Kansas City, KS- Sporting KC closed out a disappointing CONCACAF Champions League Campaign with a win, thanks in in large part to some Swope Park Rangers call-ups. Sporting went into the locker room down 1-0 at halftime. In the second half, three first time goal-scorers lead Sporting to a 3-1 win against Central F.C. of Trinidad and Tobago. As always, we’ll look at the negatives, and the positives from Sporting KC’s win. At the end, we’ll look at what the roster decisions from today mean for Sunday.
Sporting KC Close Out CCL Campaign With 3-1 Win
The Positives
Swope Park Rangers Integration
The Swope Park Rangers finished fourth in the USL Western Conference this year. You wouldn’t know it though by looking at how well they’ve been playing lately. Thomas Granitto, Ever Alvarado, Nansel Selbol, and Alex Molano made the starts today and the integration to the first team looked seamless. Granitto assisted Cameron Porter on the first goal with a beautiful ball over the top. Porter took it off his chest and slotted home to the left of the keeper. Both players said the same thing about the goal and how it developed. They saw the defense shifting all to one side and Porter made a run down the middle. Porter said they made eye contact and he knew the ball was coming.
Selbol himself could’ve had a hat-trick if the goal was a few inches wider. His goal ended up being the game-winner. Selbol got the ball and cut inside, curling one into the far corner. His second and third chances clanged off the post. He took a volley out of mid-air and sent his first time effort off the post. He also put a shot through the defenders legs which clanged off the same upright. That was most likely Selbol’s last appearance of the year since he’ll be suspended for the USL Cup Final on Sunday.
Connor Hallisey’s Goal
Connor Hallisey finally got his first goal for Sporting after missing a few clear cut chances. You could see the relief in his face and his teammates for him finally getting a goal. The goal even prompted this tweet from Dom Dwyer:
Hallelujah ?? @c_hallisey
— Dom Dwyer (@Ddwyer14) October 20, 2016
Vermes did have a few things to say about Hallisey though. When Vermes was asked about it he said that Connor needed to get a goal from the run of play, and that a penalty wouldn’t do too much for his confidence. I do slightly agree with Peter, but a goal should boost his confidence at least a little.
Negatives
Fixture Congestion
I really can’t think of anything negative from this game as far as the gameplay. The goal they gave up was against the run of play and Mickaeel Jem Gordon did well to finish. Fixture congestion, however wasn’t great. Vermes spoke a lot about the competition format in the postgame and we won’t go too much into it. However, he was definitely frustrated at the way the schedule played out, preventing him from using his first team. He also had to call in a few Swope Park Rangers players to fill out the 18. Yes they won, but the game was borderline meaningless. If a key player for both Swope Park and Sporting had gone down injured tonight, Vermes would’ve been livid, and deservedly so.
What’s Next
Sporting KC will finish up their MLS Regular Season with Sunday’s home game against the San Jose Earthquakes. The Earthquakes are out of contention for the postseason, leaving San Jose to play spoiler as Sporting KC look to solidify their postseason play. Swope Park Rangers will play in the USL Cup Final on Sunday as well, on the road to New York Red Bull II. Sporting KC kicks off at 3pm central and you can find that game on Local TV or MLS Live. The USL Cup Final kicks off at 7pm central and can be found on ESPNU.
