Why Sporting Kansas City’s home loss to LAFC on Saturday was a missed opportunity
Sporting Kansas City’s second-half comeback last time out could have been a sign of life for a team that has struggled to even earn a point in 2025.
The team’s opportunity to build on that second-half showing came Saturday against LAFC, but Sporting didn’t take it. SKC lost 2-0 at home to LAFC, digging the proverbial hole deeper to start the 2025 season.
“The easy way for me to say it is they were better than us,” manager Peter Vermes said. “They were better than us through the run of play. They moved the ball very well, especially right up the middle. They were very good against us.”
Sporting moves to 0-4-1 in this year’s regular season. Dating back to last season, Sporting has failed to win in its last 12 games in all competitions (11 losses, one draw).
“If you look at the other games we played, I think in every one of those games we could have gotten results,” Vermes said. “But tonight was a difficult one for us. We didn’t break them down.”
LAFC ceded possession to Sporting KC for most of the game, and it worked to the visitors’ advantage. Sporting put up just six shots in the first 80 minutes of the match, one of which forced Hugo Lloris to make a save.
“We had the ball a lot, but I don’t think we were dangerous enough with it for the final pass or at the final challenge,” Vermes said. “We had some good service in the box, but the runs weren’t there at times — or they were, but the ball wasn’t there at the same time.”
Even chasing a 2-0 deficit, Vermes pulled both new signing Dejan Joveljic and attacking mainstay Erik Thommy in the 65th minute.
“At the time, we just weren’t getting in there,” Vermes said. “And I think it was an opportunity maybe to see if some other guys can open that up.”
LAFC on the other hand took eight shots, five of which were on target.
John Pulskamp made three saves in the Sporting net, including one that seemed a surefire goal. But two got past him and that was all LAFC needed.
David Martinez blasted a shot into the roof of the net 18 minutes in. In the second half, Aaron Long followed up the rebound from a Pulskamp save on a set-piece to make it 2-0.
The defensive woes for Sporting KC have continued, and that’s not where the bulk of the change or money spent in the offseason came. It was the attack, and that group never created a clear-cut chance.
“Everyone runs, everyone wants it,” Manu Garcia said after the game. “But again, we’re not connecting without the ball. We’re not connecting with the ball. I think you can tell that we move — everyone runs, everyone tries. But we’re not doing it in the way that can give us (the final) product.”
Garcia said that despite the difficult run to start the season, he still sees the desire within the group to turn things around.
”I came not long ago and I see a dressing room and a team that really wants and has the desire to achieve the things that I think we deserve,” Garcia said. “Because it’s a really good group. I really think we can turn it around.”
Up Next: Sporting KC hits the road to take on FC Dallas next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 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 March 22, 2025 at 9:54 PM.