Scoring drought continues for Sporting Kansas City in home opener against L.A. Galaxy

Sporting Kansas City hasn’t allowed a goal in 264 minutes. The problem is that the club also hasn’t scored a goal in 270 total minutes played this season.

Sporting KC peppered the Galaxy net all game at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday, taking 30 shots. None got past Jonathan Bond, leaving Sporting to settle for a second straight 0-0 draw.

The scoreboard doesn’t tell the whole story of this one, however. Sporting was dominant despite losing the possession battle. When the home team got the ball, they got it forward. Over 30% of the match was played within the Galaxy’s defensive third.

While frustrated with the lack of three points or goals to show for the effort, Sporting manager Peter Vermes saw something he liked.

“I’m incredibly excited about our team,” Vermes said. “I really am. I’m incredibly excited based on what those guys did tonight and the way they played, the way they controlled the game.”

Sporting had accumulated 17 shots at halftime. Winning the ball often, players got forward quickly and with purpose. When all was settled, they had taken 30 shots, made 66 entries to the Galaxy’s final third and had 48 actions inside the Galaxy’s penalty area.

After the match, Sporting KC led the league in shots taken and shots on target over the first three matches.

“It says so much about what we’re capable of doing, and we have so many other players still to add back into the team,” Vermes said.

Those players — Gadi Kinda, Alan Pulido, and Johnny Russell — were missed. Whether it was the ability to bring a different look and fresh legs off the bench or have a clinical finisher and tone-setter on the flanks, it could easily have been a different result if even one of those three was able to play.

But that won’t be the case for at least a few more weeks.

In the meantime, Sporting is searching for a breakthrough and doing so in a dominant fashion. They just don’t have anything to show for their efforts yet.

“It’s a little frustrating that we couldn’t score, but it’s coming,” winger Daniel Salloi said after the match. “I think we did well in the game. … It’s just a matter of the first goal, and then it’s going to click after that.”

Sporting’s scoreless streak to start the season is the second-longest (in terms of minutes) in club history. The outright longest occurred in 1999, when Sporting didn’t score until late in the fourth match of the season.

Saturday night’s shot total was also the second most in a match in which Sporting failed to score.

Sporting honors late Grant Wahl

Sporting KC honored the late Grant Wahl during the pre-game festivities at Saturday’s home opener.

Wahl, a graduate of Shawnee Mission East High School, was one of the most renowned soccer journalists in the world. He died in December while covering the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Wahl was inducted into the Local Legends wall at Children’s Mercy Park and had a seat reserved in his memory in the press box. Grant’s brother, Eric Wahl, was presented with a framed jersey on the field before the match to celebrate Grant’s life and legacy.

Next up

Sporting returns to the field Saturday, traveling down I-35 to FC Dallas. Sporting then returns home March 25 to play host to Seattle.

This story was originally published March 11, 2023 at 9:54 PM.