2011 MLS Cup Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals Leg 2
Wednesday, November 2, 2011, 7:00 p.m. CT
English TV: FOX Soccer
Spanish TV: FOX Deportes
English Radio: Sports Radio 810 WHB
Spanish Radio: La Gran D 1340 AM
LIVESTRONG Sporting Park | Kansas City, Kan.
Weather: Rain, 45 degrees
Attendance: 18,565 (sell-out)
Video: Match Highlights
Score 1 2 F
Sporting Kansas City (13-9-12, 51 pts) 1 1 2
Colorado Rapids (12-9-13, 49 pts) 0 0 0
Sporting Kansas City: Jimmy Nielsen©; Chance Myers, Matt Besler, Aurelien Collin, Seth Sinovic; Julio Cesar (Birahim Diop 79), Roger Espinoza (Davy Arnaud 46), Graham Zusi; Kei Kamara, Teal Bunbury (Soony Saad 87), C.J. Sapong
Subs not used: Eric Kronberg, Michael Harrington, Jeferson, Lawrence Olum
Colorado Rapids: Matt Pickens; Wells Thompson, Scott Palguta, Marvell Wynne, Miguel Comminges; Brian Mullan, Jeff Larentowicz©, Joseph Nane (Macoumba Kandji 56), Ross LaBauex (Eddie Ababio 80); Sanna Nyassi, Omar Cummings (Quincy Amarikwa 46)
Subs not used: Steward Ceus, Andre Akpan, Danny Earls, Mike Holody
Stats: KC COL
Shots 12 9
Shots on Goal 7 4
Saves 4 5
Fouls 21 17
Offside 2 3
Corner Kicks 3 2
Misconduct Summary:
COL – Joseph Nane (Caution; Reckless Foul) 27
KC – Roger Espinoza (Caution; Reckless Tackle) 35
KC – Julio Cesar (Caution; Delaying a Restart) 48+
COL – Miguel Comminges (Caution; Reckless Foul) 55
KC – Davy Arnaud (Caution; Reckless Tackle) 65
COL – Brian Mullan (Caution; Tactical Foul) 75
COL – Sanna Nyassi (Caution; Reckless Foul) 93+
Scoring Summary:
KC – Aurelien Collin 1 (Graham Zusi 1) 28
KC – C.J. Sapong 1 (Graham Zusi 2) 76
(November 2, 2011) – Sporting Kansas City will host the Eastern Conference Championship on Sunday at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park after advancing past the Colorado Rapids with a 2-0 victory on Wednesday in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The win elevated Sporting Kansas City to a 4-0 advantage in the two-game, aggregate goal series after topping the Rapids by the same scoreline on the road last weekend.
Sporting Kansas City will continue their 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs run on Sunday at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park against the series winner between the Houston Dynamo and Philadelphia Union. The match time will be either 4:30 p.m. CT or 8:00 p.m. CT, pending the outcome of the tomorrow night’s semifinal matches.
Tickets for Sunday’s conference championship, the first to be hosted by Sporting Kansas City since 2004, are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling 888-4KC-GOAL, visiting the LIVESTRONG Sporting Park Box Offices or online at Ticketmaster.
Sporting Kansas City received goals from defender Aurelien Collin and rookie forward C.J. Sapong on Wednesday in front of a sold-out crowd at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park despite harsh weather conditions. Midfielder Graham Zusi provided assists on both goals, becoming the first player in club history to record a multi-assist game in the postseason.
Forward Teal Bunbury, the scorer of both goals in the first leg last Sunday, got on the end of the first chance for Sporting Kansas City. Ghosting into the area, Bunbury latched onto a long ball over the top from Collin and barreled towards goal before Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens came out well to block Bunbury’s shot away for a corner.
In the game’s 28th minute, Collin opened the scoring for Sporting Kansas City. From a free kick near midfield, Zusi served a ball into the area that was contested by both Pickens and Collin. As the two came together, Zusi’s pass skipped off the head of the French defender and into the net to give Sporting the lead in the match and extend their lead in the aggregate series to 3-0.
The first attempt on goal for the Rapids came in the 33rd minute, as Sanna Nyassi burst towards goal after taking a quick pass from Omar Cummings. The shot was deflected by Collin, however, and straight into the arms of Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen. On the stroke of halftime, Colorado went close again, with Nyassi serving a free kick that skipped behind Matt Besler before Nielsen reacted quickly to save.
Out of the halftime break, Colorado created the first chance of the second half when Nyassi seized a loose ball and poked a sharp shot that Nielsen eventually corralled. Pressure from Jeff Larentowicz on Julio Cesar forced the turnover, but Nielsen was out far enough to cut the angle to deny Nyassi’s unexpected effort.
Zusi and Collin nearly hooked up again after halftime on another set piece opportunity. This time from a corner in the 56th minute, Zusi’s cross was met at the backpost by a leaping Collin, who put his header back across goal, but wide of the far post.
The Sporting KC playmaker created another chance from a corner in the 57th minute, and again Collin was the recipient. From a quick counterattack, Kei Kamara’s far post effort was tipped wide of the post by Pickens. From the ensuing corner kick, Collin got on the end of Zusi’s cross, putting his volley off the bar.
Four minutes later, Zusi picked out Sapong making a diagonal run towards goal. Sapong, who went down for several minutes following a collision with Marvel Wynne just after halftime, turned and fired a right-footed shot, but the rookie’s effort was blocked away by the Colorado goalkeeper.
In the 73rd minute, Colorado substitute Macoumba Kandji created a chance for himself following some nice individual work down the left. After wriggling away from two markers, Kandji turned and hit a shot with his right foot, but it was straight at Nielsen and saved easily.
Sporting Kansas City then extended their lead in the 76th minute, putting the contest to bed from a Sapong header. After earning a free kick inside the Colorado half, Zusi swung a cross in from the right for Sapong, who rose to power a header past Pickens from 15 yards and seal progression for Sporting Kansas City to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2007.
Manager Peter Vermes’ squad will now await the series winner between the Philadelphia Union and Houston Dynamo, who play their decisive second leg at 7:30 p.m. CT tomorrow on ESPN2 with Houston holding a 2-1 advantage on aggregate.
FAST FACTS
• Sporting Kansas City advance to the Eastern Conference Championship to face the winner of the Houston Dynamo versus Philadelphia Union, who play at 7:30 p.m. CT on Thursday night on ESPN2.
• If the LA Galaxy advance in the Western Conference semifinals, Sporting Kansas City will host the Eastern Conference Championship at 4:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, November 6th.
• If the New York Red Bulls advance in the Western Conference semifinals, Sporting Kansas City will host the Eastern Conference Championship at 8:00 p.m. CT on Sunday, November 6th.
• Sporting Kansas City will be making their sixth appearance in a conference championship in the club’s 16-year history. Their most recent appearance came in 2007 against the Houston Dynamo.
• Sporting Kansas City will host a conference championship for the fourth time in club history and first time since 2004.
• Sporting Kansas City is now 10-2-6 in MLS matches at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in its inaugural season, with 31 goals for and 16 goals against.
• Wednesday’s sell-out crowd of 18,565 was the largest home crowd for a Sporting KC postseason match in club history.
• Sporting Kansas City is 5-2-2 all-time against the Colorado Rapids in the MLS playoffs.
• This marks the fourth all-time postseason series between the two teams, tying the Rapids with the LA Galaxy for the most frequent Sporting Kansas City playoff opponent. Sporting KC previously played Colorado in the 1997, 2000 and 2003 playoffs.
• The Colorado Rapids, 2010 MLS Cup Champions, are eliminated from the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs with the loss.
• Sporting Kansas City has now recorded four consecutive clean sheets in MLS matches for the first time since the 2000 season.
• Sporting Kansas City have scored in 21 of their last 22 MLS matches, with the lone scoreless match coming in a 1-0 defeat at Real Salt Lake on September 17th.
• Sporting Kansas City is now unbeaten in their last seven matches.
• Sporting Kansas City are 14-15-5 all-time in 34 all-time postseason appearances with 48 goals for and 46 goals against.
• Sporting Kansas City is 12-3-2 all-time in 17 all-time postseason matches at home with 31 goals for and 13 goals against.
• Sporting Kansas City has now won back-to-back postseason matches for the third time in club history, matching the longest winning streak for the team in the playoffs.
• Sporting Kansas City is 13-6-2 when scoring the first goal in MLS playoff matches.
• Sporting Kansas City is 11-1-1 when leading at halftime in MLS playoff matches.
• With his second win of the 2011 postseason, Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes becomes only the second manager in club history to win multiple postseason matches.
• Sporting Kansas City Designated Player Omar Bravo was a late scratch from the lineup on Wednesday after experiencing tightness in his groin.
• Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler has started each of the team’s last 29 MLS matches.
• Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen made four saves in the match.
• Nielsen posted the 13th shutout by a Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper in postseason history and becomes the fourth Sporting KC goalkeeper all-time with multiple shutouts in the playoffs. The 2010 MLS All-star recorded seven shutouts during the 2011 regular season and was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player.
• Aurelien Collin’s goal in the 28th minute, assisted on a free kick by Graham Zusi, was the first point of both players’ postseason careers.
• Collin now has four goals in MLS play this season, and became the 22nd different Sporting Kansas City player to score in the postseason all-time.
• Zusi recorded his eighth assist during the 2011 MLS season and becomes the 26th different Sporting Kansas City player to record an assist in the postseason all-time.
• Zusi recorded his second assist of the night, again on a free kick, in the 76th minute on C.J. Sapong’s goal. He becomes the first player in Sporting KC history with multiple assists in a postseason match.
• Wednesday marked Zusi’s second two-assist performance of the season, after providing two crucial passes in the team’s match against the Portland Timbers on September 10th.
• Sapong, a leading candidate for 2011 MLS Rookie of the Year, scored his first career postseason goal and sixth in MLS competition this season, most among all MLS rookies.
• Sapong was the only Sporting KC player to appear in all 34 regular season matches and started both legs of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
• In 34 MLS regular season matches, the Colorado Rapids had only allowed one goal indirectly from a free kick in 2011.
• Sporting Kansas City midfielder Birahim Diop made his Sporting KC and MLS postseason debut, entering for Teal Bunbury in the 79th minute on Wednesday. Diop had not appeared in an MLS match for Sporting Kansas City since August 21st.
• Sporting Kansas City and the Colorado Rapids combined for seven cautions and 38 fouls on Wednesday, the most of any 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs match to date.
• Sporting Kansas City’s 21 fouls committed were the most of any MLS match this season.
• Sporting Kansas City Home Grown goalkeeper Jon Kempin was named to the United States Under-23 Men’s National Team
• Wednesday’s match was nationally broadcast on FOX Soccer and FOX Deportes. It also aired on the radio in Kansas City on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Gran D 1340AM.
• Volunteers distributed 3,000 Child ID kits courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Citizens' Academy Alumni Association (FBINCAAA) at Wednesday’s match. The FBINCAAA is an organization dedicated to supporting the mission of the FBI in its role as the official liaison between the FBI Citizens’ Academy alumni Association (FBICAAA) Chapters and the FBI.