Sporting KC midfielder’s 1st MLS goal not enough in home loss to Earthquakes

Sporting Kansas City enjoyed an early breakthrough, but it wasn’t enough to beat the visiting San Jose Earthquakes at Sporting Park on Saturday night.

That’s because Jacob Bartlett’s first Major League Soccer goal was the only highlight for Sporting. The result sent KC to its third straight defeat and second consecutive 3-1 loss.

With a record of 1-5-1, Sporting KC is still firmly planted at the bottom of the Western Conference. Since the start of the 2024 regular season, Sporting KC is 10-18-9 in matches at Sporting Park.

Six times in his postgame comments, Sporting head coach Raphael Wicky used the word “easy” to describe the goals his team conceded.

“It’s just too easy to score goals against us,” Wicky said. “And we have to keep working on that. There is no secret.”

He noted his players’ positive start to the game, controlling and leading through the first 30 minutes. He also pointed out that Sporting stayed in the game until conceding the visitors’ third goal.

“It’s again a game we are in, obviously 1-0 up, with some chances and some good spells,” Wicky said. “But we need to keep ourselves in the game.”

Sporting KC started well enough against the Quakes, controlling most of the possession and field position through the first 10 minutes of the game.

Calvin Harris had a chance go narrowly wide just minutes before Sporting KC got something going. It came from a counter-pressing situation.

Justin Reynolds made an excellent read on a loose ball. If he’d mistimed his challenge, San Jose would’ve been off to the races on the counter. Instead, he poked the ball to Manu Garcia.

Garcia dished to Dejan Joveljic, who waited out Bartlett’s run through the middle. Bartlett — the 20-year-old homegrown from St. Thomas Aquinas in Overland Park — was one-on-one with Earthquakes goalkeeper Daniel ... and his shot found just enough space.

“I can’t really describe it,” Bartlett said of seeing the ball hit the back of the net. “I don’t think I have the words right now. It’s an incredible feeling and I wouldn’t want to do it anywhere else.”

He credited Joveljic for seeing the play lining up, even if Bartlett’s run came with Joveljic’s back turned to him.

“He’s a good player, and I know he can put the ball anywhere he wants,” Bartlett said. “I thought possibly he could slide it through, and I think he nutmegged the guy. He’s an unbelievable player, and he made my job easier.”

After Bartlett’s 27th-minute goal, Sporting KC started to withdraw deeper into its defensive third. And San Jose’s pressure peaked right before halftime.

Jack Skahan scored in the 44th and 49th minutes to flip the game on its head. Dave Romney added the visitors’ third goal in the 75th minute.

Saturday’s back-line — including goalkeeper John Pulskamp — had an average age of 21.4. It was the first match in which 17-year-old Ian James and 21-year-old Diego Borges had played with one another. Communication is difficult at times because Borges, who has been with KC for just a month, speaks only Portuguese.

“I obviously see potential there, otherwise I wouldn’t start (them),” Wicky said. “I don’t really look at age when I put a player on the field. I look at potential, as well.”

While there were plenty of moments that showed their potential, there were others that showed their lack of experience. Still, Wicky trusted them to work to get the job done. The coach indicated the team’s defensive issues are not player-specific, but rather ones that the group must address collectively.

KC defender Jayden Reid said that while there’s a bit of inexperience at play, the team has to stop making momentary “mental switch-offs.”

“Not taking any plays off, not leaving anybody open, tracking your man on the runs in the box, that’s literally what it comes down to,” Reid said. “It’s those little mental blocks that we have to overcome. It’s really us versus ourselves.”

Up next: Sporting KC travels to Colorado Springs on Tuesday for a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 match. After that, Sporting travels to Vancouver, Canada for an MLS match on Friday.

This story was originally published April 11, 2026 at 10:18 PM.