Sporting Tops Philadelphia 2-0 in Home-Opening Win
March 10, 2019 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
Sporting Kansas City secured their first league win of the 2019 MLS season on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Philadelphia Union 2-0 at Children's Mercy Park.
Ilie Sanchez buried an early penalty kick, goalkeeper Tim Melia saved a penalty of his own, and a late own goal sealed the result as Sporting (1-1-0, 3 points) rolled to victory over the 10-man Union (0-2-0, 0 points), who were reduced to 10 men when Marco Fabian received a straight red card in the 60th minute.
Melia's penalty save to deny Fabian was one of his four stops on the day, which helped Sporting to their first shutout of Philadelphia in 14 MLS meetings between the sides.
Juggling two prominent competitions simultaneously, Manager Peter Vermes reshuffled his lineup from Wednesday's 2-1 first-leg defeat at Independiente in the Concacaf Champions League Quarterfinals. Midfielder Ilie Sanchez and central defenders Matt Besler and Botond Barath retained their starting roles, while eight others earned starts after resting or coming off the bench four days earlier in Panama. Among them was 16-year-old Sporting KC Academy product Gianluca Busio, who became the youngest MLS starter in Children's Mercy Park history.
Busio wasted little time asserting his presence, drawing a penalty kick in the ninth minute after Johnny Russell and Krisztian Nemeth exchanged passes in the penalty area. Auston Trusty toppled Busio from behind in a bid to win the loose ball, and referee Chris Penso immediately pointed to the spot. Ilie stepped up to bury the ensuing attempt, expertly picking out the right corner for his third goal of the 2019 campaign in all competitions and his second in as many matches.
The Union had boasted a 4-1-2 regular-season record against Sporting in the previous seven meetings between the clubs, and the visitors were awarded a major opportunity to equalize five minutes before halftime. Seth Sinovic was penalized for a handball infraction inside the box, but Fabian was thwarted from 12 yards as Melia dove low to his right to push aside the Mexican international's attempt. The 32-year-old has now saved eight penalties in the regular season since the start of 2016, three more than any other MLS goalkeeper during that time.
Sporting could have doubled their lead on the stroke of intermission, only to see Busio and Krisztian Nemeth's close-range efforts blocked in a crowded goalmouth.
Melia was called into action again in the 49th minute, leaping at full extension to parry a seething, long-range bomb from Cory Burke. At the opposite end, a Russell free kick was repelled only as far as Felipe Gutierrez, whose booming volley on the rebound was deflected inches over the crossbar.
Fabian's miserable outing worsened on the hour mark when he was ejected after stomping on Russell in Philadelphia's defensive third. On the free kick that followed, Graham Zusi's sweetly struck curler bent over the wall and rattled the woodwork.
Burke almost restored parity with 69 minutes on the clock, rising to snap a powerful header on goal from Haris Medunjanin's cross, but Melia's superb performance continued with a clean snag in mid-air.
Eight minutes later, Busio nearly bagged the first home goal of his professional career. He dashed onto Ilie's lovely delivery over the top and took a touch around Union goalkeeper Andre Blake, but the bouncing ball was hammered clear before the 16-year-old could pull the trigger.
The hosts clinched all three points in the 80th minute when substitute Kelyn Rowe played Gerso Fernandes free down the right flank. The diminutive winger's cross near the endline was inadvertently nodded into the back of the net by Philadelphia defender Jack Elliott, condemning the Union to their second straight loss to start the season.
With Sunday's MLS contest in the books, Sporting will switch gears Thursday as the club battles Panamanian side Independiente in the decisive second leg of the Concacaf Champions League Quarterfinals. Faced with a 2-1 deficit, Vermes' men can win the series with a 1-0 triumph or a multi-goal victory. Tickets for the pivotal fixture are included in Season Ticket Member packages and remain available at SeatGeek.com as Sporting aims to reach the semifinals of North America's most prestigious club competition for the first time.
Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
On the team's halftime adjustments...
I think we were better in the second half. I think we had a much better mentality and I think we were smarter in the game. The other thing, too, is that we dealt with their direct play a lot better in the second half.
On securing the first points of the season...
When you play the Eastern Conference teams, those points are like bonus points. So to get those three points today is huge. The way I look at it, last year we didn't get the three points at their place so getting those three points now - hopefully we can climb up the ladder a little quicker.
On the team's quick turnaround to Champions League play on Thursday...
We know what we have to do. It's going to be difficult. They're going to come in here and play. They're not going to just let us walk all over them. That's for sure. We have to play better than we did today. We also have to be really hungry for the goal.
Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia
Thoughts on the match...
It's a positive 2-0 result. We got the win at home. We're happy to be in front of our fans again. We got great weather, can't ask more. We got a shutout. Now, we put this game behind us and we have to go into a very important game in a few days.
On his success in saving penalties...
I'm lucky and I get a lot of help from the coaching staff.
On the team keeping a clean sheet...
I think we were locked into what they were trying to do. They were trying to put the ball in behind us. We were getting our line back but then we were also stepping into the midfield and closing out the shooting lanes. All in all, a really good performance from everyone on the back line today.
On the approach to Thursday's second leg in the Champions League...
We come out and play our game. We dominate possession. We're confident and we go after the game. We try to win right from the get go.
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Ilie Sanchez
Thoughts on the match...
I think that Philadelphia played really well. We had a tough game, but at the end it feels good to be back home.
On the clean sheet...
Tim (Melia) is always there when we need him. I'm really happy for him and also for us because he helped us to get this win. He came up in a huge moment for us.
On scoring his penalty...
Honestly now, I think about the one the (chance) that I missed in the second half. I'm happy that we could score two goals but hopefully we can get a good result on Thursday.
On the Champions League match-up ahead...
It's a priority for us. Champions League is exciting for us. I hope that the team will get a good performance and we can get to the next round.
Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin
Thoughts on the match...
Overall, I asked our players to have a strong response to Toronto and I got that. Not many teams come here into this building in a home opener environment and have the amount of the ball and the amount of chances that we did. Obviously, it's critical for us to get that first goal. We didn't do that. We made one mistake in the first half - maybe Auston can just clear the initial long ball that lets Russell get in behind and then maybe the referee could let that one go. I don't know if it's really a foul on Auston. It's difficult, but we have to live with it. Obviously, they get the penalty kick. We create a lot of chances. When I watch our group play against one of the best teams in our League, I still take away a lot of positives. A lot of shots on goal. A lot of attempts at goal. A lot of good actions. We just kind of lacked, in the run of the play, that final touch. We'll get back to work. It's still early, but we have a sense of urgency obviously to get our first points of the year. If we perform like that - being down a man for 30 minutes and still creating a few chances - I'm really proud of the players. It always hurts to lose. Obviously, we're not happy when we lose. But at the same time, I think there's still a lot of positives to build from off the game.
Thoughts on the red card...
I just watched it back and it's a situation where, again we get to a point where guys are sitting in a booth and have the ability to stop and pause things. My first look at it, it looks like he 100% wins the ball first. The ball is flicked over the player. Marco (Fabian) is off balance and in the air. He's twisting. He looks to land somewhere. He's kind of entitled to land somewhere on the ground. If you do pause it exactly when his foot lands on the guy, then yeah, it looks bad of course. I think it's a tough decision that went against us today on a day when a lot of things went against us. We obviously give up a PK. We score an own goal. We have a missed penalty kick and we have a red card. We have a lot of things go against us. It's always tough on the road in this League. But certainly, upon my first glance at the red card, I don't agree.
Thoughts on the team defensively...
I thought we were compact and organized aside from the penalty kick scramble. We didn't give up a lot to a very good team. To me, Peter is one of the top coaches in our League and I think that's one of the best teams in our League. On this very field, they've played some teams off the park already in Champions League. It's something to build on. I asked my group at halftime, 'If these are the best teams, how far off are we?' It does need to be that extra little bit that gets us over the hump. But we are close and we still have things to work on. I feel for our group because they put a ton into the game. You need something to come from performances like today. It feels empty. It sucks and it hurts, but we'll regroup. It gets no easier. We have to go Atlanta now. We have a tough road ahead of us but over the 34 games, if we put in performances like today and parts of the Toronto game, we'll get our points.
Thoughts on being held scoreless...
We're close. You think of the first half, the ball that bounces to Marco in the box, that's the guy you want on that ball. Jack Elliott has a free header. We have a penalty kick. In the run of play, we get a lot of crosses into dangerous areas. We're just not quite getting on the end of them right now. Some things to work on, for sure. But, on the road if you put up 15 shots down a man, there's still things to take away. Eventually, these balls will start to go in the back of the net. I have full confidence in our group. I'm proud of the response they had after what was disappointing against Toronto. We're close but we have to take that next step if we want to talk about ourselves as one of these teams that is in the playoffs and in the same sentence as Kansas City.
Philadelphia Union midfielder Alejandro Bedoya
Thoughts on the red card...
I didn't see it, but I asked the referee what happened, and he said he thought Marco (Fabian) stepped on him. I asked him if it was deliberate, because what Marco told me was that he tried to win a 50/50 tackle and was up in the air, came down and that was the only spot where he really could come down. I haven't seen it. I thought it was tough, but VAR is there for that reason and I guess his perspective of it was that it was intentional, so you get a red card.
On the mood in the locker room...
Well, we're all a little frustrated but I thought this game we were better than in Toronto in terms of being on the front foot and defensively more sound. Obviously, the red card changed the game and we missed a penalty. I think Marco (Fabian) had a great chance in the first half. I think it was the first five minutes where he had a volley that he knows he probably should have done better with. We had some free headers, so we had chances given that this place is a hard place to play and Sporting KC is always a solid team. I think there's some positives to take away from this game. Obviously, we're frustrated but it's still early in the season. It's the first two games and we know we have the quality in the squad. We'll turn it around.
On showing his frustration...
I play with a lot of passion and fire in me so there's going to be times in a game where I get frustrated when maybe some decisions don't go our way. I wear my emotions on my sleeves sometimes and you're going to see that. Sometimes I gesticulate too much but I think it's a part of the game and you move on. Obviously, we're frustrated that we weren't able to even come away with a point given that I thought we played really well in the first half. We have another week to rest up and get ready for the next game. Atlanta is not an easier opponent, but we know we can play well on the road. We did it last year so hopefully we can turn it around sooner rather than later.
On the change of formation...
It's a work in progress. You go from last year where we had the best year in the history of the club, where we did well playing a good a style of soccer and this is a totally different style and new way of playing. It's just about getting the pieces together. Like I said, this game was an improvement from our last game against Toronto in terms of being defensively compact and hitting them on the counter. I thought we turned it over in their half a bunch of times in the first half where we have to be a little sharper and be able to turn quicker and go forward. There's a lot of positives to take from that but we worked on it in preseason and it's the first two games of the season so I'm not getting carried away with anything. It's frustrating to lose but we'll move on and we'll turn it around.
Philadelphia Union midfielder Haris Medunjanin
Thoughts on the match...
I think we started well. We controlled the game, especially in the first half. We had good opportunities. When you don't score on one end, on the other end something can happen. They get a lucky penalty. After that, we controlled the game again. We get a penalty. Unfortunately, the ball didn't go in. But still, we were attacking and controlling the game. When you don't score, it's difficult to win. In the second half, we tried to push again but then you have to play with 10 men. Still, we had some opportunities. It's very difficult to play here against Sporting KC with 10 men because they are a good team. They know how to keep the ball. We had it difficult, especially after the red card.
On being held scoreless...
It's not only the attack. Like you can see today, we came here against a good team and we controlled the tempo. We controlled the ball. Soccer is about scoring goals and I think we need to be better - all of us - when we are in front of the goal. The movements of everybody and the hunger to score, that's the main thing.
On replacing Marco Fabian against Atlanta...
We have a big squad. We have a lot of players who can step up. Unfortunately, we lose a great player in Marco. It's unfortunate, but we need to move forward. I don't know who is going to step up, who's going to play and what the decisions are, but I think it doesn't matter who is going to come in. They're going to give their best. We are going to go there and try to win like we do every game. It's a very tough schedule for us with the three big teams in the beginning. This is how it is. If you want to compete with the best teams, you should win these kinds of games.
Philadelphia Union midfielder Marco Fabian
On his red card...
I don't know how I can explain, but I didn't want to hit this player. I just jumped and I landed on him because I didn't have a place to land. Sometimes the decision is from the referee and I have to respect this decision.
On his penalty kick...
I have shot a lot of penalties in my career. Today, I think I had a little confusion because of the goalkeeper. When I shoot, I'm waiting and looking for the goalkeeper and he's moving. I decided at this moment which side I would shoot. I keep waiting until the last moment and I wanted to go across, but he had good timing.
2019 MLS Regular Season
Game 2 of 34
Children's Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas
Attendance: 18,738
Weather: 43 degrees and mostly sunny
SportingKC.com Links
Score 1 2 F
Sporting Kansas City (1-1-0, 3 points) 1 1 2
Philadelphia Union (0-2-0, 0 points) 0 0 0
Sporting Kansas City: Tim Melia; Graham Zusi, Botond Barath, Matt Besler (C), Seth Sinovic; Ilie Sanchez (Yohan Croizet 84), Gianluca Busio (Kelyn Rowe 78), Felipe Gutierrez; Johnny Russell (Daniel Salloi 80), Krisztian Nemeth, Gerso Fernandes
Subs Not Used: Adrian Zendejas, Abdul Rwatubyaye, Rodney Wallace, Erik Hurtado
Philadelphia Union: Andre Blake; Raymon Gaddis, Jack Elliott, Auston Trusty, Kai Wagner; Warren Creavalle (Derrick Jones 78), Haris Medunjanin, Alejandro Bedoya (C); Marco Fabian; Fafa Picault (Sergio Santos 73), Cory Burke (Ilsinho 79)
Subs Not Used: Carlos, Aurelien Collin, Olivier Mbaizo, Brenden Aaronson
Scoring Summary:
SKC -- Ilie Sanchez 1 (penalty kick) 11
SKC -- Jack Elliott 1 (own goal) 80
Misconduct Summary:
SKC -- Graham Zusi (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 22
PHI -- Marco Fabian (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 31
SKC -- Gianluca Busio (yellow card; time wasting) 37
PHI -- Marco Fabian (red card; serious foul) 60
Stat SKC PHI
Shots 16 15
Shots on Goal 4 4
Saves 4 2
Fouls 14 10
Offsides 3 2
Corner Kicks 6 5
Referee: Chris Penso
Assistant Referee: Nick Uranga
Assistant Referee: Brian Poeschel
Fourth Official: Rosendo Mendoza
VAR: Hilario Grajeda
AVAR: Eric Weisbrod
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