Vancouver, B.C.- Sporting KC roared from behind in the second half, scoring four goals on their way to cementing their spot in second place in the Western Conference. Daniel Salloi had a brace, and 16 year old Gianluca Busio scored his first career goal as Sporting KC poured on the pressure in the second half.
Sporting KC Come Back to Beat Vancouver
Vancouver Whitecaps took the lead in the 42nd minute. Sporting KC misplayed a clearance and the ball fell to Felipe at the top of the box, who slotted home past Tim Melia. Sporting KC went into halftime down 1-0 for the third straight match.
Peter Vermes was upset in his TV interview after the halftime whistle blew, mainly because he felt his team’s intensity wasn’t matching the severity of the match. Frankly, Vancouver’s wasn’t either, despite them fighting for their playoff lives. But a simple case of playing down to the opponent, or lulled into a safety net? Who knows. They were able to shake it off in the second half.
Matt Besler marauded forward down the right hand side in a relatively uncharacterstic move for the center back. He dropped a pass back to the top of the 18 and Yohan Croizet thumped it home to level the match at one in the 62nd minute.
OH MY CROIZET. Take a bow. #VANvSKC
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 18, 2018
Immediately, he was subbed off for Gianluca Busio, and Gerso was swapped for Johnny Russell. The two would eventually play a big role in Sporting extending the lead to three. However, Vermes’ first substitution of the match provided the real difference.
Khiry Shelton backed into Jose Ajá in the 82nd minute. A move that looked like an opportunity to hold up a hopeful ball sent route one. But, Shelton’s ability to read situations kicked in, as he sent a deft little pass into the oncoming Daniel Salloi. That pass set up perfectly for his dominant right foot. Salloi took it quickly, virtually passing the ball into the bottom corner to complete Sporting KC’s comeback. But the party didn’t stop there.
Daniel Salloi gives @SportingKC the lead late! #VANvSKC https://t.co/BGXiVtq0lW
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 18, 2018
Gianluca Busio extended the lead to three after Johnny Russell slipped him in, in front of an empty goal. Busio almost clunked it, but gathered himself quickly enough to get his left foot on the ball and send it home to make it 3-1. Salloi added a second a couple minutes later to make it 4-1. Kei Kamara was reportedly sent off after the final whistle for an altercation with Johnny Russell.
16-year-old Gianluca Busio scores his first MLS goal to make it 3-1! #VANvSKC https://t.co/GmtKb8dYDC
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 18, 2018
Three Things
- Sporting KC set up a massive showdown between them and Dallas on Sunday. A Dallas win guarantees them a top two seed and puts them in prime position to finish in first. A Sporting KC win, and that likely sets up a “Winner Take All” Affair for the regular season Western Conference Champion in the final matchup of the season. High stakes for Sporting KC’s remaining two matches.
- Vancouver Whitecaps’ saw their postseason hopes come to a close. They had the most outside of all outside shots though, and it’s not surprising that they’re eventually eliminated. Vancouver really didn’t have much of a shot, and basically hadn’t been eliminated on points yet. They truthfully waved their white flag with the firing of Carl Robinson.
- Sporting have been a bit of the cardiac kings this year. They now have 18 goals in the final 15 minutes of matches this season, and have rescued 14 points from a losing position on the season. Of course, that’s nowhere near the San Jose Earthquakes “Goonies” era where they rescued 17 points off of goals scored later than the 84th minute. However, it’s still quite intriguing on Sporting KC’s run. They’ve been able to come from behind to win in multiple scenarios, and they simply just don’t give up when behind.
