{"id":42092,"date":"2022-03-29T09:00:22","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T13:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/?p=42092"},"modified":"2022-03-29T02:40:36","modified_gmt":"2022-03-29T06:40:36","slug":"sporting-kc-snap-skid-rsl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2022\/03\/29\/sporting-kc-snap-skid-rsl\/","title":{"rendered":"Sporting KC Snap Losing Streak, Beat Real Salt Lake"},"content":{"rendered":"

KANSAS CITY<\/strong> – On a night when the club marked multiple milestones, Sporting Kansas City snapped a two-match losing streak<\/a> with a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake. Sporting controlled a majority of the possession and clamped down on the few chances RSL managed to create.<\/p>\n

Sporting KC Snap Losing Streak, Beat Real Salt Lake<\/h2>\n

“I’m always interested when a team gets into a situation where we were,” manager Peter Vermes said, after the match. “We had a lot of injuries and how the reaction of the guys winds up being and how some people panic and then others keep their head. Just because you’re losing doesn’t mean you’re lost. We weren’t lost at all. We were just trying to get a routine and trying to get a bunch of guys still indoctrinated (in the team’s style of play) that still need time.”<\/p>\n

Forwards Johnny Russell and Daniel Salloi made their way back into the lineup after having missed time with injuries. Salloi looked to make an instant impact and put a shot just wide in the opening minute of the match.<\/p>\n

Sporting Controlled Possession<\/h3>\n

According to possession statistics on MLSsoccer.com<\/a>, there were only two five-minute periods of the match Sporting did not have the majority of the possession: the second period of the first half (43.6 percent to 56.4 percent) and the last period of the match (28.8 percent to 71.2 percent). In fact, in three five-minute stretches in the first half, Sporting’s possession was around 80 percent.<\/p>\n

One reason Sporting had as much possession as they did was RSL’s poor passing accuracy. Sporting had a respectable 78.2 percent passing rate, but RSL’s accuracy was down to 64.7 percent. Those numbers decline further when broken down into passes in the attacking half (50.9 percent) and the final third (50 percent).<\/p>\n

Sporting Get Lucky Bounce<\/h3>\n

Sometimes, all you need to get things going in the right direction is a little luck. That’s what Russell got when he scored the game-winner in the 81st minute, putting the ball past Zac MacMath and into the bottom left corner of the net.<\/p>\n

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Johnny Russell finds the laaate go-ahead goal for @SportingKC<\/a>! pic.twitter.com\/q0q7ee1X1p<\/a><\/p>\n

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 27, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n