Sporting KC blasted by Columbus in Leagues Cup Round of 32: Match recap & reaction

Sporting KC got a second bite at the cherry in Columbus in the Leagues Cup Round of 32. The result, however, was the same.

The Columbus Crew eliminated Sporting KC from the cup with a 4-0 victory — the second such result (and scoreline) between the two teams in 2024.

“They’re the best team that I’ve played here,” said Sporting’s Johnny Russell after the match. “It sucks cause you know when you play in games like that, it shows you how far you are as a team off that level of quality. That’s disappointing as a player, as a competitor, to know that you are so far off a team like that.”

Sporting KC played well for the first 44 minutes, creating several dangerous chances up to that point.

In fact, Sporting’s Erik Thommy put the ball in the back of the net in the 17th minute after an excellent spell of possession. But he was a step offside as he received the pass, ruling out the goal. Daniel Salloi also had a flying volley saved by Columbus goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen.

“I thought we did a really good job,” Vermes said of the team’s first period. “I thought tactically and work ethic-wise, we were very good. We didn’t provide them with a lot of options to play. A lot of balls went wide, and we forced them backward. I thought we did a great job of that.”

Indeed, it was in that 44th minute when things went downhill for Sporting again at Lower.com Field. Two passes were the back line’s undoing, and Diego Rossi tucked his shot into the bottom corner past John Pulskamp.

Vermes lamented his team’s disorganization in the moments that led to the goal.

“We over-committed to one side, especially in our midfield,” Vermes said. “We didn’t have any pressure on the ball, and it was an easy run in behind us.”

In the second half, right after Sporting KC made a sub in hopes of changing the game, Rossi doubled Columbus’ lead with a volley from outside the box in the 57th minute.

Vermes felt the goal Sporting gave up was too easy, and said it disrupted the game plan given it happened right after a substitution.

“I thought those were the changes that we had to make,” Vermes said. “And I think all the guys that we put in from a pure fatigue and freshness (standpoint) were the right guys to go in the game. Unfortunately, we were already in the hole at that point.”

Twenty minutes later, DeJuan Jones scored seconds after subbing in for his Crew debut. Two minutes after that, Dylan Chambost added Columbus’ fourth goal, also a debut goal.

Sporting KC’s Leagues Cup run comes to a close in the Round of 32 for the second season in a row. The team will have at least two weeks before its next match, an August 24 home meeting against Orlando City SC.

Sporting KC still has the U.S. Open Cup semifinal on August 27 against Indianapolis Eleven. That match at Children’s Mercy Park kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.

This story was originally published August 9, 2024 at 9:01 PM.