Deja vu? Sporting KC snaps 10 match winless streak against Seattle ... again
What year is it?
Sporting KC snapped a 10-match winless streak against the Seattle Sounders with a 2-1 victory ... for the second year in a row.
After falling behind 1-0, Johnny Russell leveled the score before Alenis Vargas scored the winner in the 85th minute.
If that felt familiar, here’s why.
In 2023, Sporting KC had failed to win any of its first 10 matches before going on the road to the Sounders and snagging a 2-1 road win. That sparked a turnaround that resulted in a run to the Western Conference semifinals.
This win, meanwhile, lifts Sporting off the floor of the 2024 Western Conference standings and snapped a streak of seven straight MLS losses. With a record of 3 wins, 9 losses, 5 draws, Sporting sits in 12th in the West with 14 points.
“We showed last year we are a team that doesn’t quit,” Russell said after Saturday’s win. “We can fight it out. I’m sure we’re gonna do it again. Hopefully, that’s the start of the turnaround.”
Seattle’s Jordan Morris opened the scoring 13 minutes in. A chipped ball through the Sporting back line put Morris into a one-on-one situation with Tim Melia, and Morris converted.
Tim Leibold held Morris onside on the pass.
Less than 10 minutes later, Russell scored after striking a loose ball first-time from outside the box. Sounders keeper Stefan Frei dove for the ball, but the shot glanced off his hand and into the bottom corner.
That response — after going down a goal — was just what manager Peter Vermes wanted.
“The team didn’t put their heads down,” Vermes said. “Instead of me trying to get to the guys, they were telling themselves, ‘Hey, let’s go. Come on.’ ...
“That part is very important that it’s coming from them. It can’t be externally. Sometimes it has to be the team itself, and that was good to see with the group.”
Sporting got a break in the second half after Reed Baker-Whiting picked up two yellow cards in less than 15 minutes — one for a challenge on Russell in the 60th minute and another for a challenge on Vargas in the 73rd.
Vargas had just substituted into the match for Daniel Salloi, who struggled to put weight on his right foot as he hobbled off.
“(Vermes) told me before I came in, ‘Go and do your thing,’” Vargas said. “’He has a yellow card, so you’re gonna beat him.’”
It wasn’t Vargas’ last involvement. He eventually got his game-winner.
Khiry Shelton picked out a perfect pass, and Vargas’ shot — from a wide, near-baseline angle — was low and hard at Frei. The ball bounced off both of Frei’s legs and into the net.
“(The) first thing in my mind was to give an assist,” Vargas said. “But when I (looked for passing) options, I just (didn’t) see nobody. So I have to shoot, and thank God the ball goes in.”
However it happened, that shot provided Sporting Kansas City with an important win. Now, Sporting recognizes it needs that win to snowball into more.
How does the club do that?
“We have to continue that in the upcoming weeks, and we have to get ourselves back in the mix,” Russell said. “We’re realistic in our situation. But we know that we are more than capable of getting ourselves back in the playoff hunt.”
Sporting KC hits the road for its next match, taking on the Los Angeles Galaxy next Saturday in Carson, California.
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.
This story was originally published June 8, 2024 at 10:16 PM.