Sporting Kansas City's bid for a victory in the Big Apple fell short on Friday night as New York City FC emerged 3-1 winners at Yankee Stadium.
The brightest moment for the visitors came in the 73rd minute when, trailing 2-0 and down a man, Sporting struck through Ilie Sanchez. Johnny Russell's in-swinging corner kick was nodded back across the face of goal by Benny Feilhaber, allowing the Spaniard to steer a close-range header into the back of the net and give his side a lifeline.
The play carried statistical significance for Feilhaber, whose perfectly cushioned header gave him his 60th career assist in the MLS regular season. The veteran midfielder becomes just the fifth active MLS player to hit the 60-assist milestone, joining fellow teammate Graham Zusi (65), longtime friend Sacha Kljestan (91), Diego Valeri (76) and Federico Higuain (63). Including retirees, a total of 26 MLS players have racked up 60 career assists in regular season action.
ALL-TIME MLS REGULAR SEASON ASSIST LEADERS
(ACTIVE PLAYERS ONLY)
<strong>#</strong> |
<strong>Player</strong> |
<strong>Assists</strong> |
<strong>Current club</strong> |
1 |
Sacha Kljestan |
91 |
Orlando City SC |
2 |
Diego Valeri |
76 |
Portland Timbers |
3 |
Graham Zusi |
65 |
Sporting Kansas City |
4 |
Federico Higuain |
63 |
Columbus Crew SC |
5 |
Benny Feilhaber |
60 |
Sporting Kansas City |
Feilhaber and Sporting now have more than a week to prepare for a challenging trip to Seattle Sounders FC, slated for 9 p.m. CT on Sunday, Aug. 4, at CenturyLink Field. The match will be televised nationally on FS1 as Manager Peter Vermes' men look to kickstart the month of August with a momentum-building triumph in the Pacific Northwest.
