Sporting KC
Real Salt Lake takes victory over Sporting KC
SKC’s dim playoff hopes slide further away
Sporting Kansas City fell on the road at Real Salt Lake Saturday night. The loss makes Sporting KC’s chances for the playoffs even dimmer. Salt Lake moved up to the tenth spot, just one point behind ninth-place San Jose with two games in hand.
Salt Lake scored late in the first half when Diego Luna found the back of the net. Luna had recently returned from a pair of matches with U.S Soccer. Victor Olatunji and Zavier Gozo set up Luna to take the lead right before half.
we’re gonna keep on dancing at the PINK PONY CLUB#RSLvSKC | @GreatClips pic.twitter.com/AiEYl4Gxzb
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) September 14, 2025
The home team added their second goal seventeen minutes into the second half when 18-year-old Zavier Gozo connected with his second assist. Alexandros Katranis made the back door run. John Pulskamp came out to cut the angle, but Katranis put the ball past the sliding SKC keeper.
The perfect link up for the perfect finish 😤#RSLvSKC | @GreatClips pic.twitter.com/6hd66drkYp
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) September 14, 2025
Sporting KC interim manager Kerry Zavagnin already had substitutions up to check in when Salt Lake scored again. Zavagnin started pulling all the strings to create a goal. Ten minutes later Daniel Salloi helped create the lone goal for Kansas City. The SKC winger had been off the field for a few minutes earlier in the half with an injury but he in the 71st minute he crossed into the box towards a Sporting KC attacker but a retreating Brayan Vera put the ball into his own net. Sporting KC turned up as much pressure as they could muster with subs, but to no avail.
“Once we started changing the group a little bit and Salt Lake maybe took their foot off the gas, to insert the quality that we did with Manu (Garcia)—it was great to see him again. It was great to see Thommy again, and then (Santi) Munoz and Mason. I thought we put them under significant pressure. The goal was well deserved on our part. At the end of the day, the result was a bit disheartening. I say that because once again, we saw a group of guys who went out and gave everything they had. They didn’t stop until the final whistle and came up a little bit short. All in all, I’d have to watch the game in full again, but there were limited chances from Salt Lake after the beginning of the second half. They had a header on the doorstep, and that was the way they were going to score tonight—through crosses and balls in behind. You could see that the way they started the game with those balls in behind. I think we were ready for them, and overall it was a good performance from us. It wasn’t the result we wanted, but the guys left it all out on the field and I’m proud of them for that.”
When asked about the knock he took early in the first half, Salloi was clearly unhappy. “I’ve snapped my ligament a couple of times, and I know the feeling.. Done it again,” Salloi replied. “VAR didn’t check it. What can I say? It’s just normal. Didn’t even get a yellow card. Well done, MLS.”
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Score
|
1
|
2
|
F
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sporting Kansas City (7-17-6, 27 points)
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
Real Salt Lake (10-14-4, 34 points)
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
Sporting Kansas City:Â John Pulskamp; Khiry Shelton, Jansen Miller, Joaquin Fernandez (Alan Montes 63′), Logan Ndenbe; Jacob Bartlett, Jake Davis (Manu Garcia 78′), Nemanja Radoja (Mason Toye 63′); Shapi Suleymanov (Erik Thommy 63′), Dejan Joveljic, Daniel Salloi (C) (Santi Munoz 85′)
Subs Not Used:Â Ryan Schewe, Tim Leibold, Robert Voloder, Memo Rodriguez
Real Salt Lake:Â Rafael Cabral (C); Noel Caliskan, Justen Glad, Brayan Vera, Alexandros Katranis (Sam Junqua 72′); Zavier Gozo (Tyler Wolff 72′), Emeka Eneli, Braian Ojeda, Diego Luna (Diogo Goncalves 79′); Rwan Cruz (William Agada 72′), Victor Olatunji
Subs Not Used:Â Ariath Piol, Philip Quinton, Mason Stajduhar, Johnny Russell
Scoring Summary:
RSL – Diego Luna 9 (Victor Olatunji 1, Zavier Gozo 1) 40′
RSL – Alexandros Katranis 1 (Zavier Gozo 2) 62′
SKC – Own Goal (Brayan Vera) 71′
Misconduct Summary:
RSL – Rwan Cruz (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 59′
SKC – Dejan Joveljic (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 90+4′
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STAT
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SKC
|
RSL
|
|---|---|---|
|
Shots
|
13
|
20
|
|
Shots on Goal
|
3
|
7
|
|
Saves
|
5
|
3
|
|
Fouls
|
7
|
17
|
|
Offsides
|
3
|
0
|
|
Corner Kicks
|
3
|
4
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Referee:Â Drew Fischer
Assistant Referee:Â Corey Rockwell
Assistant Referee:Â Kathryn Nesbitt
Fourth Official:Â Brad Jensen
VAR:Â Ramy Touchan
AVAR:Â Fabio Tovar
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At least we should now be able to stop talking about pie in the sky playoffs and get down to the work of turning around this train wreck. I think KZ should be given another year, but with so many contracts up as the same time, I hope the new gaffer chooses wisely and builds a side, not just fills holes. The managers ______ are on the line so we need a strong Manager and not a strong CFO. Let the CFO manage the paperwork and find the people the manager wants. If things don’t change, it’s the manager’s head that is screamed for.
Let the offseason begin in earnest.