Connect with us

SKC II

Des Moines Menance Defeat Sporting KC II via Two Penalty Kicks

Sporting KC II can’t overcome the Menace and the referees on a cold windy night in the US Open Cup in Kansas City.

Published

1 month ago

on

Credit: Thad Bell

The best story coming into the game of veterans playing kids, unfortunately got marred by poor weather and officiating on Wednesday night in Kansas City.

The story of the US Open Cup has to be USL League Two’s Des Moines Menace who brought a bevy of MLS retirees to play for them for the second year in a row. The difference is this year Sacha Kljestan was co-captaining the team alongside Sporting Kansas City Legend and former SKC II coach, Benny Feilhaber. They both started alongside seven other former MLS players. The only non-MLS vets were 2023 SKC II MVP Lucas Rosa and goalkeeper Enzo Carvalho in the starting lineup.

On the other end of the pitch, Sporting KC II brought two first team players down on loan, with Jacob Barlett making his second appearance and Ryan Schewe getting his first in the brief 2025 soccer calendar. Cielo Tschantret got the captain’s armband for the third straight game.

The game started off as a complete domination by Sporting KC II. The Des Moines Menace were against the wind, but it may have been rusty and old legs that really kept them out of SKC II’s end. They literally didn’t cross the midfield line until 9:21 into the game and it was brief.

The first good chance of the game came when defensive midfielder Tschantret just barely missed the top corner of the net. Off a recycled ball on a set piece, Beckham Uderitz hit a low driving shot just wide of the post a bit after that.

At 22:30, when Des Moines had still not crossed the midfield again (or at least it felt like it), a chant of “you should have stayed retired” broke out. It may have motivated them because they did cross the midfield mark shortly after and actually generated the first shot/cross near the goal. And who else but Feilhaber to sting the palms of Schewe.

In the 37th minute, Uderitz tested the crossbar for the closest chance of the half.

Then on back-to-back set pieces, the crossbar was hit again, until the ref incorrectly gave a goal kick to break the pressure that was on Des Moines. Overall, the half sort of petered out after that. Feilhaber had a couple tough challenges on Samways and Quintero, neither of whom he coached last year. Despite a bunch of ugly challenges, the first half ended with no cards and no goals. 0-0 at the half.

SKC II had the wind in the first half and after the game, Feilhaber told us as soon as they lost the coin toss their plan was to weather the storm (literally) until halftime. Ultimately, it worked.

Halftime Stats

  • Possession: SKC 60-40 Menace
  • Shots: SKC 11-0 Menace
  • SOG: SKC 0-0 Menace
  • Corners: SKC 10-0 Menace

To start the second half Pierre Lurot replaced Anthony Samways. Clarke shifted to right back and and Lurot played center back. The half started with a great chance for SKC II with an attack coming up the left and ending with a shot from Alexandre right at the keeper.

In the 56th minute, everything went wrong for Sporting KC II. Jacob Bartlett (we think) was called for a penalty when he took down his former coach, Feilhaber in the box. After the game, we talked to Benny and he said Bartlett told him he got the ball, but of course Benny disagreed and thinks he earned the PK.

Sacha Kljestan would step up and convert the penalty past SKC loanee Schewe. 1-0 Des Moines.

In the 62nd minute, the first yellow finally came out for a harsh challenge from Ozzie Alonso (who else?) just outside the Des Moines box. The free kick by Shane Donovan hit the side netting. Three subs were made after that, with Johan Ortiz replacing Cielo for SKC II. Meram and and BWP left the field for the Menace. Leroy Enzugusi, formerly of SKC II and the SKC Academy, replaced Bradly Wright-Phillips.

Immediately after the subs, SKC II hit on the counter with Goumballe hitting a nice pass into the box to Uderitz who blasted it home to level the match.

In the 70th, SKC II got their first card when Alexandre was a little late crashing into Enzo. In the 74th minute, the lack of VAR and working eyeballs from the nearside AR did in Sporting KC II. The recently subbed on Enzugusi was way offside but it wasn’t called, and he ultimately earned a PK. After the game, SKC II coach Istvan Urbanyi said, “it’s not only us that made some little mistakes,” referring to the assistant referee. “He was [offside], he was really offside.”

Kljestan stepped up and converted it again to secure a brace. 2-1 Menace.

Old friend Felipe Hernandez subbed into the game replacing Feilhaber and shortly after Kyle Owens replaced Alonso. Sporting KC II kept the pressure on the Menace, and it looked like they had earned a PK in the 89th minute, but it was waved off.

Ultimately, the final chances from SKC II fell short and Des Moines will continue their US Open Cup run. When we asked Feilhaber and Kljestan after the game who else would join the Menace for the next came, we were told to keep an eye on it as they may have some surprises.

[This story was updated with quotes after the game.]

Related Topics:

I've been covering Kansas City soccer since 2014, including Sporting Kansas City, the KC Current, SKC II and more. I'm based out of Kansas City, MO, but got my start covering SKC while writing from Phoenix, AZ.

Recent Comments

KC Soccer Journal in your Inbox!

Be the first to know when news breaks, sign up to get all of our posts sent directly to your inbox.

Facebook

Follow us on Twitter