Sporting KC, New York Red Bulls play to 1-1 draw in MLS season opener

Sporting Kansas City striker Dom Dwyer laid with his back flat on the Sporting Park grass, his head turned toward a darkening sky and his hands covering his face. As he popped to his feet, he pounded a fist into the dirt.

A late scoring chance eluded Dwyer.

And a victory eluded Sporting KC in its 2015 season opener.

With its captain watching the final 20 minutes from the locker room, Sporting KC played New York to a 1-1 draw Sunday in front of 19,784 fans at Sporting Park, the venue’s 54th straight MLS sellout.

“I take responsibility,” Dwyer said matter-of-factly after the match. “I didn’t do my job tonight. We missed out on two points. This one’s on me tonight.”

It was an uphill battle over the last 20 minutes. Matt Besler was ejected in the 70th minute after receiving his second yellow card. The second ejection of his career forced Sporting KC to play a man short.

The club responded with some of its best play afterward, though Ike Opara could make a case otherwise.

In his first competitive match in 11 months, Opara opened the scoring for Sporting KC in the 50th minute when his header finished a crossing pass from Benny Feilhaber.

“It was overwhelming,” Opara said. “It was like a full-circle moment for me.”

Opara spent 11 months rehabbing a leg injury that cost him the majority of the 2014 season. His go-ahead goal was the seventh of his six-year career.

But the lead lasted only four minutes.

New York midfielder Lloyd Sam knotted the score with a shot from distance into the upper right corner. That negated the clean sheet from Sporting KC keeper Luis Marin in his MLS debut. Marin made three saves.

The end of the line for Besler came 15 minutes later, when he was called for a dangerous challenge on Red Bulls striker Bradley Wright-Phillips. Besler will serve a mandatory one-game suspension Saturday, when the club travels to FC Dallas.

“It’s very frustrating to put your team in that position,” Besler said. “I can’t comment on the calls because I haven’t seen video replay, but I can probably tell you that I disagree with them. But it’s part of the game. I’m just disappointed the guys had to fight with 10 men, but to their credit, they did a very, very good job.”

Indeed, a season opener that pitted the league’s two leading scorers from a year ago — Wright-Phillips and Dwyer — heated up after halftime, even if the the two strikers weren’t part of the scoring sheet.

Dwyer’s two best chances came in the final moments, though he wasn’t able to capitalize on either. In the 88th minute, Feilhaber issued a low crossing pass his way minute before Dwyer sent the chance wide left. A minute later, Dwyer couldn’t convert a one-on-one with New York keeper Luis Robles.

“We could have stolen the game at the end a couple of times,” Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said. “There were great opportunities — Dom had two of them — but in the end, I think to be honest with you, I think a tie is probably a fair result.”

An offseason roster overhaul, which Vermes played a large part in handling, branded a fresh start for Sporting KC on Sunday. The season-opening lineup featured four new faces, along with the highly-anticipated return of one of its former all-stars, Roger Espinoza.

Rookie Amadou Dia earned the start at right outside defender — and drew praise after the match from Vermes. Dia is the first rookie to start a season opener for the club since C.J. Sapong in 2011. Krisztian Nemeth started in an attacking midfield role, and he nearly broke a scoreless tie in the 21st minute with a shot that edged over the crossbar.

Together, the new-and-improved unit produced some sloppy minutes, but it also showcased some flashes of promise.

“I thought it was a good start,” Besler said. “By no means was it perfect, (but) I don’t think anyone was expecting it to be. All the new guys who got an opportunity tonight showed well.”

This story was originally published March 8, 2015 at 8:21 PM with the headline "Sporting KC, New York Red Bulls play to 1-1 draw in MLS season opener."