Sporting Kansas City traveled to Costa Rica to play in the “Monster’s Cave” Thursday night against Deportivo Saprissa to determine which team would move to the knockout stages of the CONCACAF Champions League.
Peter Vermes, Sporting KC manager, sent a lineup onto the field of players who had proven themselves in past CONCACAF games. Claudio Bieler and Toni Dovale both have goals in CONCACAF under their belts. Still missing goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum and defensive star Matt Besler, the back five Thursday night was the same as last Saturday’s loss to Philadelphia Union. That combined with midfielder Graham Zusi sitting on a suspension due to yellow card accumulation, and it looked shaky from the start for Sporting.
Sporting Kansas City fall 2-0 in the “Monster’s Cave”
As soon as the players stepped onto the field, it was clear why US soccer legend Landon Donovan called this stadium “the most difficult place to play.” The crowd was almost 17,000 strong and sounded even larger. Add what looked like a fence topped with barbed wire around the field and medics in semi-riot gear and you’ve got an intimidating situation for an away side.
Clearly, the atmosphere did it’s job.
Goalkeeper Eric Kronberg did not seem confident in the first half and let a strike from Heiner Mora into his net in the 22 minute of the game, putting Sporting down by one. If this result held up, Sporting and Saprissa would have tied at 7 point and Sporting would have got through to the knockout stages. CONCACAF, with it’s three team group system, uses goal differential and away goals scored between the two teams concerned as it’s tiebreakers.
Sadly, nothing seemed to be on Sporting’s side Thursday. Captain Benny Feilhaber was tripped up, by himself, just before half. He aimed a kick high, rolled his ankle, and was taken off the field on a stretcher. Soony Saad was subbed in, but with their captain down and out, Sporting lost a lot of momentum.
Igor Juliao was next to hobble around the field. Juliao tried to tough it out until the end of the half, but couldn’t get there. Jacob Peterson came on as Sporting’s second player was taken off by means of a stretcher. Sporting entered halftime with only one substitution remaining.
“We went into the game not thinking we’d have to sub two guys in the first half. You don’t see us sub much in the first half, let alone two. It just puts a lot on us,” Vermes said.
The second half continued to be just as physical and bleak for Sporting. Kronberg played much more like his pre-injury self, but a poorly defended cross from Mora to Ariel Rodriguez put Saprissa ahead by two. Unless Sporting could pull a goal out of a hat and make the game 2-1, Saprissa would advance.
Dominic Dwyer came onto the field for Bieler in the 65th minute and the momentum that was lost when Feilhaber was taken off, shifted in Sporting’s favor. Sporting got their first, and only, shot on target all game when Saad skirted a defender and got a good look at the goal. If Saad had a little more power on the shot, maybe it would have gone into the net. As it was, the ball bounced directly to goalkeeper Donny Grant.
The game ended with 2-0 in favor of Saprissa, and Sporting KC was knocked out of the league. Saprissa advances to the knockout round due to head-to-head away goals scored, as this win put both teams at 7 points. The Costa Rican Monstruo Morado (Purple Monster) had one more away goal than Sporting. Montreal Impact and DC United are the only remaining MLS teams in CONCACAF, ranking fourth and first, respectively.
This loss does not bode well for Sporting’s upcoming MLS season finale against New York Red Bulls. With Besler and Gruenebaum still questionable, no details on Feilhaber and Juliao (although Juliao was already sitting out due to a disciplinary committee decision), and the rest of the starters presumably tired from this six yellow card and 46 foul filled game, the future looks grim for the reigning MLS champions. Vermes said after the game that “we just don’t have anyone else we can throw out there at the moment.” There are a lot of fans hoping he’s got some magic left with MLS playoffs starting next week.
Sporting will host the Red Bulls in the last regular season MLS game on Sunday at 7:30 CT on ESPN2.
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