Sporting Kansas City let 2-0 lead slip away, settle for home draw vs. Real Salt Lake

Sporting Kansas City appeared to be comfortably in the driver’s seat at halftime of Wednesday night’s Major League Soccer match at Children’s Mercy Park.

But lapses in concentration have become a theme over the last month, and Real Salt Lake succeeded in flipping the scoreline from 2-0 to 2-2 in the second half on a steamy summer evening in Kansas City, Kan.

That’s how this one ended: a 2-2 draw and another frustrating result for Sporting KC (6-10-8).

“It’s so frustrating being in winning positions in back-to-back games and not being able to see out a lead,” said Sporting captain Johnny Russell. “It’s four points dropped in the last two games … We can’t afford to be dropping points.”

And for Sporting KC, it’s the fifth time in eight matches that a winning position during a match has melted away into dropped points. A total of 11 points have been lost, and those most recent four would’ve placed Sporting sixth in the Western Conference of MLS.

That stirred manager Peter Vermes’ frustration Wednesday. In four straight games now, his side has been in control as the more dominant team. And thanks to their poor start to the season, Sporting can ill afford a summer swoon.

“At the end of the day, we have four (core values), and one of them is winning mentality,” Vermes said. “You have to grind the game out at the end, and we didn’t do that.”

Instead, they’re in 11th place in the West with three more games played than a host of teams above them in the standings, meaning those clubs have more opportunities to widen the gap.

The hosts raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half. Daniel Salloi got on the end of a Russell cross in the 30th minute, and Russell scored one of his own six minutes later. The Scot turned and found space in the box, blasting the ball past Real Salt Lake’s Gavin Beavers for Sporting’s second goal.

But trouble began brewing less than a minute into the second half. Real Salt Lake scored on a simple long ball that split open the Sporting KC backline. RSL’s Danny Musovski finished the chance easily.

Then, in the 72nd minute and under very little pressure, Sporting KC’s Dany Rosero inexplicably held onto the ball too long. Rosero was dispossessed by Anderson Julio, who proceeded to score past KC goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh.

Opinions is split on whether Julio fouled Rosero. Vermes and Russell both indicated they believed he did. Salloi didn’t seem to see it that way — that, or he’s excellent at hiding his sarcasm. Ultimately, the only opinions that mattered were those of the referee and VAR, who deemed the play clean.

Russell said he thought that if the roles had been reversed, and it was a Sporting KC player who’d committed the sort of challenge that Julio did, the call would’ve gone against him.

“You could look at it either way,” Russell said, “But I feel like a lot of those decisions seem to go against us.”

Vermes stressed the need for more consistency in evaluating such plays.

“On this one, they’ll say he got the ball, and the next time they’ll say that he pushed him first, so that’s why they didn’t give you the call,” Vermes said. “It’s too subjective, and that’s the way they like it, because they’re never wrong.”

Both teams had good looks at potential game-winners during the match’s final 10 minutes on Wednesday, but neither could convert.

Sporting KC return to action Saturday night at Austin FC (8:30 p.m. Central).

This story was originally published July 12, 2023 at 9:38 PM.