Frustration was the name of the game through the first hour of action on Wednesday night.
Then the floodgates opened.
Sporting Kansas City staged a stunning late rally to defeat Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4-1 at BC Place, jumping into second place in the Western Conference ahead of the final two games of the regular season. Yohan Croizet provided the 62nd-minute equalizer, Daniel Salloi bagged a late brace, and in stoppage time 16-year-old Gianluca Busio became the second-youngest MLS player all-time to score a goal.
The second-half explosion marked the first time in club history that Sporting KC has scored four goals in one half of an MLS away game. It also inched Sporting KC closer to three separate club scoring records.
With 60 goals through 32 games, Sporting KC needs just one more goal to tie the team's regular season record set in the inaugural 1996 campaign. Manager Peter Vermes' side is also within striking distance of setting an all-time best mark in goals per game.
SPORTING KC: MOST GOALS IN A REGULAR SEASON
<strong>#</strong> |
<strong>Season</strong> |
<strong>Goals</strong> |
<strong>Games</strong> |
<strong>Goals/Game</strong> |
1 |
1996 |
61 |
32 |
1.91 |
2 |
2018 |
60 |
32 |
1.88 |
3 |
1997 |
57 |
32 |
1.78 |
4 |
2005 |
52 |
32 |
1.63 |
5 |
2003 |
48 |
30 |
1.60 |
Coming just over a month after a 5-1 away win in San Jose, Wednesday's 4-1 triumph in Vancouver saw Sporting KC continue their impressive scoring rate on the road. The club has bagged 28 away goals in 2018, six more than in 2016 and 2017 combined, and must score at least once at FC Dallas this Sunday in order to tie the team record of 29 away goals set in 2005.
SPORTING KC: MOST GOALS PER ROAD GAME
(ALL-TIME, MLS REGULAR SEASON)
<strong>#</strong> |
<strong>Season</strong> |
<strong>Goals</strong> |
<strong>Games</strong> |
<strong>Goals/Game</strong> |
1 |
2005 |
29 |
16 |
1.81 |
2 |
2018 |
28 |
16 |
1.75 |
3 |
2007 |
23 |
15 |
1.53 |
4 |
1997 |
22 |
16 |
1.38 |
5 |
2014 |
23 |
17 |
1.35 |
Lastly, the three-goal win at BC Place boosted Sporting KC's goal differential to plus-21 on the season. Prior to this year, Sporting KC's best goal differentials came in 2000 (+18) and 2013 (+17). The club went on to win the MLS Cup in each of those seasons.
SPORTING KC: BEST GOAL DIFFERENCE
(ALL-TIME, MLS REGULAR SEASON)
<strong>#</strong> |
<strong>Season</strong> |
<strong>GF</strong> |
<strong>GA</strong> |
<strong>GD</strong> |
1 |
2018 |
60 |
39 |
21 |
2 |
2000 |
47 |
29 |
18 |
3 |
2013 |
47 |
30 |
17 |
4 |
2012 |
42 |
27 |
15 |
5 |
2011 |
50 |
39 |
11 |
Wednesday's win sets up a monumental clash on Sunday as Sporting KC visits first-place FC Dallas (16-7-9, 57 points) at Toyota Stadium, kicking off at 4 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest.
Vermes' men will then conclude their 2018 regular season campaign on Sunday, Oct. 28, against LAFC in an all-important Decision Day matchup at Children's Mercy Park. Tickets for the highly anticipated showdown, which could decide which team clinches a top-two finish and the Knockout Round bye that goes with it, are on sale now via SeatGeek.com. Supporters who attend the Fan Appreciation Match, slated to kick off at 3:30 p.m. CT, are guaranteed to win a prize exclusively through the Sporting KC Uphoria mobile app, available for free download on the App Store and Google Play.
