Sporting KC falls flat in 2nd half in loss to Orlando City. Here’s what happened

Kansas City teams had their fair share of weather-related issues Saturday evening. Sporting KC was no different.

Storms in Orlando postponed Sporting KC’s road matchup with Orlando City SC for more than three hours. When the game did get underway, Sporting KC fell behind early and had to fight just to level the score by halftime.

Then, Orlando flexed its muscles in the second half to win 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium.

“As we went into halftime, we created some really good opportunities,” SKC interim coach Kerry Zavagnin said. “And as we came out of the half — I think there were signs of it in the first half — we started losing possession of the ball in important areas. It made it difficult for us to get out.”

Sporting KC’s lone goal came from Dejan Joveljic, his 14th goal of the season. Sporting (6-14-6) needed much more of it on the night.

Tyrese Spicer got things started in the second minute for the home team. Sporting responded well, though, much like it did last week against San Diego.

Zorhan Bassong, who captained the team for the first time Saturday night, said he felt KC probably should’ve scored again.

“We were really good,” Bassong said. “We were moving the ball really well, everybody was really committed to defend, to attack. The transitions were amazing, the energy was amazing.”

Joveljic scored the equalizer thanks to a nifty give-and-go between him and Mason Toye. Toye’s touch looked like it was rolling in, but Joveljic took no chances and smashed it into an empty net with Orlando captain Robin Jansson bearing down behind him.

The second half, though, showed the gap between the two teams, particularly as Orlando City turned to its bench and saw two different substitutes score. Sporting, meanwhile, pulled off attacking players and changed its shape to cope with Orlando’s pressure.

But for each sub SKC made, Orlando had a counter.

Ramiro Enrique scored the deciding goal in the 76th minute after Orlando harried the SKC defense and midfield and forced a turnover. He entered the match just five minutes earlier.

Nicolas Rodriguez added the dagger in the 83rd minute when a deflected shot fell perfectly to him in front of John Pulskamp’s goal. He entered as a substitute in the 77th minute.

Zavagnin said Saturday’s game was a clear example for a young Sporting KC squad that the game is 90 minutes long.

“As much as we’ve come back in the second half this year to turn a result,” Zavagnin said, “this time we just didn’t have it in us. So it’s a great lesson learned for all of us that the game is 90-plus minutes. And when you play against a good team like Orlando, if you’re not locked in for that duration, you won’t get the result that you’re looking for.”

Up next: Sporting KC heads west to take on the Seattle Sounders next Sunday, Aug. 24, at 8:15 p.m. Central.

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

This story was originally published August 17, 2025 at 12:13 AM.