Sporting KC dominates Mexican club Toluca in its season opener
A petition to the league office pulled the first thread on Sporting Kansas City’s season, coach Peter Vermes requesting an extra week of practice. Over the ensuing month, the club installed a new preseason format, a new home field and a new heating system underneath it. All in preparation for a late-February season opener.
The team was quite ready, too.
Sporting Kansas City pounced on Mexican side Deportivo Toluca for a dominating 3-0 victory Thursday in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 series at Children’s Mercy Park.
A historic win, it turns out. It’s only the second time in CCL’s 54-year history — and first since 1997 — that an American team has beaten a Mexican team by three or more goals.
“I think no one expected this result because they are a really great team,” Sporting midfielder Ilie Sanchez said. “We didn’t feel any pressure to convince anyone. We know who we are. We know how we do things here in Kansas City.”
A year ago, Sporting KC opened its schedule with a dud in front of its home fan base.
On Thursday, it was a complete reversal in every sense of the word. Krisztian Nemeth, Gerso Fernandes and Sanchez provided the goals, giving the club at least a puncher’s chance as it heads to Mexico next week to conclude the two-game series.
Because the real challenge awaits.
Sporting KC travels for the return leg next Thursday in Mexico, a location that has proven intensely unkind to American clubs. Since CCL re-branded its format in 2008, the competition has been won by a Liga MX club every season.
“I don’t think anyone is disappointed with what we saw tonight,” Sporting KC defender Seth Sinovic said. “But I don’t think anybody is naive about the task at hand. It’s a really good team, a really good league and a really tough place to play.”
Considered the underdog in the series, Sporting KC did all it could — if not more — to sway the tide in the its favor. For 90 minutes, it looked every bit the superior side to a club that has already played seven league matches. Toluca made its first trip to Kansas City. Trying to greet the players after the game, a group of its supporters fell from the lower-level stands to the ground as a railing collapsed.
In front of a crowd of 13,927 in Kansas City, Nemeth broke through in the 35th minute, a calm left-footed finish after Matt Besler had lobbed a pass over the top of the back line to Fernandes. In his first start since Sporting KC gave him the striker spot, Nemeth was active atop the formation. He later slid a shot just inches outside the post.
Fernandes added another in the 52nd minute, an advantageous rebound off lazy defending from a Toluca group that didn’t show much energy in the cooler temperatures. The beauty came next. Sanchez banged a volley from the edge of the penalty area, securing his first goal in a Sporting KC uniform from the run of play.
It was all Sporting KC — the club that looked more polished than rusty after an 83-day offseason.
“That was impressive,” Sporting coach Peter Vermes said. “You have to commend our guys.”
For the moment.
The attention has already turned to the second leg. It will be played in unfamiliar territory. And unique territory. Toluca sits at 8,750 feet, altitude that will prove demanding for a team playing just its second game of the season. Sporting KC will head to Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday to practice ahead of the match. Albuquerque has an altitude of 5,300 feet.
“We have to be smart,” Nemeth said. “It’s not over. We have to be prepared. We know that they’re dangerous at home. We’re going there to fight for the result, and we hope to move on to the next round.”
This story was originally published February 21, 2019 at 9:08 PM with the headline "Sporting KC dominates Mexican club Toluca in its season opener."