Seattle player sent off for throwing ball at Sporting KC fan. How the match unfolded
Sporting KC entered the weekend just three points off the playoff line. Saturday’s matchup against the Seattle Sounders loomed as a litmus test of where the team stood in comparison to some of the real contenders.
Sporting did not pass the test.
And moments of a 3-2 defeat to the Sounders showed the gap between where KC is at compared to the true competitors in the league.
“If you’re negligent against the better teams of the league, they really punish you,” interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin said. “They went on the road and they’re up 3-0 at halftime so a credit to them that they got the result. But I think I learned that we need to be better.”
The game will also be remembered for a late sequence that involved a Seattle player appearing to throw the ball at a fan in the Children’s Mercy Park crowd — more on that in a moment.
The difference between the sides was particularly evident in the first half. Sporting was thoroughly outplayed in every facet and fell behind 3-0.
“We didn’t really know where to position ourselves defensively,” midfielder Zorhan Bassong said. “We were letting them play. A lot of guys in the midfield had a lot of space to play in between our guys to play in deep.”
It wasn’t the first time Sporting had been down at the half at home. Sporting KC has only led at halftime in one of 11 home games, and that was against the Galaxy; KC won that game, remarkably, without taking a shot.
But in the second half, Sporting KC was more threatening and got two goals back thanks to penalty kicks from Dejan Joveljic and Santiago Muñoz.
The comeback effort fell short despite a shot off the post and incredible save off the line from the Sounders to highlight a much better second half from Sporting. Albeit, the Sounders may have let off the gas pedal with a multi-goal lead.
“That’s the best clearance I’ve seen in my life,” Daniel Salloi said. “I’m not joking. Like, that guy dislocated his leg to save that. It’s truly amazing. That was a turning point.”
Sporting KC (6-11-5) ended the night in 12th place, with two teams and four points between the club and the final playoff spot.
How Sporting KC vs. Seattle unfolded
The Sounders opened the scoring 15 minutes in when noted Sporting KC killer Jordan Morris turned home a drilled cross from Paul Rothrock.
The Sounders added a second 12 minutes later from the penalty spot. Salloi handled the ball in the box off a cross, and Sporting was down 2-0 before the team even took a second shot attempt.
Sporting started to wake up toward the end of the first half but gave up a third goal on the counterattack.
Chaos ensued in the second half. Sporting scored twice on penalty kicks. Also, Seattle Sounders defender Nouhou was shown a straight red card, and appeared to flip off the referee as he left the field of play in second half stoppage time.
Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer stated that a fan flipped Nouhou off, prompting him to throw the ball at them in response. A video appeared to show Nouhou throwing a ball at a fan in the crowd.
Through the pool report process, the referees confirmed that as the reason for Nouhou’s red card. Referee Elijio Arreguin said he “threw a ball at a spectator with force, striking the spectator” and “was sent off for violent conduct.”
Per the laws of the game, violent conduct “is when a player uses or attempts to use excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not challenging for the ball, or against a team-mate, team official, match official, spectator, or any other person, regardless of whether contact is made.”
The incident happened during the video review of the second penalty kick, which Muñoz converted.
Sporting could not find the equalizer, though, and snapped a three-match unbeaten streak.
Up next: Sporting KC hosts NYCFC next Saturday, kicking off at 7:40 p.m. from Children’s Mercy Park.
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.
This story was originally published July 12, 2025 at 10:19 PM.