MLS Game #25
Sunday, August 21, 2011, 7:30 p.m. CT
English TV: KSMO-TV
Spanish TV: Time Warner Cable Ch. 5
Spanish Radio: La Gran D 1340 AM
LIVESTRONG Sporting Park | Kansas City, Kansas
Weather: Sunny, 89 degrees
Attendance: 15,352
Video: Match Highlights
Score 1 2 F
Sporting Kansas City (9-7-9, 36 pts) 1 0 1
D.C. United (7-7-10, 31 pts) 0 0 0
Sporting Kansas City: Jimmy Nielsen; Chance Myers, Matt Besler, Julio Cesar, Seth Sinovic; Roger Espinoza, Graham Zusi, Omar Bravo© (Michael Harrington 89); C.J. Sapong, Teal Bunbury(Birahim Diop 73), Kei Kamara
Subs not used: Eric Kronberg, Shavar Thomas, Korede Aiyegbusi, Milos Stojcev, Soony Saad
D.C. United: Joe Willis; Perry Kitchen, Brandon McDonald, Dejan Jakovic, Daniel Woolard (Joseph Ngwenya 80); Andy Najar, Clyde Simms, Santino Quaranta, Chris Pontius; JoshWolff© (Marc Burch 65), Blake Brettschneider (Dwayne De Rosario 46)
Subs not used: Steve Cronin, Ethan White, Stephen King, Austin Da Luz
Stats: KC DC
Shots 10 5
Shots on Goal 4 2
Saves 2 3
Fouls 9 19
Offside 3 2
Corner Kicks 6 2
Misconduct Summary:
DC – Perry Kitchen (Caution; Tactical Foul) 36
DC – Santino Quaranta (Caution; Reckless Tackle) 54
Scoring Summary:
KC – Kei Kamara 7 (unassisted) 19
Sporting Kansas City moved into second place in the Eastern Conference on Sunday with a 1-0 win over D.C. United at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. Forward Kei Kamara scored his seventh goal of the season andJimmy Nielsen made two saves to preserve the shutout for a Sporting Kansas City side that improves to 9-7-9 in the 2011 regular season. The win over D.C. United is Sporting Kansas City’s fourth in their last six MLS matches.
Sunday’s match was the second in a span of five days for Sporting Kansas City. Despite the quick turnaround, Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes fielded a side that was largely unchanged from the one that defeated the Portland Timbers by a 3-1 scoreline at home on Wednesday.
The first chance of the match was created by Sporting Kansas City in just the second minute of play. After a bout of possession outside of the D.C. United penalty area, Kamara received a pass on the right flank before driving a cross into the area for C.J. Sapong. Sapong left his feet and executed a flying volley that blazed over the bar.
In the 16th minute, Sporting Kansas City found themselves on the attack once again through Sapong and Kamara. Receiving the ball with his back to goal, Sapong held off his marker before laying a ball out to the right for an overlapping Chance Myers. Myers’ cross into the area found Kamara, who powered his header off the top of the crossbar and out of play.
Three minutes later, Sporting Kansas City recorded the game's lone goal. Designated Player Omar Bravo -- back in the lineup after serving a one-match suspension against Portland during the week -- played a curling left-footed cross into the box that D.C. United left back Daniel Woolard headed clear. Woolard’s header was cleared only as far as Kamara, however, who took a touch away from Dejan Jakovic before slamming a right-footed drive past United goalkeeper Joe Willis.
D.C. United would earn their first chance of the match in the 40th minute. After winning the ball in his own penalty area, Sporting Kansas City midfielder Graham Zusi lost possession to Santino Quaranta. Quaranta played a quick pass to rookie forward Blake Brettschneider, who fired a low shot to the far post that was turned away well by Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper JimmyNielsen.
After inserting midfielder Dwayne De Rosario into the match at halftime, D.C. United created the first chance of the second half. Winning the ball in midfield, Quaranta played a long diagonal ball for captain Josh Wolff. Wolff settled Quaranta’s pass before laying the ball back to the edge of the area for De Rosario, who curled his right-footed effort just over the bar.
In the 60th minute, Sporting Kansas City created a chance of their own. Receiving the ball on the right flank from Roger Espinoza, Kamara played a simple pass into the path of an onrushing Zusi. Having scored twice against Portland earlier in the week, Zusi took two touches to set himself before smashing a shot towards goal that Willis did well to parry out of play.
Nielsen was called into action for Sporting Kansas City once again in the 71st minute. A Julio Cesar header fell to Quaranta, who struck a first-time effort with his left foot that fizzed to the far post but was smothered well by Nielsen.
Nine minutes later, Sporting Kansas City created their best chance of the secondhalf. Following a foul to the right of the D.C. penalty area, Zusi hit a strong ball across the face of goal that barely missed the head of Kamara who was making a run to the near post.
In the 81st minute, Sporting Kansas City defender Chance Myers nearly scored the first goal of his career. Winning the ball from D.C. midfield substitute Marc Burch, Myers burst forward into space from midfield. With Sapong and Bravo both making runs into the area, Myers elected to shoot, sending his right-footed shot just high of Willis’ goal.
Sporting Kansas City will continue the homestand on Saturday, August 27st when they host FC Dallas at 7:30 p.m. CT at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. Tickets are available at TicketMaster.com or at the LIVESTRONG Sporting Park box office.
FAST FACTS
• Sporting Kansas City is now 9-7-9 and moved into second place in the Eastern Conference.
• Sporting Kansas City is 6-1-4 at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park since it’s opening on June 9th.
• With the win, Sporting Kansas City improved to 15-18-9 all-time against D.C. United.
• Sporting Kansas City is 8-2-1 when scoring the first goal in 2011.
• Sporting Kansas City is 8-1-1 when leading at halftime in 2011.
• Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen made two saves on Wednesday and now has 63 saves this season.
• The shutout is Nielsen’s fourth of 2011 and 14th of his MLS career.
• The two shots on goal given up on Sunday night was the second fewest total allowed by Sporting Kansas City in 2011.
• Kamara’s 19th minute goal was his 5th all-time against D.C. United, most among current members of Sporting Kansas City.
• Since joining Sporting Kansas City, Kamara has scored four goals in four regular season matches against D.C. United.
• Kamara’s strike was Sporting Kansas City’s 20th first half goal of the season, third most in MLS.
• Sporting Kansas City has not been shutout in eleven straight games dating back to a scoreless draw at the Philadelphia Union on June 22nd.
• Sporting Kansas City has lost once in their past 17 games.
• Sporting Kansas City is unbeaten (3-0-3) in their last six home matches against D.C. United.
• Midfielder Roger Espinoza started and played 90 minutes in his 80th career regular season MLS appearance.
• Kamara’s goal brings his total to seven on the year, his second-best season total in six seasons in MLS.
• Sporting Kansas City is 2-2-1 when Kamara scores in 2011.
• Sporting Kansas City has not allowed multiple goals in back-to-back MLS matches since April 2nd, a span of 22 consecutive games.
• Sunday’s match was Sporting Kansas City’s sixth in a nine-game homestand, which is tied for the longest in MLS history along with the Chicago Fire in 2006.
• Sporting Kansas City began the season with their first 10 MLS matches on the road, a new MLS record.
• D.C. United forward Josh Wolff, who played eight seasons for Sporting Kansas City, returned to KC on Sunday for the first time since being selected by D.C. United in the Stage Two Re-Entry Draft at the end of last year.
• Sporting Kansas City is 7-1-3 in matches that Seth Sinovic starts this season and 7-1-8 in the 15 matches Chance Myers has appeared in the starting lineup in 2011.
• Sporting Kansas City has scored first in every match in the month of August, a run of four straight matches.
• Sporting Kansas City striker C.J. Sapong played 90 minutes on Wednesday and is the only Sporting Kansas City player to appear in all 25 MLS matches for the club this season.
• Sapong leads all MLS rookies in games played (25) and points (10) in 2011.
• Sporting Kansas City Designated Player Omar Bravo returned to the lineup from a mandatory one-game suspension on Wednesday for the red card he received in Sporting Kansas City’s 2-1 loss to Seattle on August 6th.
• Sporting KC teamed up with Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools for a book drive to collect new and gently used books prior to Sunday’s match. The collection also took place on Wednesday for Sporting Kansas City’s match against the Portland Timbers.
• Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper coach John Pascarella served the second of a three-game suspension on Wednesday.
• Following the match, KSMO aired a live postgame show in place of their usual weekly show, ‘Off the Pitch’.
