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MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC Secures 1-0 Victory over Cruz Azul in CCL Play

March 13, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Sporting Kansas City will enter the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals ahead on aggregate after the team's 1-0 victory over Cruz Azul on Wednesday at Sporting Park. Homegrown defender Kevin Ellis scored the decisive goal in the 17th minute on an assist from Designated Player Claudio Bieler.

Eric Kronberg recorded his fourth shutout of the tournament, most among all goalkeepers in the competition and most by a Sporting KC player all-time in international competition, and lowered his goals against average in the CCL to 0.20 with only one goal allowed in five games. Sporting Kansas City and Cruz Azul will meet again in the return leg at 9 p.m. CT on March 19 at Estadio Azul in Mexico City with a berth in the semifinals at stake.

Ellis, making his Champions League debut with the fourth career competitive start in four professional seasons, delivered the game's defining moment with the first shot on goal of the game. Receiving a first-time pass from Bieler along the left edge of the penalty area, Ellis cut past Gerardo Flores and beat Jose Corona with a right-footed shot just inside the near post.

The 17th-minute goal is Ellis' second of his career with both coming against Mexican opposition. In 2011, the Oak Park High School alum scored against CD Guadalajara in an international friendly held at Sporting Park.

Though Cruz Azul would not attempt their first shot of the match until the 30th minute, Marco Fabian broke behind the Sporting KC backline in the 24th minute and was poised to go 1-v-1 with Kronberg only to see Ike Opara recover in time to intervene. On the opposite end, Opara made a roaming run forward in the 33rd minute and tested Corona from distance, forcing the Mexican National Team regular to tip the effort over the crossbar.

On the ensuing corner from Graham Zusi, Ellis won the header and nearly set up Benny Feilhaber for a poacher's finish. However, Corona made his presence felt with a sliding stop inside the six-yard box.

Sporting Kansas City continued to attack and nearly doubled their lead in the 44th minute through Bieler. The South American striker ran at Luis Amaranto, turning the defender inside then out, and forced a sprawling save as Corona extended to his left to get a glove on the shot.

The visitors best chance of the opening half came in stoppage time as Christian Gimenez made a dangerous run down the left flank only to send his shot wide of the far post. Cruz Azul, currently in first place in Liga MX with an 8-1-1 record in the Clausura, nearly pulled level with back-to-back scoring opportunities in the early stages of the second half.

Mariano Pavone dribbled around Kronberg in the 55th minute and sent his shot goal-bound only to have Opara again thwart La Maquina with his last-second clearance in front of the goalline. An undaunted Cruz Azul attack would come close to capitalizing from the following corner kick if not for the alert play by Feilhaber and Seth Sinovic to deny Fabian's header.

Sporting Kansas City were inches away from adding a second goal when Zusi's shot struck the crossbar in the 64th minute. The MLS All-Star and U.S. Men's National Team playmaker threatened again 20 minutes later, requiring Corona to rush off his line to disrupt the developing breakaway.

The victory -- the club's second all-time against a Mexican opponent and first since the 2002 CONCACAF Champions' Cup -- keeps Sporting KC unbeaten in the competition at 3-0-2 moving into next week's rematch. Three players who featured on Wednesday will miss the second leg due to caution accumulation as Seth Sinovic, Rogelio Chavez and Alejandro Castro all received their second yellow cards of the tournament.

Next week's match will air live on FOX Sports 2 (English) and Galavision (Spanish). For more information on the CONCACAF Champions League, visit SportingKC.com/CCL.

FAST FACTS

Sporting KC defeated Cruz Azul 1-0 in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday at Sporting Park.

The win marks Sporting KC's second ever win against a Mexican opponent. The first was in 2002 against Santos Laguna.

Sporting KC are now 2-5-2 all-time in competitive matches against Mexican teams. The loss marks Cruz Azul's first ever defeat in the CCL quarterfinals. Prior to Wednesday, Cruz Azul was a perfect 6-0-0 in the quarterfinal round with only one goal conceded. Wednesday's loss was Cruz Azul's second all-time in CCL competition against an MLS opponent. Cruz Azul is now 5-2-0 all-time against MLS teams in CCL. The second leg will take place in Mexico City next Wednesday (March 19). The game will air live on FOX Sports 2 and Galavision. The team with the aggregate lead at the conclusion of the second leg will advance to the semifinals to face the winner between LA Galaxy (USA) and Tijuana (MEX).

Sporting KC is unbeaten in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League with a 3-0-2 record. The only other unbeaten team in the tournament is Toluca (MEX). Kevin Ellis gave Sporting KC the 1-0 lead in the 17th minute. The match was Ellis' debut in a competitive international match. Sal Zizzo also debuted in CCL competition while wearing a Sporting KC uniform. Claudio Bieler assisted on Ellis' goal. Bieler led Sporting KC with six assists in the 2014 preseason.

The goal was the second of Ellis' professional career and first in a competitive match. His first came in an international friendly against CD Guadalajara in 2011. Sporting KC used all three substitutions on Wednesday with Jacob Peterson entering the match to replace Sal Zizzo. C.J Sapon replaced Benny Feilhaber and Dom Dwyer entered for Claudio Bieler. Eric Kronberg earned his fourth shutout in CCL competition on Wednesday, breaking a tie with Tony Meola and moving into first on the all-time chart for most shutouts in international competition. Seth Sinovic was shown a yellow card in the 77th minute on Wednesday for delaying a restart. Sinovic will miss the second leg due to yellow card accumulation. Cruz Azul's Rogelio Chavez and Alejandro Castro were also shown their second yellow cards in the competition on Wednesday and will miss the second leg in Mexico City. Aurelien Collin served his one-game suspension on Wednesday after receiving his second yellow card in the final match of the group stage. Sporting KC advanced to the quarterfinals by finishing atop of Group 2 with two wins and two draws. Group 2 was comprised of Sporting KC, Real Esteli (NIC) and CD Olimpia (HON). Cruz Azul maintained a perfect record in group play with two victories against Herediano (CRC) and two wins over Valencia (HAI). Cruz Azul was one of two teams to complete the group stage with a perfect 4-0-0 record. Wednesday's loss was Cruz Azul's first in the 2013-14 edition of the tournament. Cruz Azul are 12-9-2 all-time in CCL away from home. Former MLS All-Star Michael Farfan was in the 18 man-roster for the first time since going on loan to Cruz Azul. Sporting KC are 6-3-4 in CCL all-time and 7-8-7 all-time in competitive international matches. At home, Sporting KC are 3-3-6 in competitive international matches. Wednesday marked the team's ninth shutout in competitive international matches. With the victory on Wednesday, Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes remains unbeaten against international opponents. Cruz Azul currently leads Liga MX with an 8-1-1 record in 2014. Their lone League loss was in the club's last outing. Cruz Azul has now lost back-to-back matches for the first time this season. Sporting KC qualified for the 2013-14 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League by winning the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against the Seattle Sounders FC in a penalty kick shootout in 2012. Cruz Azul finished as runner-up in the 2013 Liga MX Clausura Liguilla to qualify.

QUOTES

Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes

Thoughts on the match...

This is a competition that we have been waiting for two years since we won the U.S. Open Cup and qualified. We knew going into the quarterfinals that Cruz Azul was going to be the most difficult opponent that we would face. It's a very good team, well coached and the players are technically sound. For us, it was a big match and we expended a lot of energy. We worked very hard and it's a shame we could not get a second goal. We had some very good chances. But all in all, I think our work ethic ruled the day. But if you really take it over a 90-minute match, this is the first half and we have another half to play when we go to Mexico. We still have a big challenge in front of us.

Thoughts on Kevin Ellis scoring...

It's great because he scored for our team ... that is what's great. In the end, it's all about the team. It's obviously a big story for our organization since he is a homegrown player. He comes into a very special moment in our club's history and finds himself with a goal as well as playing a good game. It's a good step in the right direction for him but he has a long way to go and he has to keep getting better.

On the defensive effort...

We talked about the fact that it will take every roll of the ball for us to be concentrated and focused for 90+ minutes. We knew they were very crafty and they could find opportunities off mistakes and capitalize very quickly when you are not paying attention. I thought our concentration was excellent. Take the situation with Ike [Opara]. For his recovery to get to the goal line and not give up on the play when he could have ... it showed tremendous heart and it just shows the character of the group.

On the physicality of the match...

It's always interesting to me that everyone comments on the physical play. I think the difference is that we don't provide a lot of space for teams. They are under pressure and when you are close, it's a man's game. There is a going to be some contact here and there and at the end of the day, I think the pressure is something that helped us throughout the game and never let them settle in. To be able to do what we did for 90 minutes, that early in the season, being our second game and coming off a game three days ago, a tremendous effort by the guys. That is what it means to be Sporting Fit.

Thoughts on the second leg...

I expect for them to come out and throw everything at us. They are playing at home and are a very good team. We knew them well before this game and we know them a lot better now. And they are not going to go down without a major fight. We are going to have to be prepared for everything and as much as our concentration and focus and work ethic was good here, it will need to be double there because it will be a difficult match.

Sporting KC defender Seth Sinovic

On his goal line save...

It had more to do with Benny. I got lucky that Benny got to it. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time at the end there."¨"¨On Sporting KC controlling the game..."¨I thought as a team we pressed the game pretty well and I thought we controlled most of the game and had the majority of the chances except the one or two that they had. It was a good performance. I wish we could have gotten another one, but overall a pretty good result for us."¨

On Kevin Ellis' play tonight...

He did really well. He was confident on the ball, very strong and organized defensively. Obviously a great goal too, so it was a huge game for him. He is obviously a talented player. He's got all the capabilities - very physical and very athletic. It's just getting repetitions in that position. Growing up he wasn't playing outside back, so it takes time to learn the position and I think he's grown every year and continues to make improvements.

On the team's depth...

The guys have stepped up really well. We've got a lot of depth at a lot of different positions. Whether they are starting the games or the guys are coming in off the bench, everybody's making a big impact on the game and that's huge.

Perception of Major League Soccer's progress...

There is so much parity in our league. It's hard to say that we're representing our league alone. Obviously we won a championship last year so there are a lot of eyes on us. At the same time, there's a few other teams still in the competition for MLS so I think we're all trying to prove that we're capable of winning this competition.

On if the high pressure system was surprising to Cruz Azul...

If they watched tape, I don't think so. If not, then probably. Anybody that's seen us play knows that's how we play and that's what makes us effective.

Sporting Kansas City defender Ike Opara

On his 45-yard strike...

Coach gives me a hard time in practice because I like to shoot random times and he calls me center forward. So, I figured I would let one go and show him I could play forward.

On the goal line stop...

I thought we did a good job with Besler winning the first ball but then they got us quickly on the second ball. The counter through, I just gave it my all. As soon as I saw him take a touch around Krony I knew that I had a pretty good chance of getting there. It's just one of those things that guys fight for each other and I wasn't going to give up on that play.

Heading to Mexico City with the 1-0 lead...

It's obviously a good thing. We wanted to get the win and keep a shutout and we did that. It gives us a chance going down to Mexico City and hopefully we see it through. We know it's going to be a tough battle. But, we're up for the challenge.

On gameplan for second leg...

Peter and the staff will come up with a game plan. He's very good at coming up with game plans especially going on the road. I think we'll see something similar to what we saw tonight.

Sporting Kansas City defender Kevin Ellis

On scoring the game-winner in front of your hometown fans...

It means a lot. But more importantly we got the win and that's what means the most. We know if these games when it's home and away, you have to win the home game. The main focus is to get three points heading into Mexico City. It definitely feels good, but there is no time to rest or to be satisfied. We have Dallas coming in on Saturday and we have to get points.

On the goal...

It started as a corner. The ball popped out, but I stayed up and Claudio hit a world class ball with the outside of his right foot. I just took a touch, put my head down, took another touch and hit it and hoped it went in and it did.

On potential of getting switched to the left because of Seth's suspension...

I have played some games at left back. I can play on both sides of the field so if the opportunity presents itself, I'll be ready.

Comparing game strategy in road match at Seattle and tonight's at Sporting Park...

We go out every game to win the game. We don't play for ties. I think in Seattle we got unfortunate. We played really well defensively for 93 minutes and 40 seconds. We had one lapse all over the field. It wasn't just the back line. It wasn't just the midfield. We win as a team and we lose as a team. We all know that and it feels good to come back home and get a win.

Cruz Azul Manager Luis Fernando Tena

Thoughts on the match...

I think that today we faced a strong opponent. They came out very strong. I think that about the 24th minute we got better; our possession was better and we had more of the ball in the opposing side of the field. In the second half, I thought we were the better team and had more of the possession. [Sporting KC] is a good team. They are well positioned, did a good job on the defensive side of the ball and we could not find a way to tie the match. We tried the whole game to find that goal and I thought we deserved the tying goal but in football it's about actually scoring and we were unable to do that. The series is still wide open. It's going to be a very difficult game back home in Mexico. It will be a well-fought game with two very good teams going at each other.

On the physicality of the match...

I think it was an intense game. There was a lot of determination on both sides. Definitely a lot of tough play but there was fair play on both sides. The second game will likely be more of the same, a hard, well-fought game with two teams going at each other hard, but with fair play.

Thoughts on Sporting KC...

[Sporting] Kansas City is a solid team, especially in terms of their formation. They are very compact and defensively are very strong in the back. They defend as a team, which makes them hard to break down. At the same time, in the attack they have some very dangerous players, specifically [Graham] Zusi and [Claudio] Bieler.

Thoughts on MLS...

MLS has obviously progressed. Technically, the players are very gifted. They are still as athletic and strong as we have always known them to be. They have always had this characteristic, but now you see very technically gifted players as well. You see that improvement to the point where MLS and Mexican teams are very even in terms of quality. It's difficult to separate them and that has been shown not only at the club level but at the national team level where the U.S. national team has demonstrated that there is that evenness between Mexico and the United States.

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