The 13-year history between Sporting Kansas City and Toronto FC paints a positive picture for Manager Peter Vermes’ side. Sporting owns a 14-4-8 record in the regular season series dating back to 2007, including an active 10-game unbeaten run that began in July 2013.
The 27th installment of the fixture was originally schedule for Saturday afternoon at Children’s Mercy Park. With the 2020 MLS campaign currently suspended, supporters will have to wait a bit longer to see these clubs go head-to-head.
Until then, Sporting fanatics can look back fondly on several celebratory moments against the Reds. In our latest stroll down memory lane, let’s revisit seven notable victories over Toronto FC.
Sporting 4-2 Toronto FC (July 23, 2011)
Sporting began the 2011 season on a 10-game road trip before moving into world-class Children’s Mercy Park. Vermes’ men would go from worst to first in the Eastern Conference in the space of a few red-hot months, and their 4-2 defeat of Toronto in July was an emphatic step forward. Kei Kamara and Omar Bravo scored twice each in the entertaining triumph.
Sporting 2-1 Toronto FC (Sept. 1, 2012)
Having won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup less than a month earlier, Sporting had its sights set on another first-place finish in the Eastern Conference. In this particular matchup at Children’s Mercy Park, the hosts trailed 1-0 going into the final half-hour, but Paulo Nagamura restored parity and Uri Rosell notched a late winner—his first goal in MLS—to give Sporting all three points.
Sporting 3-0 Toronto FC (July 13, 2013)
Sporting’s MLS Cup-winning campaign was littered with dominant performances. Among them was a 3-0 dismantling of the Reds in mid-July that saw Soony Saad score on either side of halftime. Claudio Bieler also got in on the scoring act as Sporting outshot Toronto 24-4.
Sporting 2-1 Toronto FC (July 26, 2014)
This star-studded matchup featured three Americans who had represented the United States at the 2014 FIFA World Cup earlier that summer. Matt Besler and Graham Zusi got the best of Michael Bradley and Toronto at BMO Field, but not before falling behind 1-0. Zusi equalized three minutes into the second half on a stunning strike, and Jacob Peterson silenced the home crowd with 10 minutes remaining to seal a 2-1 result.
Sporting 4-1 Toronto FC (Aug. 16, 2014)
Dom Dwyer buried two penalty kicks in the first half before Soony Saad and C.J. Sapong tallied goals of their own in the second stanza. Between the posts, homegrown goalkeeper and Kansas native Jon Kempin recorded his first career MLS win.
Sporting 3-1 Toronto FC (Aug. 8, 2015)
By August 2015, Toronto FC talisman Sebastian Giovinco was well on his way to MLS MVP honors. However, on this sunny Saturday afternoon at BMO Field, Sporting held the decisive upper hand. Benny Feilhaber—himself an MVP finalist that year—delivered a man of the match performance with a goal and an assist to Krisztian Nemeth, while Jacob Peterson added icing to the proverbial cake with a late finish to clinch the victory.
Sporting 1-0 Toronto FC (March 20, 2016)
In a cagey, early-season contest that produced few clear-cut chances, veteran Brad Davis conjured a moment of magic in the second half—curling into the far corner with his patented left peg—to sink the Reds.
