Sporting Kansas City suffered a tough loss to the Chicago Friday night but remained top of the Eastern Conference standings. Chicago's Hunter Jumper scored the game-winning goal in the 13th minute while Dom Dwyer was denied a second half equalizer by the crossbar.
Man of the Match
Seth Sinovic put in a solid 90 minutes in his eighth consecutive start in MLS play. The left back has a passing accuracy of 90.9%, won eight duels, and created several good scoring opportunities in the second half. It's been a career season for Sinovic who continues to provide consistency on the left flank and on pace for several career highs (assists. games started, and minutes played).
Turning Point
The 13th minute goal by Chicago's Jumper changed the complexion of the match. The Fire are a counterattacking team and the early goal allowed them to sit back even more to absorb Sporting KC's pressure. Sporting KC had the majority of posession for the 90 minutes but Chicago's strategy allowed them to defend and pick their spots going forward.
A few stats
- Graham Zusi led all players with four good crosses
- Aurelien Collin won 13 of 16 duels and all four of his aerial duels
- Teal Bunbury's start was his first since August 26, 2012
- Ten of 11 starters for Sporting KC completed 70% or higher of their passes
