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Toluca win the group with 2-1 win over Sporting KC

Sporting Kansas City play close, but ultimately falter to Toluca FC in Leagues Cup for the second consecutive year.

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1 month ago

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Credit: Thad Bell

Sporting Kansas City hosted Toluca FC with only seeding on the line, as both teams had already advanced with victories over the Chicago Fire.

The second game of the Leagues Cup brought several changes for Sporting KC. Alan Pulido, Johnny Russell and Robi Voloder returned to the starting lineup. The team also returned to the 4-2-3-1, which Peter Vermes spoke highly of in a recent presser.

And here is the Toluca starting lineup.

First Half

Sporting KC controlled possession early but failed to get off a shot. The first shot came from Toluca when one of their offside players made a play on the ball, but never touched it and let another player come play it. Luckily the shot was terrible, but if they scored, it should have been taken away. No flag ever came up from the nearside AR, a theme throughout the night.

In the 13th minute, the best chance up to that point that resulted in a shot for KC. A turnover was forced in the midfield, but Stephen Afrifa took an ill-advised shot and skied it over the goal. It wasn’t his first mistake. After letting a ball skip under his foot for a throw early, he had an opportunity in the 10th minute where he could have one-touch passed the ball to a wide-open Willy Agada being held on by the right center back who was way out of shape. However, he made the simple pass backwards and no chance materialized.

The 19th minute brought a real chance. Afrifa must have sensed I typed some slightly negative things, and he whizzed a cross in from his left-wing spot to the head of an onrushing Agada who didn’t quite get full purchase on the ball, and it drifted wide of the post. Almost!

KC kept on the pressure from there. After Russell earned a corner and after the first ball was cleared, Afrifa sent in a second ball that fell to Robert Castellanos, who played laterally to Nemanja Radoja who just put his shot over the bar.

A bizarre sequence happened in the 27th minute. Russell read a heavy touch by Andres Pereira and easily intercepted the ball only to be wiped out by the defender. The odd part was no card or even a foul was given. Then, the ref told Toluca to hold up, but never blew the whistle while he checked on Johnny. Then he just waved for play to continue without doing a drop ball. Very odd.

Despite SKC’s early success, it was Toluca who would strike first. A perfectly timed run led to a dangerous cross into the box. Tim Leibold settled it, but had it stolen before he could clear it. Then Castellanos went to ground, and Jesus Angulo had little trouble slotting the ball past Tim Melia. 1-0 Toluca.

Sporting KC were quick to respond. First, they had a quick counterattack where the referee, Fernando Guerrero Ramirez, failed to issue a yellow card. Remi Walter was pulled back by his jersey, but he managed to get off his pass, so he played advantage and never went back, despite the heavily slowed pass. The ball eventually found a diving Agada but went wide of the post.

During that sequence, it appeared Marcel Ruiz had fouled Radoja, but upon a second look, it seems Radoja just stepped wrong and appeared to injure his groin.

Radoja was forced to be subbed off for Jake Davis and then KC found an answer. The Toluca defense left Afrifa wide open where he dribbled towards the 18-yard-box before perfectly curling a ball over goalkeeper Tiago Volpi, who had drifted off his line. The ball dinged off the underside of the bar and found its way into the net. 1-1 headed into halftime.

Second Half

Sporting KC started the second half on the front foot with a promising attack finding Russell before Agada somehow clipped the ball over the net for a goal kick. There was a hint of offside, but the angle is tough, and it doesn’t matter since Willy missed.

Toluca were the next to create a chance via a chaotic sequence of balls going back and forth through the box before Remi Walter made an emergency intervention to clear a ball out of the six-yard box.

Next up for a chance were Sporting KC. Out of nothing, and after numerous turnovers on the night, Pulido gathered the ball just outside the 18-yard-box and forced a diving Volpi to push the ball out for a corner. That didn’t stop him from getting subbed out immediately after. Pulido and Afrifa came off for Erik Thommy and Daniel Salloi respectively.

Despite the fairly even play from both teams, it would be Toluca who would get the go-ahead goal. A ton of ball watching led to Salloi being the only player getting back for a well-placed cross after another perfectly timed run. 2-1 Toluca.

In the 72nd minute, Sporting KC would make two more subs. Bringing on the return Logan Ndenbe and Dany Rosero. Ndenbe hadn’t played a match since last November in the playoff win over St. Louis City SC. The crowed welcomed him back with a rowdy applause and cheer.

Seven minutes after coming on, Rosero was in the book for the game’s second yellow card. From there, it was a series of fouls, called mostly against SKC who had a vast lead in fouls committed before nearly evening it up by the 84th minute. From there, SKC would appear to draw a series of uncalled fouls before Vermes’ animated reaction earned him yellow card. The most egregious missed called was on Russell going in on goal.

The fourth official would signal for five minutes of stoppage time, but KC kept their foot on the gas. In the 91st minute Thommy curled a ball towards the net but a forceful punch from Volpi kept it out. In the 93rd minute Toluca earned their first given yellow for delaying yet another restart. It was just so blatant Ramirez was forced to pull a card. From there the game petered out and Toluca won 2-1.

Sporting KC will hit the road and face the Columbus Crew in the knockout round of the Leagues Cup this Friday.

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