and then Tim played a cross in. I just had to put it away. As a striker, obviously, anytime you can get a tap in opportunity, you're going to take it all day. It was a great ball from Tim and Tim had a great game. A lot of us did. But there were just little things that didn't go our way and maybe we lost some concentration and we got punished for it tonight.

On the upcoming home matches...

Like we've been saying for pretty much every game, every game is super important. It starts next Saturday. This one hurts. We have just got to think about how we can regroup and get after it again. We'll head back to Kansas City and regroup and just focus on Saturday.

Score 1 2 F

Sporting Kansas City (6-15-6, 24 points) 1 1 2

Seattle Sounders FC (12-7-8, 44 points) 2 3 5

Sporting Kansas City: John Pulskamp; Khiry Shelton, Jansen Miller (Ian James 66'), Robert Voloder, Tim Leibold (Logan Ndenbe 75'); Daniel Salloi (C) (Shapi Suleymanov 66'), Jake Davis (Jacob Bartlett 66'), Zorhan Bassong, Santi Munoz; Dejan Joveljic, Mason Toye (Stephen Afrifa 75')

Subs Not Used: Ryan Schewe, Andrew Brody, Nemanja Radoja

Seattle Sounders FC: Stefan Frei (C); Reed Baker-Whiting (Paul Rothrock 78'), Yeimar (Jackson Ragen 46'), Jon Bell, Cody Baker; Snyder Brunell (Jesus Ferreira 84'), Cristian Roldan (Alex Roldan 46'); Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, Danny Leyva, Georgi Minoungou; Danny Musovski (Osaze De Rosario 84')

Subs Not Used: Andrew Thomas, Nouhou, Obed Vargas, Pedro de la Vega

Scoring Summary:

SEA -- Kalani Kossa-Rienzi 3 (unassisted) 11'

SKC -- Mason Toye 2 (Tim Leibold 2, Zorhan Bassong 3) 36'

SEA -- Danny Musovski 11 (Reed Baker-Whiting 2, Danny Leyva 1) 45+1'

SEA -- Danny Musovski 12 (Danny Leyva 2) 50'

SKC -- Own Goal (Cody Baker) 53'

SEA -- Snyder Brunell 1 (Georgi Minoungou 3, Danny Leyva 3) 61'

SEA -- Danny Musovski 13 (penalty kick) 75'

Misconduct Summary:

SKC -- Stephen Afrifa (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 85'

STAT SKC SEA

Shots 13 22

Shots on Goal 5 7

Saves 2 4

Fouls 10 7

Offsides 1 2

Corner Kicks 3 4

Referee: Chris Penso

Assistant Referee: Corey Parker

Assistant Referee: Nick Balcer

Fourth Official: Drew Fischer

VAR: David Barrie

AVAR: Jonathan Johnson

Check out the Sporting Kansas City Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from August 25, 2025


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.

OurSports Central