Recap: Sporting KC extends lead in East with 1-1 draw at Columbus Crew

Crew Stadium | Columbus, Ohio

Attendance: 13,566

Weather: Showers and 46 degrees

Video: Match Highlights

Sporting Kansas City: Jimmy Nielsen©; Seth Sinovic, Matt Besler, Lawrence Olum, Chance Myers; Julio Cesar, Paulo Nagamura, Roger Espinoza (Aurelien Collin 94+); Graham Zusi (Jacob Peterson 87); Kei Kamara, C.J. Sapong

 

Subs not used: Eric Kronberg, Michael Harrington, Oriol Rosell, Dom Dwyer, Bobby Convey

 

Columbus Crew: Andy Gruenebaum; Sebastian Miranda (Dilly Duka 84), Chad Marshall ©, Julius James, Josh Williams (Nemanja Vukovic 69); Eddie Gaven, Milovan Mirosevic, Chris Birchall, Justin Meram (Emilio Renteria 68); Jairo Arrieta, Federico Higuain

 

Subs not used: Matt Lampson, Eric Gehrig, Tony Tchani, Olman Vargas

Misconduct Summary:

CLB – Julius James (caution; reckless foul) 67

 

Scoring Summary:

KC – C.J. Sapong 8 (Graham Zusi 15, Chance Myers 7) 10

CLB – Eddie Gaven 8 (Emilio Renteria 3) 91+
 

(October 7, 2012) – Sporting Kansas City drew 1-1 with the Columbus Crew on Sunday afternoon at Columbus Crew Stadium. C.J. Sapong put Sporting KC ahead in the 10th minute with a header for his eighth goal of the year and Graham Zusi's League-leading 15th assist, but the Crew's Eddie Gaven scored in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to split the points.

 

The draw extends Sporting Kansas City’s unbeaten streak to 10 games,  the longest streak in MLS this season, and puts Sporting KC three points clear of the Chicago Fire in the quest to finish in first place in the Eastern Conference for the second straight season.

 

 

The Columbus Crew opened the game strong, with a dangerous opportunity in the sixth minute from Jairo Arrieta. He slipped behind Sporting Kansas City's defense and took two consecutive shots that were both saved superbly by goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen.

 

Four minutes later, Sporting Kansas City responded through Sapong with the game's opening goal. Zusi looped in a cross from the left to the awaiting head of Sapong, whose first header was saved by the woodwork, but his second attempt slipped past Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum and into the net.

 

The visitors, who now have points in 12 of their 16 road matches this season, nearly scored a second goal in the 19th minute again off a header from Sapong. Roger Espinoza, at the top of the box, served in a cross to the 2011 MLS Rookie of the Year and his header was on target from close range, but Gruenebaum did well to deflect the shot.

 

The Crew nearly equalized in the 40th minute when Federico Higuain’s free kick from 20 yards out was struck high over the wall but punched away by Nielsen. 

The second half began with much of the same fervor as the first. Sporting KC looked to double their lead when Kei Kamara received a long ball from Zusi and tipped the ball across the mouth of the goal to Paulo Nagamura. The Brazilian settled the ball but wasn’t able to get his shot on frame.

The home side fought back in the 56th minute when Chad Marshall was on the receiving end of a free kick and headed the ball across the goal to Justin Meram. Unmarked, Meram couldn’t make contact. Five minutes later, Higuain struck with the outside of his left foot but was just high of the goal.  

 

Columbus kept at it, this time in the 64th minute on the counterattack when Arrieta charged down the left flank and struck a ball that was saved easily by Nielsen. Ten minutes later, Milovan Mirosevic curled in a dangerous ball but Chance Myers was there to head the ball away for a corner kick.

 

Sporting Kansas City found their footing in the 83rd minute when Espinoza nearly netted his first MLS goal of the 2012 season. The Honduran international made a well-placed strike at the top of the box but Gruenebaum deftly made the difficult save to keep the Crew in the game. 

 

The Crew’s perseverance paid off in the dying minutes of the game when Gaven notched the equalizer in the first minute of stoppage time. Emilio Renteria served in an arching cross to Gaven, who tipped in a low, powerful header past Nielsen to keep the Crew in reaching distance of their fifth consecutive postseason berth.

 

Sporting Kansas City's last effort to win the game came in the seventh minute of stoppage time when Jacob Peterson went one-on-one with Gruenebaum and took a shot that the Overland Park, Kan. native was well positioned to handle. 

Sporting Kansas City will enjoy a week off from MLS play in conjunction with the FIFA international match dates before traveling to face the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 20. 

 

FAST FACTS: