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SKC falls in shootout to FC Cincinnati but earns a point

Wild match with a red card, two own goals, two penalties and a shootout

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2 years ago

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Kinda was one the best for SKC tonight | Credit: Thad Bell

Sporting Kansas City fell in the shootout on the road at FC Cincinnati in their first Leagues Cup match. It was a match with ups and downs and twists and turns. Sporting KC claimed a lead, went a man down, lost the lead, and took it back again only to see the score leveled once more.  With the game level 3-3 at the end, the Leagues Cup match went to a penalty shootout where eventually Cincinnati won 4-2. A red card, two penalties, two own goals, and both teams can regret not earning more.

What already seemed like an uphill battle playing away at the top team in MLS was made no easier with a pair of injuries to regular starters. Daniel Salloi (groin) and Nemanja Radoja (ankle) were unavailable for Sporting KC so manager Peter Vermes started Khiry Shelton on the wing and recently returned Felipe Gutierrez in the midfield.

Sporting KC started hot, surprising the MLS-leading FC Cincinnati with strong possession and creating an opportunity that paid off for the visitors in the ninth minute. Shelton drove the ball down the wing and delivered a good cross into the box towards Alan Pulido. Cincy defender Nick Hagglund attempted to head the ball over the net but instead made a perfect shot on goal to give the visitors the 1-0 lead.

Sporting KC kept up the dream start when Gadi Kinda took a restart from a few yards outside the box. Kinda lobbed the ball towards the back post. Dany Rosero slipped away from his defender and smashed a header down past former Sporting KC keeper Alec Kann for a surprising 2-0 lead.

With everything going Sporting KC’s way, the script flipped in favor of the home team in the 30th minute. Yerson Mosquera and Pulido become tangled and went down together. Pulido rises rapidly and headbutts Mosquera. The referee pulled the straight red, sending Puldio off. The Mexican striker will now miss the game against Chivas, his former team.

With the Sporting KC momentum stopped, Cincinnati started their comeback. As John Pulskamp dove sideways in an attempt to block the shot, Ian Murphy’s header deflected down off the cross bar and off of Pulskamp for an own goal.

The momentum understandably shifted to the home team but not long after FC Cincy’s first goal there was a weather delay.

Cincy tied it up in the 56th minute. A long ball to the corner was intercepted by Jake Davis but it deflected to Luciano Acosta in a good spot for Cincy. He laid it sharply across the box to Brandon Vazquez. A left-footed shot from close-range made it 2-2.

Despite the man disadvantage, Sporting KC was still creating some chances and one resulted in a penalty for a handball in the box. Gadi Kinda stepped up and put is past Kann to return a lead to Sporting KC.

FC Cincinnati turned up the pressure and Sporting KC were doing well to defend the lead until the 96th minute when Rosero was called for a handball in the box. Acosta would easily convert to tie it up again deep in stoppage time.

With the game level at the end and both sides earning a point, the two teams went to a penalty shootout as per Leagues Cup rules. Sporting KC had more defensive-minded players on the field at the end while they were trying to hold to a lead. Cincy won both coin tosses, going first and shooting into their supporter’s end. Erik Thommy and Khiry Shelton put the first two in the net for Sporting KC but the next two were not so successful. Remi Walter shot high and the attempt by Andreu Fontas was easily blocked.

 

Correction: I mistakenly listed Walter twice in the shootout results for SKC. I corrected it to give Shelton credit for one of the two penalties scored in the shootout after a reader kindly pointed it out.

 

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InToTouch

SKC were horrible in penalties. We already knew Pulskamp can’t save them but Walter and Fontas have to do better than that.

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wet water

every PK without Melia reminds me how spoiled we were to have the best in the league at that for so long.

And obviously I haven’t seen the guy take many PKs, maybe he is normally great at them, but weird choice having Fontas take one at all.

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InToTouch

He’s ok at them. He can do it but I’ve seen him miss them like that before. It just seemed like he didn’t make up his mind what he was going to do before he walked up there. That’s crucial. Walter just got his technique all wrong. He was leaning so far back.

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Thad Bell

I imagine they went with guys that would be calm in the moment. May not have worked out as well as hoped.

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Tel Foster

You are so prejudiced against Shelton that you can’t even give credit for his penalty shot that he made. Instead you attribute it to Walter who effing missed. You should not be a journalist. You’re an embarrassment.

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Thad Bell

Thanks for pointing out my mistake so I could make a correction. It definitely was not intentional. I did point out his good cross earlier in the post. Thank you for reading and I look forward to more comments in the future.

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Gvdude

I don’t think so. Do you know what position Shelton is? How old he is? How much he’s paid? He missed an effing 5 yard sitter in a 1 v 1 because he shoots it right to the keeper like it’s Saturday morning and he’s the fastest kid on his ymca team. He then celebrates like he did something when he made a good pk attempt. Duh, you’re a striker. Had you been able to finish an easy strike we wouldn’t even be in penalties. He’s the epitome of dog water.

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David in the Chat

Woah. Easy, champ.

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MisterMurse

Shelton had a much better game than usual! However, i really wouldnt call attention to him this match thinking it is a redemption arc for him.

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Jacie20

Thad is a great Journalist, and I look forward to reading his articles. Don’t be rude.

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Thad Bell

I appreciate the compliment but I know I am not great at it. I have the face for radio, the voice for writing, and the writing ability of a photographer. I think I do photography okay on most days so that might be my strong suit at the moment.

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Jacie20

I think everyone that writes for this site should give themselves some credit. Between this and the podcast, you guys do an amazing job and I’m thankful to have content to read about the club!

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Thad Bell

I… We appreciate it. We try to do our best.

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KCOutsider

You are so prejudiced against Thad that you can’t even conceive that human editing mistakes happen. Instead you attribute it to incompetence. You should not be a commenter. You’re an embarrassment.

Really, all you had to say was, “Hey, Thad, I think you meant Shelton made his PK and Walter didn’t”

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Thad Bell

Thanks. There is a lot of somewhat justified (based on play this season) but at unreasonable levels of hate for Shelton. I think that I have personally not displayed that but it may be easy to think everyone does hate on Khiry.

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wet water

You’ve got the wrong guy, Thad is probably the most even-handed journalist writing about this team right now. To the point where a running joke in the podcast is Cody teasing Thad about his inability to do a hot take.

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Thad Bell

So true, much to Cody’s annoyance. Which I do enjoy.

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InToTouch

You know these folks run this site for free, yeah?

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KCSpurs1996

The only one who should be embarrassed is you for making such an asinine comment.

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skcfanipromise

I never would have imagined Pulido getting a red card (on top of the defense conceding another stoppage time goal) would be the strategy Sporting pursues to lose the game.

Entertaining at least; sure would have liked to have watch them win.

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A&W

I don’t know what Rosero was trying to do there at the end. I want to try to give him the benefit of the doubt, like maybe the ball was knuckling and his move was to try to get out of the way but it shifted on him like knucklers tend to do, but it sure looks like he was trying to get away with one. Either way, I’m kinda over him. He’s undoubtedly our best centerback right now but he’s a net negative so far this season, which is a continuation of a horrible pattern. We’re on what has to be an historically bad run of recruiting foreign centerbacks in the last half decade. Rosero, Isi, Voloder, Puncec, Fontas, Barath. . . did I miss anyone? When your best centerbacks over that time are a 50 year old loanee coming back from a serious injury, an out of position defensive midfielder, and an MLS journeyman who’s a walking torn ligament you’re obviously doing something wrong in how you’re looking for central defenders. Maybe that’s what happens when your Sporting Director thinks that centerbacks don’t have to be skilled?

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InToTouch

Idk, he did score a goal so he’s a net 0 /s

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Eric Vidoni

What year was Nuno Cuehlo? That felt like the start of the end.

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Bmarinc

Sporting played a man down for most of the game against Supporters Shield leaders and earned a draw. Quite a showing IMHO. Certainly there are some plays and decisions that are candidates for nit-picking, but I think the lads should be very proud of that effort!!

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Thad Bell

I agree. It just feels worse because they had it all in their grasp, and gave it away. Came back to lead and again let it slip away. A good performance but most people are so unhappy with the season it is difficult to see the positives.

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Shawn Gillogly

Gagging away the lead twice in 1 game removes any “moral victory” from the cards.

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Thad Bell

Fair comment.

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David in the Chat

It’s becoming a trend too

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Shawn Gillogly

It was a trend 10 dropped points ago. SKC has dropped more points, by far, from winning positions than any club in MLS. And it’s always someone else’s fault. The refs, the conditions. It’s never the calamitous defending and lack of composure closing out games from a team laden with veterans.

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KCOutsider

Just to change the subject: Does anyone else find it absolutely maddening how MLS has become nothing but MESSI!!!!!!! We’re well into their showcase Leagues Cup and the giant front page photo and stories on the league site has been nothing but Messi for days, they don’t even have any Leagues Cup group standings posted (and Leagues Cup is still listed below CCL in their “competitions” tab). It’s all but impossible to properly follow this supposedly premier tournament because they have their heads so far up Messi’s rectum they can film highlight reels through his mouth. Dude is a legend and I think it’s great he chose MLS, but if you want people to take Leagues Cup seriously then act like it!

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Jake

It’s all part of the script. When Messi wins Leagues Cup, then we will all know the Cup’s name and how great MLS/Messi are.

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Thad Bell

They are certainly pimping the Messi signing as much as possible. Messi has been my favorite non-local player just because he was so amazing. I now fear that I will become jaded with MESSI MESSI MESSI all the time that it will diminish my fandom of arguably the best player of all time.

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InToTouch

Yes. The only way I could care less about Messi in Miami is if it were CR7 in Miami.

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dal90

did anyone else feel like Miami and Cruz Azul were both playing at about 50% in that game? very “exhibition game” vibes to me. standing around, no ball pressure, etc.

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David in the Chat

I gotta agree. It’s great Messi is coming. The home page of the league site has been Messi for weeks. It’s ridiculous.

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Kat

Considering this is the result I expected (though certainly not in such entertaining fashion), I’m more annoyed that I didn’t wake up to a better assortment of conspiracy theories re: Pulido’s red.

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Thad Bell

I thought there might be some also.

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InToTouch

In other news: Luis Martins missed BOTH of his penalties as Vancouver lost 15-16 in pens to Puebla

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