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MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC Suffers 3-0 Setback in Seattle

June 25, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Coming off back-to-back wins and playing the team's third match in seven days, Sporting Kansas City (4-10-4, 16 points) suffered a 3-0 setback at the Seattle Sounders FC (7-6-2, 23 points) on Saturday afternoon at Lumen Field.

The Sounders opened the scoring in the eighth minute as Will Bruin headed home a cross from Cristian Roldan at the top of the six-yard box. Bruin, a three-time Missouri State High School Soccer Coaches Association Player of the Year, now has 76 career regular season goals while Roldan recorded his 76th career regular season goal contribution for Seattle (30 goals, 36 assists).

After conceding the earliest goal scored by an opponent in the team's MLS campaign, Sporting came close to leveling the score in the 34th minute. Khiry Shelton, on the eve of his 29th birthday, acrobatically got on the end of a floated pass from Johnny Russell only to see his volley strike the post and the offside flag go up from assistant referee Jeff Hosking.

The first half - which saw Sporting KC make 34 entries into the final third, more than double the 16 credited to the hosts -- came to a close with the Sounders nearly doubling their lead. USMNT teammates Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan combined down the left channel to spring Roldan inside the penalty area but Tim Melia raced off his line with a superb stop to turn away the left-footed effort.

The second half started with Sporting Kansas City's best scoring opportunity of the afternoon as left back Logan Ndenbe played a well-weighted pass into the path of Cam Duke. The 21-year-old Sporting KC Academy product worked his way past two Seattle defenders and went for goal, narrowly sending his shot wide of the far post from a tight angle along the endline.

Melia produced his second save in the mid-day matinee in the 52nd minute, diving low to his left to corral an attempt from Morris. On the opposite end, Frei was called into action for the first time in the 65th minute as Russell was unmarked on a Felipe Hernandez corner kick however his header bounced straight into the arms of Frei.

Seattle stretched their advantage to 3-0 with a pair of goals in a five-minute span. The home side pounced in the 71st minute with a goal that came in strikingly similar fashion as their first with Morris directing a header into the back of the net from the top of the six-yard box on a pinpoint service from Nouhou. In short succession, Cristian Roldan tapped in the Sounders' third in the 76th minute to seal all three points on an assist from Morris.

The Sounders continued to threaten a Sporting Kansas City defense that has conceded a league-worst 24 road goals this season and nearly put the exclamation point on the performance in the 80th minute if not for Melia making a series of three saves in a matter of seconds to deny Morris, Jimmy Medranda and Fredy Montero.

Sporting Kansas City will return home to host the New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. CT on Sunday, July 3 for the club's annual Americana theme night featuring post-match fireworks. Tickets, including the Americana Pack and the Coca-Cola Family & Friends Pack , are available on SeatGeek as Sporting KC plays the 200th MLS match at Children's Mercy Park on a night in which Peter Vermes will coach his 500th game for the club in all competitions.

QUOTES Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes

On the difference between the first and second halves...

We were in the game. We were actually playing pretty well. They did a really good job against our two wingers. They focused on those two guys and tried to shut them down in the first half. In the second half, we tried to do something different, which started off really well. Cam Duke has somewhat of a breakaway going, which could have changed things a little bit when he got in alone. The two header goals, they're very good from those little deep lying areas and getting guys into the box and playing balls in behind you. Both goals were headers that we should have had better positioning. On the other goal, it was more of the fact we were pushing at that point to get back into game and that goal was a little different. It's the two in the air that I was more concerned with, but the other one is just a function of us stepping up.

On the team having played three matches in six days...

I would say that it was very hot on the field today, very hot. I think it would have been different if we didn't have a midweek game. But the fact that we had a midweek game, the guys who played in the midweek game that weren't in today would have had the same problem. It was trying to manage people. Legs wise, it was a little difficult. It wasn't an easy match from a Heat perspective. The turf keeps it all in. The fact that we played to your point, three games in six days no doubt had a cumulative effect from a work ethic. But the guys tried. It's not like they didn't try. So, I have no issues there.

Sporting Kansas City forward Johnny Russell

Thoughts on the match...

Obviously disappointing to lose. We've had a good week. Great away win last week, and then obviously the cup game. We came in here full of confidence, feeling momentum. Just disappointed. The two goals from the crosses we should deal with better. We should stop the cross and we should stop it. We should get to it first in the box. The other one, we're trying to get forward and we knew they're a dangerous side and they counter attacked us well. It was a quick goal, but we definitely feel like the other two are definitely the ones that we should be able to cut.

On Sporting's possession not turning into chances...

There were times in the game where we controlled the game and controlled possession, but it didn't really result in anything. Something we spoke about, was keeping the ball for periods of time because it was a hot day. Obviously trying to keep the ball moving around, keep them tired, but we didn't really do it to any great effect or where we looked dangerous in any aspect. It's just disappointing, the way we came out of the game and with what we hoped to achieve in the game. We're a possession-based team, but there's no point in keeping possession if it's not towards goal. That's the main aim and today we just weren't good enough in that aspect.

On Seattle's defense closing down the wings...

Just denying the space, really. When they were getting the ball to us, the three guys were quick to get out and they were quick to double up as well, so it kind of cut off the space. The only passes, we really had were going back where it came from or inside. We didn't really have much opportunity to get a ball and turn and get at them, which is something that we've been really good against them at in the past. They've obviously worked on that, but it's up to us to find different ways around that and today we just didn't have the answers for it.

On playing three matches in six days...

I don't feel like the games are getting to it. We're used to it now; we've done it enough. We're a fit bunch of guys, we're a fit team, so I'm not going to sit here and look for excuses and blame the amount of games we've played. It was hot today, but it was hot for them as well. We weren't good enough in the key areas today and that effectively won them the game and lost us it.

On being subbed off late in the match...

I never want to come out of a game, but at the end of the day, it's the manager's decision. Whatever he sees on the field, if he feels like something's going to change, then that's entirely his decision. I'm going to want to play every minute. I can probably understand it. I don't know what it's been this year. I don't feel that maybe one of my yellow cards have been merited. I don't feel like the other ones have been. I've never missed a game in my career with yellow card accumulation and for whatever reason, this year I seem to be getting them quite a lot. Tif that's the decision and it's a tactical it's his decision and I'm not going to fight that.

I would say that it was very hot on the field today, very hot. I think it would have been different if we didn't have a midweek game. But the fact that we had a midweek game, the guys who played in the midweek game that weren't in today would have had the same problem. It was trying to manage people. Legs wise, it was a little difficult. It wasn't an easy match from a Heat perspective. The turf keeps it all in. The fact that we played to your point, three games in six days no doubt had a cumulative effect from a work ethic. But the guys tried. It's not like they didn't try. So, I have no issues there.

Sporting Kansas City forward Johnny Russell

Thoughts on the match...

Obviously disappointing to lose. We've had a good week. Great away win last week, and then obviously the cup game. We came in here full of confidence, feeling momentum. Just disappointed. The two goals from the crosses we should deal with better. We should stop the cross and we should stop it. We should get to it first in the box. The other one, we're trying to get forward and we knew they're a dangerous side and they counter attacked us well. It was a quick goal, but we definitely feel like the other two are definitely the ones that we should be able to cut.

On Sporting's possession not turning into chances...

There were times in the game where we controlled the game and controlled possession, but it didn't really result in anything. Something we spoke about, was keeping the ball for periods of time because it was a hot day. Obviously trying to keep the ball moving around, keep them tired, but we didn't really do it to any great effect or where we looked dangerous in any aspect. It's just disappointing, the way we came out of the game and with what we hoped to achieve in the game. We're a possession-based team, but there's no point in keeping possession if it's not towards goal. That's the main aim and today we just weren't good enough in that aspect.

On Seattle's defense closing down the wings...

Just denying the space, really. When they were getting the ball to us, the three guys were quick to get out and they were quick to double up as well, so it kind of cut off the space. The only passes, we really had were going back where it came from or inside. We didn't really have much opportunity to get a ball and turn and get at them, which is something that we've been really good against them at in the past. They've obviously worked on that, but it's up to us to find different ways around that and today we just didn't have the answers for it.

On playing three matches in six days...

I don't feel like the games are getting to it. We're used to it now; we've done it enough. We're a fit bunch of guys, we're a fit team, so I'm not going to sit here and look for excuses and blame the amount of games we've played. It was hot today, but it was hot for them as well. We weren't good enough in the key areas today and that effectively won them the game and lost us it.

On being subbed off late in the match...

I never want to come out of a game, but at the end of the day, it's the manager's decision. Whatever he sees on the field, if he feels like something's going to change, then that's entirely his decision. I'm going to want to play every minute. I can probably understand it. I don't know what it's been this year. I don't feel that maybe one of my yellow cards have been merited. I don't feel like the other ones have been. I've never missed a game in my career with yellow card accumulation and for whatever reason, this year I seem to be getting them quite a lot. Tif that's the decision and it's a tactical it's his decision and I'm not going to fight that.

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