Sporting Kansas City (2-9-5, 11 pts.) fell to a 3-1 defeat against Minnesota United (8-3-4, 28 pts.) at Allianz Field on Saturday night. Captain Johnny Russell scored a late consolation with his second goal of the season that moved him into second all-time with 58 regular-season goals for the club.
Manager Peter Vermes made three changes to the team that fell to Vancouver in midweek, as veteran goalkeeper Tim Melia returned between the sticks, midfielder Memo Rodriguez returned from a one-game suspension due to yellow card accumulation, and Marinos Tzinios earned the start after scoring his third goal of the season on Wednesday.
Saturday’s match marked Sporting’s fifth outing in the last 15 days, with right back Jake Davis and holding midfielder Nemanja Radoja the only two players to start all five games.
Sporting started the game brightly with Alenis Vargas almost picking out Willy Agada in the area during the early going and minutes later Agada saw a shot blocked and Nemanja Radoja lashed the follow-up wide with the first two attempts of the match.
The hosts created their first opening in the 22nd minute, when in-form Korean forward Sang Bin Jeong met a cross from the left wing but his header resulted in a routine save for Melia.
The Loons took the lead with the first real clear-cut chance of the match in the 33rd minute. After turning over Sporting in their own half, Minnesota stormed forward at pace with DJ Taylor slipping Bongokuhle Hlongwane down the right wing and he sent a tantalizing cross to the far post to find Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi who crashed home his seventh goal of the season.
With captain Russell entering the match at halftime, Sporting began growing back into the game in the early stages of the second half and enjoyed some half chances through Vargas and Agada.
However, it was the Loons that almost doubled their lead in the 61st minute when Joseph Rosales slipped Oluwaseyi through on goal and his strike beat Melia but was unable to find a way beyond Davis who deflected the ball wide on the goal line.
The hosts would find the second goal they were searching for in the 67th minute, as Oluwaseyi latched onto Devin Padelford’s long throw, spun in behind and cut the ball back to star midfielder Robin Lod who fired beyond Melia via a deflection to make the score 2-0.
The third goal arrived in the 83rd minute when a cross into the box wasn’t dealt with by the Sporting backline, leaving Kervin Arriaga alone on the right side of the area to strike a low effort beyond Melia and into the back of the net.
Sporting found a lifeline in the 86th minute when Russell drove beyond several Minnesota defenders before unleashing a venomous strike from 25 yards that flew into the back of the net, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Despite a few half chances late on, the game would end 3-1, condemning Sporting to their first defeat by multiple goals all season.
Sporting KC returns home next weekend with a matchup against longtime rivals Seattle Sounders FC at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV as well as Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish) on the radio. Tickets are available via SeatGeek.com.
2024 MLS Regular Season | Match 16
Allianz Field | St. Paul, Minnesota
Attendance: 19,738
Weather: 73 degrees and sunny
Score | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
Sporting Kansas City (2-9-5, 11 points) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Minnesota United FC (8-3-4, 28 points) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Sporting Kansas City: Tim Melia; Jake Davis (Khiry Shelton 75’), Dany Rosero (Robert Voloder 71’), Robert Castellanos, Zorhan Bassong; Nemanja Radoja (C) (Alan Pulido 62’), Felipe Hernandez, Memo Rodriguez; Alenis Vargas (Daniel Salloi 62’), Willy Agada, Marinos Tzionis (Johnny Russell 46’)
Subs Not Used: John Pulskamp, Andreu Fontas, Tim Leibold, Stephen Afrifa
Minnesota United FC: Dayne St. Clair; DJ Taylor (Joseph Rosales 43’), Kervin Arriaga, Michael Boxall (C), Miguel Tapias, Devin Padelford (Jordan Adebayo-Smith 81’); Carlos Harvey (Hassani Dotson 62’), Wil Trapp; Sang Bin Jeong, Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi (Teemu Puuki 80’), Bongokuhle Hlongwane (Robin Lod 62’)
Subs Not Used: Clint Irwin, Victor Eriksson, Zarek Valentin
Scoring Summary:
MIN – Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi 7 (Bongokuhle Hlongwane 1, DJ Taylor 2) 33’
MIN – Robin Lod 5 (Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi 4, Devin Padelford 1) 67’
MIN – Kervin Arriaga 3 (Unassisted) 83’
SKC – Johnny Russell 2 (Unassisted) 86’
Misconduct Summary:
MIN – Devin Padelford (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 16’
MIN – Carlos Harvey (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 25’
SKC – Nemanja Radoja (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 32’
MIN – Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 64’
MIN – Joseph Rosales (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 88’
Stat | SKC | MIN |
|---|---|---|
Shots | 11 | 12 |
Shots on Goal | 1 | 7 |
Saves | 4 | 0 |
Fouls | 16 | 15 |
Offsides | 4 | 3 |
Corner Kicks | 4 | 4 |
Referee: Joe Dickerson
Assistant Referee: Adam Garner
Assistant Referee: Mike Nickerson
Fourth Official: Eric Tattersall
VAR: Greg Dopka
AVAR: Jonathan Johnson
