Sporting KC
Sporting KC lose 2-1 after Vela wins it late
Sporting KC end a four game unbeaten run with a 2-1 loss at home to LAFC, with Carlos Vela scoring a late winner for the defending champs.
A four game unbeaten run came to an end for Sporting KC on Saturday night after a late winner from Carlos Vela gave LAFC the 2-1 victory.
The defending MLS champs were without several key players. Denis Bouanga is tied for the league’s leading scorer with ten goals, but he is playing for Gabon. Jose Cifuentes is out with Ecuador. And Mahala Opoku served a red card suspension. Additionally, their star man Carlos Vela also started on the bench.
Despite missing so many players, LAFC were unafraid and came out of the gates with a high press. They produced the match’s first big chance in just the 2nd minute, when Kendall McIntosh had to pounce off his line to block a shot from Stipe Biuk.
But Sporting KC were able to break the pressure and move the ball up the field. A VAR decision in the 17th minute would give them a penalty kick and the breakthrough. Gadi Kinda was taken down in the box as he played the ball out of bounds. LAFC will feel hard done but the referee reviewed the play and decided it was a penalty kick. Alan Pulido stepped up and smashed it home for the 1-0 lead.
Easy as ya like!
Alan Pulido puts us ahead early! Watch #SKCvLAFC live now on @AppleTV https://t.co/EdDnkszDUw pic.twitter.com/Hy3cp8QNYl
— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) June 18, 2023
The 32-year-old Mexican striker, in the midst of contract negotiations and rumors about his future, has become the hottest player in MLS right now. In the last three matches, he has four goals and an assist to boot.
The visitors were clearly missing some firepower throughout the first 45 minutes. The Sporting KC defense, bolstered by the return of Dany Rosero to the Starting XI, held LAFC to just one single shot the entire half. The home side had three on target after nine total shots.
Carlos Vela was one of three subs made by Steve Cherundolo at halftime. His side responded by equalizing just three minutes into the second half. On the second effort after a corner kick, Mateusz Bogusz crossed it into the box for Denil Maldonado to head it passed McIntosh. LAFC nearly took the lead just moments later on other header, but VAR confirmed the offside call.
Denil Maldonado scores his first MLS goal and #LAFC equalize to start the second-half.
Watch live now on #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV: https://t.co/WquIvtp8ka pic.twitter.com/5IYdD24Rnv
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 18, 2023
After the quick flurry of pressure from LA, Sporting were able to regain control. Peter Vermes freshened things up in the 58th minute with a double sub. Khiry Shelton replaced Gadi Kinda and Roger Espinoza for Tim Leibold. SKC continued to win the possession battle and had a few more chances on goal, with Remi Walter and Nemanja Radoja coming close.
Johnny Russell also made his return to the field in the 75th minute and quickly got back to his old tricks. He made a couple patented runs into the box, but they couldn’t find the winner.
But the winner for LAFC came just before stoppage time. Shelton was late to push forward, keeping Carlos Vela onside for one of the easiest goals he’ll ever score.
Never doubt The King. 😤 pic.twitter.com/9QqCGtgqAo
— LAFC (@LAFC) June 18, 2023
Roger Espinoza thought he leveled the match in the 92nd minute with a header. This time, however, VAR came back to bite them. The referee decided Khiry had committed a foul in the build up and the goal was reversed. But KC kept pushing. Dany Rosero came within inches in the dying moments.
But the final whistle blew amidst boos from around the stadium. Sporting KC broke a four game unbeaten run with the 2-1 loss.
SKC head to California to face the other team, the LA Galaxy, on Wednesday. It’ll be soccer after dark with a late 9:30pm kickoff.
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There’s something bitterly ironic about Khiry Shelton, the player Vermes brought back for far too much money despite never producing, simply because he worked hard, costing SKC 3 home points that could be crucial in making the playoffs, because he jogged instead of ran.
This is one of the clearest cases of grasping defeat from the jaws of victory I’ve ever seen. Failing to mark center backs on defensive set pieces. Unnecessary fouls costing goals. Rosero lucky not to be sent off for a clumsy challenge while on a yellow. After a brilliant 1st half, 20mins of panic undid all the good work. Shelton took care of the rest.
ESPECIALLY since he didn’t work hard at all in this game. He should be loaned to Tulsa Athletic
Sold to Tulsa Athletic.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t afford him.
Good news brought to me by Byline Mike last night: He’s signed until 2026.
I’m still shell shocked… this one stings. SKC had no business loosing that one.
I think this is “the game” that will be the make or break when it comes to us making the playoffs or not. We need wins at this point. Sure a draw would have been better than the loss, but we’re at the point where we HAVE to be winning, with a couple draws here and there.
Nah
I don’t go to matches very often, but we decided to hit this one to take my pop to a game. It was interesting watching the SKC defense move in the first half. They way they communicate, cover and move together was very well done and organized. It’s almost as if they spend tons of time working on this together (as expected)…Shelton moved to RB and all of that beautiful organization disappeared. I don’t think he has spent much time at RB in practice…not enough to know how to work as a unit to be sure.
SKC only works with good FBs. Didn’t we learn this lesson with the Sweat/Zusi debacle to start the season?
He hasn’t spent a moment knowing he was having a body so he’s doing great
Peter Vermes “freshened things up” in the 58th minute with a double sub
😳
I have a great idea, y’all! Let’s make Khiry Shelton the president of the cauldron. He literally can’t do worse than the pathetic effort cauldron leadership are offering right now AND, BONUS!!! He will never touch a football again unless it’s accidentally shot at his capo stand. Who’s with me?!?!?!
When Khiry comes on we are either up by so much he can’t mess it up or we have settled on playing for a draw and more than likely end up losing.
Uneven game with a fair outcome. We had moments of excellent soccer along with periods of listlessness. Those games are gonna happen. It just stings more now since we can’t afford them.
I think we continue to have a problem with creating and finishing high quality chances consistently, especially when facing good competition. FBRef has us in the bottom third of the league for xG vs actual G differential.
Since they first got here Kinda and Pulido have worked well together. It’s a shame Kinda’s only going to get 90 minutes fit with about a 10 games remaining for Pulido in a SKC jersey. It would have been fun to watch them work together for multiple full seasons.
Unfortunate game but a much more fun team to watch lately. I gotta give Peter and the whole team a lot of credit for working though some serious stuff in a very negative and fairly prominent spotlight.
I’ve got plenty of problems with KS, but Vela’s goal was not his fault. You can put the most dangerous man on the field in an offside position without leaving him wide open. The center backs have to be just as aware of where the other defenders are as they do the opposing attackers.
I mean, it was a little bit his fault.
It was a little bit his fault. But also PV’s fault for playing a forward on the backline and expecting him to always know where he should be.
I mean, where he should be was showing for his keeper when McIntosh was in trouble and needing passing outlets, which Khiry did. And when his man stayed on him, he kept going towards the byline to open up a passing lane to Rosero. And by doing so he ended up trailing the play when McIntosh booted it up field instead of taking the safer pass. Was he slow to start running up the field? Yeah, but y’all make it sound like Khiry kept the guy onside and nothing else happened.
It was 100% his fault. He’s walking forward and he keeps LAFC’s best player inside. The only thing the CBS should be aware of is yelling at him to get forward
at least some % has to be on McIntosh for the sloppy pass and Pulido the intended receiver for his inability to even do so much as prevent his man 1-touching it back into the attack. Honestly, the whole team got caught flat footed reacting to McIntosh’s poor pass, the CBs too. And credit where it is due also, that is some really heads up stuff by Long to realize and even try to 1-touch it to Vela.
That situation should never be on. There’s no excuse for him to be walking