Don’t look now, Sporting KC has a win streak going. How SKC made it three in a row

Don’t look now, but Sporting KC is on a winning streak.

Goals from Erik Thommy and Alan Pulido gave Sporting a lead in the second half at the last-place San Jose Earthquakes.

A late goal — a Sporting own-goal, no less — made things a little more tense, but Sporting hung on for its third straight win in all competitions.

Final score: Sporting KC 2, San Jose 1.

After the match, manager Peter Vermes said he was proud of the way the team played off the back of Wednesday’s wild match.

“I think there’s physical energy, and there’s also emotional energy, and we definitely expended a lot of that,” Vermes said, referencing Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup match.

“But yeah, their mentality has been good,” he added.

Sporting (6-13-5) has won four of its last five in all competitions and three of its last four in MLS play. With the win, Sporting leapfrogs St. Louis City SC in the standings, improving to 12th in the West.

The win puts Sporting in a position to continue climbing the table ... if it can continue to string strong performances together.

“I had told the guys before we left, it would be great if we can get six,” Vermes said. “If you can get four, great. If you can get three or two … we gotta get points on the road. So, getting three here today is a massive result for us moving forward.”

After a scoreless first half, Sporting KC got the second half started with a bang.

“In the first half, we had more possession (but) didn’t create that many chances,” Thommy said. “But in the second half, we were right there where we had to be.”

Thommy picked up a pass from Nemanja Radoja at the top of the penalty area, faked a shot, cut onto his left foot, and ripped a shot past Earthquakes keeper William Yarbrough for a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute.

“I received the ball on my right ... didn’t get a nice position to score or to shoot,” Thommy recalled. “Made a fake shot, put it on my left and just hit it good.”

The goal broke Thommy’s streak of 14 games in all competitions without a goal.

“Finally, a goal again after a few weeks without one,” Thommy said. “(That) was also important for me, but especially for the team today.”

He wasn’t the only one to bust a slump.

Pulido was next, scoring after a perfect pass put him in behind the Earthquakes’ back line. Radoja delivered the assist to give Sporting a 2-0 lead in the 57th minute. Pulido’s goal busted a 12-game streak in all competitions without a goal.

Things got nervy with a late own-goal off the foot of Khiry Shelton.

A misplayed back-pass from Johnny Russell set the Earthquakes on the counterattack. A shot from the Earthquakes was redirected into the net off Shelton’s foot.

Thommy called the goal a “stupid” goal to give up, but was proud of the way the team defended to close out the rest of the match.

“In soccer, it’s all about details,” Thommy said. “I say it always, and I will say it now again. We defended well, but sometimes it’s one yard where you have to be close to your man.”

He recalled an excellent defensive play by Shelton to hang onto the win.

“These are the situations we need right now,” Thommy said. “Maybe we missed them in the past. So we have to build on it because we’ll need it in the next few games as well.”

Up next: Sporting travels to face the white-hot Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. The team returns home next weekend for a rivalry matchup with St. Louis.

This story was originally published July 14, 2024 at 12:05 AM.