Sporting KC
Sporting Kansas City build character, not points in MLS home opener
The momentum earned with industry and ingenuity died as Sporting Kansas City, unable to finish their earlier chances, could not break through the packed San Jose defense.
It is Saturday night at Children’s Mercy Park as Sporting Kansas City hosts San Jose Earthquakes in their home opener for the 2025 MLS season. A strong opening night crowd – despite the chilly air of early March – is bringing the noise and their wishes for an entertaining three points complements of their beloved club.
It is a wish shared by all. Home-Away losses to Inter Miami in the CONCACAF Champions Cup by the scores of 1-0 and 3-1 respectively combined with a 1-0 loss at Austin FC in the 2025 MLS Season-opener have Kansas City have listing in the competitive waters after three matches on the year.
The match is Sporting Kansas City’s fourth in just 11 days to start the season. Overall, Sporting will be looking to pull the plug on a streak of eight straight losses across three different competitions back to September 2024.
Manager Peter Vermes chose this Starting 11:
The XI taking shape 🔥#SKCvSJ | @BlueKC pic.twitter.com/40jceJN04p
— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) March 2, 2025
Yet, a fortuitous start was not to be. After forward Josef Martinez was fed into Kansas City’s box in the 3rd minute, the ball was stripped. Unmarked centrally, #9 Cristian “Chicho” Arango latched on and struck from 12 yards under the diving Sporting goalkeeper John Pulskamp for the 1-0 lead.
BOOM! 💥
Chicho Arango notches his first goal for @SJEarthquakes!
📺 #MLSSeasonPass or Apple TV+: https://t.co/30aZ1CzY2c pic.twitter.com/g5VEsxgrvq
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 2, 2025
Sporting quickly countered after the ensuing kickoff. Thommy wrestled for position in the box with a San Jose defender Rodrigues draped on his back. The ‘Quakes got the call, and ire from KC left back Tim Liebold who shot for goal putting the ball into the booing mass of The Cauldron. The effort meant yellow for Liebold.
After a Kansas City corner was taken short, Garcia picked up the loose ball and juked around one. His talismanic attitude took form of a blistering run to the top of the box full of intent. The Spaniard fired his shot just over the bar. No goal, but the effort was a win in the hearts of Kansas City’s faithful.
Garcia was not alone. Right winger Shapi Suleymanov – both signed in a transfer from Aris Thessaloniki in Greece at the start of February – drove at the defense repeatedly and craftily with cut and chop one after another, putting the ‘Quakes on alert.
San Jose’s second rush on goal came in the 19th minute after Sporting had gained the advantage in both shots and corners. The result was a corner from the left wing. During the scrum in the box for the serve, the ball fell through a flailing Pulskamp, bounced, and was sent home by Martinez. There was a palpable drone in the crowd and an early and disappointing two-goal deficit for the home side.
Goal No. 117 👏
Josef Martínez moves to T6 in the all-time leading goal scorers. pic.twitter.com/yn0h70j9Io
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 2, 2025
The deficit, frankly, only pissed off the hosts. No one would go quietly into the night. Kansas City continued to go at San Jose. In the 25th minute it paid off. After a Sporting shot nicked the arm of San Jose’s Ian Harkes, Referee Sergii Boiko called for the spot kick. The other Sporting debutant Dejan Joveljic manned up from the spot and drove Kansas City to within one and the crowd into desired joy.
Joveljic opens his account for Sporting Kansas City! 1-2. #SportingKC #SKCvSJ pic.twitter.com/iqty7hQrTX
— KC Soccer Journal (@KCSoccerJournal) March 2, 2025
Now past a long-running streak of missed penalties, and now feeding off their momentum, Sporting upped the offensive pressure. Left back Tim Liebold, roaming inside often, shot from a low cross from right back Jake Davis that eked through the crowd. Moments later, Garcia went top shelf, only too high. No rest for the wicked.
The wicked do get back up. And the ‘Quakes nearly rose in the 34th. Martinez, MLS’s 6th all-time leading scorer, went airborne with an acrobatic side volley that Pulskamp swatted away. Gaining a further advantage on the right wing with Cristian Espinoza running Liebold ragged, San Jose looked primed to add to their lead.
Sporting, however, made it to the five minutes of stoppage time where the battle that had been brewing all half turned to harbinger. Trying to keep possession in Kansas City’s end, San Jose midfielder Hernan Lopez pestered Davis, then fouled Bartlett. As Boiko whistled a foul on Lopez, Davis pleaded for – and won – the yellow for Lopez.
The event-filled half ended when Kansas City center back Joaquin Fernandez skidded a header off the bar from a Shapi free-kick.
No changes were made by either manager at the half. Not until harbinger turned into reality, anyway. A leaping tackle into Erik Thommy’s ankle from behind in the 52nd minute meant red for Lopez. San Jose would have to hold onto the lead one man down.
Injecting fresh legs and perhaps a new look, Vermes sent on left back Logan Ndenbe, right back Andrew Brody, and holding midfielder Nemanja Radoja for Liebold, Davis, and Jacob Bartlett in the 56th minute.
Vermes used his last two subs in the 77th as left winger Daniel Salloi came on for Thommy and central midfielder Memo Rodriguez for Zorhan Bassong.
The momentum earned with industry and ingenuity died a slow death as Sporting, unable to finish their earlier chances, could not break through the packed San Jose defense.
Thus, despite the fight shown and statistical advantage earned by their club, more than a few fans went away unsatisfied as boos were heard at the final whistle.
Sporting Kansas City will next travel to DC United for a Saturday evening clash with United and high-scoring striker Christian Benteke.
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meaningless possession
38 minutes to a side that was a man down and no equalizer could be scored. San Jose has gone from the worst team in the MLS to one of the best. I guess that leaves the spot open.
I’ll give you credit- you never miss a chance to let everyone know how you feel.
Why should I. I’m a season ticket holder.
Something about beating a dead horse. Idk.
That expression feels like it applies to Vermes’ coaching style, and him coming back year after year.
It’s super early — a bit tired of hearing that — but San Jose’s rebuild is starting to be an instructive foil for SKC’s.
Wait ten games. Wait another transfer window. Wait, wait, wait.
Nine game losing streak does not suggest that the horse is dead.
Too bad we don’t have Bruce…
a few things:
i wish we won. But it seems we are working things out. This will take time.
Shapi was a warrior. Reminds me of younger Johnny Russell
So much less skilled than JFR.
I didn’t watch this game, but judging by the stats and highlights SKC seems to have progressed, especially against what’s probably a much-improved San Jose. PV’s 10-game window is still in play.
You missed out on San Jose’s ability to move the ball down the field fairly easily on both wings and through the center. The statistics don’t show some of the real issues that still exist. San Jose is well improved and we are nursing a 9 match losing streak.
I am not looking forward to another rebuilding year. If management and ownership were what they should be, we wouldn’t need to rebuild our rebuilding.
Here’s the problem: last year was not a rebuilding year based on the guys we had on our team. This is the first year of the rebuild
We had some really promising moments in the first half and the new guys all showed out very well. Bartlett has surprised me since I thought he was just going to be a second team guy, but he’s doing well and Radoja isn’t that much of an improvement, so I like seeing him in there. Shapi led a ton of the attack up the right side, but he’s doing well still needs to beat his man. It was a 50/50 if he could get around them. I thought Manu was fantastic. He needs to get the ball off his foot a little quicker, but I’m warming up to him being a legit DP 10. Joveljic isn’t getting the looks he should to score, which could be a positioning issue, but I think we’re just not used to having a target man so we’re not using him effectively.
If you have Apple TV, I would encourage you to watch the sequence around the 6th minute. That’s the kind of stuff that makes me feel like we could have some exciting games this year. I’m surprised to feel somewhat positive despite a home loss, but all I really want out of this year is to watch new players play better soccer than last year and tonight felt like an improvement.
Promising moments are the ball in the back of the net. Everything else is wishful thinking.
.
In my opinion, Bassong can not be the starting 8. Manu seems to like to be a more deep lying midfielder and make passes from there. We need a more attacking option in the midfield to go with Manu. Bassong is not an offensive threat. Tommy needs to be in the midfield with Manu. Put Sallói or Afrifa on the left wing. Maybe the attack could be more through the middle instead of always on the wings.
My son and I were saying the same thing last night. I think Bassong is a player to keep on the roster to fill in when someone is injured. I don’t think he is a starter on any other MLS team.
Something needs to change…SKC looked pretty decent during the last 25 minutes of the first half. The second half was not fun to watch. Back pass, recycle, move up the wing, go back, pass to CB, go up the other wing, put in a cross to no one and then rush back to play defense…rinse and repeat. No one even looked before putting in a cross…it was like having a whole bunch of Luis Martins going up the wing.
I need to remind everyone that San Jose got a new coach, turned over 1/2 of their roster and was the worst team in MLS last year. They had the exact same amount of time as SKC to build their team with Bruce doing double duty (like PV did before Burns). If San Jose can do all that before the start of the season while winning their first 2 games, why do we need to give SKC 10 games to turn things around?
Ugh, I’m super frustrated after that 2nd half. That was 2024 SKC soccer all over again…yuck.
Yeah, San Jose has a legendary manager at the helm, and we have Vermes.
It’s definitely fair to compare the pace of San Jose’s rebirth and SKC’s. I’m still on the “give it some time” wagon but I totally understand the comparison made here.
That is my point too. I totally agree. We don’t need to give Vermes any more time. He’s had all the time that he deserves and we have nothing to see.
Thommy isn’t a great midfielder either. Manu is plenty attacking and progressive enough to play the 10. Davis needs to be at the 8 and we need to sign a dynamic 6 because Radoja isn’t good and Bartlett is too young.
Thommy is not a dynamic midfielder.
Thommy bashing has become your dead horse. He was our offensive player of the year last season. He was then made captain. Hasn’t started 25′ season well, but who has?
Playing out of position will make most players less effective. His coach isn’t putting him in a position to play to his strength. Garcia is good but you think PV wants him holding the ball dribbling around as much as he does? How many goals did that lead to?
Agada didn’t see the pitch last night. I just think we’re in another silly season. We’re not building off the players here who tried last year. We’ve instead brought in direct replacements for Thommy and Agada while the real roster problems remain.
Poor coaching and roster management. It is encouraging to see new signings have ability. Garcia and Shapi are both good players. It’s just going to take 2 more years at this pace. Thinking we’re turning it around this year is incorrect. We’ve now lost two games this year to bottom teams who hired new coaches.
We should keep doing the same thing and expect different results. What is that the definition of?
I don’t think I’m bashing Thommy. He’s above average at two positions. But he’s not great at either.
there are moments of magic in his feet but he’s also prone to playing hero ball. So far he’s done nothing this season. The whole team is out of sync.
but the difference between us winning and losing isn’t Erik Thommy playing attacking mid.
I never said Thommy is a dynamic midfielder nor would I want him to play the “10” position ahead of Manu. I do think, with the way Manu seems to like to play, Sporting needs to have a midfielder in the “8” spot that has offensive ability. Bassong is not that guy, but Thommy sure could be. Jake could be that guy, but, right now, he is stuck at right back. I don’t think anyone will argue with the fact that Thommy is better in the midfield than on the wing. As soon as San Jose went down a man, Vermees needed to bring Salloi or Afrifa in for Bassong and moved Thommy to the midfield.
Yes, Thommy belongs in the midfield. He is way more effective there and he looks lost on wing. I don’t understand why Vermes always wants to put people where they dont belong. Davis is not a right back and it showed last night.
Vermes has to go. And quite frankly, anyone who has fought to keep him there should go too. Vermes hasn’t had a winning season since 2021, SKC has had a negative goal differential since 2021, he’s had horrific starts to the season the past three years, and he blames it all on his players. This is professional soccer. Standards should be high. This “we’ll get em next time” fan attitude is partially to blame for him still being at the club. This man should be booed out of the stadium after every defeat. In any successful organization, under-performers are let go, and considering the start to this season, it looks like it’s going to be another underperforming year. Every cent you give to this club helps pay for player’s and coach’s contracts. Fans need to step up and voice their frustration if they want anything to change, because ownership seems content. The Blue Hell should be a living hell for Vermes until he either turns things around, or is sacked.
Preach it!!! He would of been let go a long time ago for any other MLS team.
Preferably sacked. I will be more than happy to buy the rail that we can run him out on.
I have a nitpick about this article. The title is great, but I feel like it doesn’t quite match the great article that follows it. I just don’t see where, in the game or in the write-up, Sporting KC actually built any character.
So far, they’re the same character they’ve been for however many years now. I wonder what the consistent variable is…
Robert, this isn’t a knock on you; I’m just using your title as an excuse to vent about the team. Thanks for everything you do for SKC, fans, and whiney me.
I watched the match on Apple TV. As the camera is panned back-and-forth, it looked like a large portion of the stadium was empty. SKC fans are voting with their feet and their wallet. How many more shit show years do we have to put up with?
I think that SKC was lucky that San Jose got the red. But their ability to move the ball up and down the field, what would the score of Ben if they had a full 11?
kudos to San Jose for not wanting to be the worst in the MLS year after year.
Despite coming across as something of an apologist recently (though I’m more of just a contrarian), this is the first year I haven’t signed up right away for Season Pass. And being 3 hours away makes it easy to not be tempted by attendance. Higher on my live soccer list this year as a game at CPKC and even a game in St. Louis as I really like what they’ve done with their stadium placement and culture.
I feel like attendance often has a long lag from changes in performance. SKC seems to really be seeing the disengagement now that was building for the last few years. If they turn it around, it’s probably going to take time to draw people back, too.
I was wowed by Manu. The ball looked glued to his foot at all times.
Brody needs to earn the next start at RB, not because he was good, but because that’ll get Jake back into the midfield. Jake has energy and is a progressive ball player.
I think lost in the mix was our defensive structure looked mostly fine. It was the out-of-structure stuff that is unacceptably soft and incredibly embarrassing. 2 goals off chaos in corners in 2 games? Ridiculous. Good teams win set pieces. Period. Not to say Good teams cant get beat every once in a while by set pieces, but look at those goals let in vs Austin and SJ. Absolutely embarrassing for everyone involved.
Offensively though? We are asking our front 4 to win with talent, and only talent. The system is the same as last year: feed it to the RW and pray something happens. Did the back 5 or 6 spend some time spreading out the defense and creating space? Forget about all that and just hoof it to the wing. Get stuck in the final third? Kick it backward far enough that someone can just hoof it to the wing. It’s not going to work. It’s slow, it’s predictable, it limits any sort of chance creation.
1000 times yes. SKC plays boring, predictable soccer. My only pressing question is can PV change the tactics and get the right players in the right spot to play through the middle with combination play instead of only playing through non effective wings.
Honestly, I really do think SKC could play this way if they had gone out and gotten a play making DP right wing. Joveljic, Manu and the mythical DP RW would bring out the best in Salloi and I think SKC would be producing a ton “run of play” goal scoring chances. That said, I don’t think the current SKC roster can play that way. PV needs to change the way the offense works. I hope he sees it and adjusts. Probably not fair, but I think PV can neither see it nor adjust.
Watch the highlights from this game in 2023 and tell me that Thommy and Manu shouldn’t start together in the midfield. In this game, the game that started the playoff run in 2023, Thommy started in midfield with Kinda and Remi. SKC scores 2 goals in the first half. https://www.sportingkc.com/video/watch-sporting-kc-stun-seattle-sounders-to-capture-first-win-of-season#watch-sporting-kc-stun-seattle-sounders-to-capture-first-win-of-season
The solution is right in front of PV’s face.
I hope Roger Espinoza start running practrive for a few weeks.