Sporting KC faced a unique atmosphere in Leagues Cup win over Chivas Guadalajara
Whenever a top soccer team comes to town, a strong fan base will follow.
That statement doesn’t fully encapsulate the strength of Chivas Guadalajara — Sporting Kansas City’s Leagues Cup opponent — and its fan base on Monday night.
One of the top soccer clubs in Mexico, Chivas fans flooded into the Children’s Mercy Park stands with the team’s red-and-white striped jerseys. A vast majority of the game’s 20,373 attendees were Chivas supporters. The only side of the stadium where Sporting KC fans had the numbers advantage was the Cauldron, the dedicated home-supporter section.
Even in a less-than-friendly home fixture, Sporting KC weathered the storm in a 1-0 win.
“Instead of us worrying about entertaining tonight, the most important thing was to get the win,” Sporting manager Peter Vermes said. “Based on our style of play, I think we entertained and we won.”
Sporting KC midfielder Remi Walter said he felt like he was at a Chivas home game when he arrived to the stadium because of how large the opposing crowd was.
On top of the plethora of jerseys, fans brought cowbells, Mexico flags and large signs of support, including a white-and-red “Chivas Manda” (Chivas rules) poster stretching nearly an entire row. Chivas fans’ simultaneous shouts of the team’s name drowned out the home Sporting KC support prior to the game and early on.
However, after Sporting KC captain Johnny Russell’s goal in the 27th minute, the home fans came alive. Walter expected the tide to turn after taking the lead. He said he had confidence in the Sporting fans making a difference as the match went on.
“That goes to show, and we played (well),” Walter said. “They have a lot of fans, but we showed them that we are not (the) away (team), we are at home, and we showed them that it’s our home.”
With starting forward Alan Pulido suspended for the match, Sporting KC faced another disadvantage entering Monday’s game. Vermes was forced to replace Pulido, who previously played for Chivas, with another striker.
The Sporting manager, however, wasn’t worried. He believed in how mentally prepared the team was, as the group has become plenty familiar with replacing players due to injury over the last two seasons.
And by the end of the first half, with midfielder-turned-forward Erik Thommy replacing Pulido, Sporting KC dominated possession — 71% at the end of the first half and 63% by the end of the match.
Of course, Vermes’ focus was on another number: the score.
“The only thing that’s important to us is winning. ... The crowd is already here for you,” Vermes said. “If the other fans are here for the other team, then it doesn’t really matter to us. Just keep doing your thing and the game will end in the correct way.”
Midfielder Jake Davis didn’t have an issue with the crowd’s makeup — rather, he liked how loud the stadium was because of the electric atmosphere it brought. A Southern California native, goalkeeper John Pulskamp grew up around Chivas fans, which prepared him even more for Monday.
Now, the club is moving on to the Leagues Cup knockout rounds.
“Having that noise in that atmosphere motivates us as players,” Pulskamp said. “People say away crowds or opposing teams’ fans can get to you, but I think I speak for most players in that we kind of buzz off any fans, whether it’s opposing fans chirping us or our home fans supporting us.”
