It may have been his first MLS match in more than a year, but Chance Myers showed no signs of rust on Saturday.
Sidelined since May 2014 with an Achilles injury, Myers made a seamless return to the lineup and earned Team of the Week recognition from MLSsoccer.com and Bleacher Report in his first league game back. The defender turned in a tireless performance, highlighted by his game-winning assist to Krisztian Nemeth in Sporting Kansas City’s 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids.
“For him to be back and be playing at the level he's playing at this point, it's tremendous,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said of Myers after the game. “I'm very happy to see the way that he's playing for him and for more importantly for the club. He's a big part of the success we've had and will continue to have in the future.”
The longest tenured player on Sporting KC’s roster, Myers exploited open space down the right wing in the 32nd minute before sliding an inch-perfect cross into the path of Nemeth, who buried a one-time shot to put the hosts ahead.
In addition to notching the 16th assist of his eight-year Kansas City career in all competitions, Myers finished the night with a game-high three chances created and stayed on the field until deep into second-half stoppage time. His evening ended when he was replaced by Amadou Dia and received a standing ovation from a sold-out Sporting Park crowd.
“Obviously I've worked really hard this past year, so to see it all play out in a good light, it's pretty exciting” Myers said. “I was in constant communication with Peter (Vermes), but I felt pretty good,” Myers said. “I didn't cramp up or anything. I think two or three times I got winded but I got my wind back and pushed through it.”
Sporting KC’s six-game winning streak at Sporting Park includes five shutouts, thanks in part to the contribution of centerback Kevin Ellis. The homegrown player landed a spot on NBC Pro Soccer Talk’s Team of the Week after making a game-high 10 clearances.
Sitting atop ESPNFC’s latest power rankings, Sporting KC now faces FC Dallas in the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 on Wednesday at Sporting Park. A limited number of tickets for the match at 7:30 p.m. CT are available via Ticketmaster.com
