Sporting KC shuts out Minnesota United with passionate 3-0 win

It was a beautiful, warm night for soccer on Saturday as Sporting Kansas City picked up their first home win of the season over Minnesota United. Eager to prove to fans this season is not lost, their passion was on full display in the 3-0 shutout. There were crunching tackles, guys sacrificing their bodies to block crosses, and Tim Melia was foaming at the mouth as he saved a PK.

The fans responded, too. It was loud, it was fun, and it felt like a return to normalcy at Children’s Mercy Park.

Rosero, Salloi, and Kinda were the goal scorers en route to a fantastic team victory.

The home side didn’t waste any time. The attack was coming down the left side of the field through Daniel Salloi in the opening minutes. After asking a couple questions, they earned a corner kick in the 9th minute. Dany Rosero rose up above the defenders to meet a perfect in-swinger from Daniel Salloi. A simple header from a corner kick. But a true sight for sore eyes for Sporting KC fans.

This ball in from DS20 tho… 😮‍💨

Dany Rosero opens his Sporting KC account AND the scoring in #SKCvMIN! pic.twitter.com/Sc7WqMS6E0

— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) May 14, 2023

The barrage only continued from there. SKC was dominating possession and all the chances. In fact, Minnesota United failed to take a shot from the run of the play the entire first half.

Alan Pulido, looking for his second goal of the season, pounced on desperate defending and a poor clearance in the 15th minute. But his shot hit the exact upper-90 of the crossbar and out of play.

Jake Davis made his second straight start at right back and it doesn’t look like he plans to stop anytime soon. In the 18th minute he fired a hopeful, yet dangerous, rocket from 30+ yards. The ball grazed the top of the net and showed just how much confidence the 21-year-old has right now. He’s flashing speed, creativity, and he’s surprising on the defensive side of things as well.

The best moment of the night, and the entire season for that matter, came in the 22nd minute. An absolutely beautiful buildup left a perfect ball for Salloi to tuck into the corner on the first touch.

An assist AND a goal for Daniel Salloi! 🤩

Watch #SKCvMIN live on @AppleTV 👉 https://t.co/WKhxvpGdbQ pic.twitter.com/xD3RfjX6xx

— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) May 14, 2023

Pulido starts it with a great turn in the middle of field and then he takes it himself all the way into the box. A clever dink sends in Walter, who leaves it for Salloi with a back heel.

However, Sporting KC let their guard down immediately following the goal. 21-year-old Sang Bin Jeong made his way into the box before being taken down by a pouncing Tim Melia. It was an ugly penalty from the veteran. He was indignant.

After he finally stopped screaming at the referee, Melia was snarling as the stared down the youngster from South Korea. He was blowing snot rockets, spitting, and looking like he was ready to explode.

The intimidation worked. After a feeble run up from Jeong Sang, Timmy stood his ground and easily gathered it in.

YOU CAN'T BEAT TIMMY MELIA WITH THAT 🤫

Tim Melia's PK save keeps Minnesota off the board! pic.twitter.com/5rwPhYyCNb

— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) May 14, 2023

But in the second half, Melia tweaked something making a goal kick. A few minutes later he would make a fantastic save off a deflection, but he was eventually subbed off for Kendall McIntosh.

Gadi Kinda subbed on in the 62nd minute for Nemanja Radoja. It was just the second MLS start for Radoja, and his first appearance since he went down with an injury in early April.

Sporting KC got the cherry on top with a feel-good goal from Kinda in the 84th minute. Johnny Russell played him into the box and the 28-year-old Designated Player chipped it over Dayne St. Clair for the third goal.

Gadi Kinda opens his 2023 account for the third on the night!!!#SportingKC pic.twitter.com/s7VwzQejAO

— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) May 14, 2023

It’s been a long road to recovery from Gadi Kinda and it’s great to see that smile again.

They still have a long way to go, but the last two matches for Sporting KC are about everything the fans could have asked for as a start. You can feel the immense passion from the players. Their reactions and smiles on their faces say it all.

Time to start climbing the ladder.

Next up is a midweek meeting with the top team in the Western Conference, LAFC. Kickoff is at 9:30pm on Wednesday from BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.