After a 2-0 loss to the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium, Sporting Kansas City was looking to get back on track. And that they did Sunday afternoon against the Columbus Crew in front of the 41st consecutive MLS sellout at Sporting Park.
Jacob Peterson put Sporting KC ahead in the ninth minute and Graham Zusi assisted on a Claudio Bieler goal in stoppage time as Peter Vermes' side moved back into first place in the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 victory over the Crew. The Sporting KC defense - including goalkeeper and Man of the MatchEric Kronberg - put in another stellar performance, holding an opponent scoreless for the fourth time this season.
For their efforts, Zusi and center back Matt Besler were recognized on the MLS Team of the Week. Kronberg, whose 31st minute save on Bernardo Anor is nominated for MLS Save of the Week, earned honorable mention for Sunday's performance.
Besler also drew praise from SI.com's Liviu Bird, who placed the USMNT center back on his Week 9 Best XI. Both SI.com and MLSsoccer.com praised Besler's long pass that initiated the attack on Peterson's first-half goal.
Bleacher Report named Kronberg to their Team of the Week, giving praise to the Sporting KC goalkeeper for a clean sheet during a weekend that saw 30 goals scored across nine games.
Kronberg's effort not only passed the eye test, but the veteran goalkeeper finished No. 9 in this week's Castrol Index, the Official Performance Index of Major League Soccer which uses the technology to objectively analyze player's performance. Peterson finished No. 14 in this week's ranking while left back and Kansas City native Seth Sinovic came in at No. 16.
