Photo by Jasen Vinlove/USA Today Sports
By TATE STEINLAGE
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — After chasing an equalizer for the better part of an hour, Sporting Kansas City needed just six minutes to erase a one-goal deficit and score a thrilling game winner.
With the Philadelphia Union leading 2-1 in stoppage time, on their way to their first win of the season, Sporting KC tapped in two goals in three minutes to turn zero points into back-to-back wins.
Newcomers Jalil Anibaba and Krisztian Nemeth secured the result with tap-ins in the 91st and 94th minute. Nemeth’s game-winner was called an own goal before replays indicated that it was the Hungarian who flicked the ball into the back of the net.
Sporting KC forward Dom Dwyer joined Anibaba and Nemeth in the scoring with a 16th minute header. Midfielder Benny Feilhaber tallied two assists on two corner kicks.
The Union were led by Sebastien Le Toux who assisted on one goal and played a major part in the other. Forward Fernando Aristeguieta scored to go along with an own goal in the loss.
Sporting KC entered the match having not allowed a goal in nearly 200 minutes of action. That streak took all of three minutes and an own goal to snap. In the third minute, Le Toux’s corner was whiffed by goalkeeper Luis Marin and tapped backward into the goal on an attempted clearance by defender Jacob Peterson.
The home side responded 13 minutes later on a corner kick of its own by Dwyer. Feilhaber’s corner crossed over goalkeeper Rais M’bolhi, who went to the ground after running into his own man, and found the head of Dwyer for an easy, heading finish.
The set piece free-for-all continued in the 19th minute when Le Toux picked out forward Aristeguieta for a near-post header. Aristeguieta fought off Anibaba in the air and directed the ball into the corner of the net, just outside the reach of Marin.
The Union held the lead for 70 minutes, nearly scoring a third goal in the 88th minute on a Le Toux breakaway that ended up crashing off the far post. But in the 91st minute, Sporting KC midfielder Roger Espinoza spotted Anibaba on the back post for a light touch through the goalkeeper.
Three minutes later, Feilhaber’s corner kick was glanced off of Matt Besler before being redirected on goal by Nemeth for the game winner.
With the win, Sporting KC moves to 2-1-2 on the season. The team will return to action next Saturday against Western Conference foe Real Salt Lake.
The Union fall to 0-3-2 on the season to remain at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They will return to Philadelphia for a match next Saturday against New York City FC.
It’s surprising that Philly even competed in this match. As a viewer, it was apparent that the better team won despite the best attempts of the refs to give the game to Philly.
Hey, hey guys, Nick Sak’s got this, man. He knows how many GKs it takes to win: 3. He shall lead us to the promised land: the Eastern Conference #6 seed in the playoffs in 2018. Woo! Throw your hands in the air like you just don’t care!
Actually, I don’t care. Eff this team.
A bad team doing things bad teams do. That’s what stoppage time was last night. And as a Union fan it’s time to accept that, despite the potential we might have with our best 11 on the field, we are the worst team in MLS.
While there were some positives last night (Edu at CB, Ayuk out wide, Carrol acquitting himself fairly well), in general there are just too many issues to list or bother talking about this season. The M’Bolhi situation just scratches the surface.
I generally try to avoid the dramatic, but this organization needs an overhaul from the top down. There’s no other way around it.
The most disgusting display of cowardice on set pieces and a lack offensive zone IQ (not including Aristaquieta)I’ve seen yet! Again it goes to the weak corrupt and yes feckless nature and culture of the ownership of Sugarman and Sakeiwicz. Once again this team embarrasses themselves on national and worldwide tv because this ownership is cheap and money grubbing, As for the game, Mbolhi is a joke. I don’t care what his exploits were in Brazil. Putting Edu at CB was this smartest thing Curtin has done since taking over however, for a former all-star defender his set pieces coaching is total crap starting with Mbolhi. I get that this team is loaded with injuries and other issues but it again speaks to the cheapness of this ownership and the lack of quality depth on this team. This major market demands a name coach and a name GM and a financially competent and competitive ownership who will bring in the type of talent and quality that is worthy of it!
We had such hope:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpRUdRLZSw4
FREE THIS FRANCHISE!
is it too soon to start rooting for the Union to lose?
I said this to my kids on Sunday, because Sak has to go.
Aristeguieta fought off Besler for their second goal, not Anibaba.
Unions goalkeeper is terrible, get him out. As a matter of fact, MLS is known for having good goalkeepers but this season, they all look bad except DC uniteds.
Not only do the goalkeepers look bad but more than half of the teams are playing really bad and for sure the west will MLS cup.
The east looks terrible and the west looks weak but strong in MLS terms.
I predict a fc Dallas vs revolution MLS cup or Vancouver vs tfc. Those 4 teams will be strong at the end of the season.
Tough luck Union.. But gotta say MacMath > M’Boli looks like thats going to be a problem all year
Andre Blake will be back from injury soon. I would think they will give him a chance.
Ugh. Union wtf.
From the highlights it did not look like a pretty match but wow what a finish. Those last two goals might be an early turning point for SKC when they look back and point to the moment when they started to turn the season around. If they lose that match at home then they’re in danger of being an afterthought in the west.
Yea man thrilling finish for sure. I have opara on my fantasy team so I was frantically hoping he would put one in lol. But great job by Sporting.
Really hoping that updates from your fantasy team will become a regular feature here
u mad bro? here’s a tissue, Caleb Porter.
Please let me know when talking about my fantasy team is a crime. Thanks…
Ugly match, yes. Vermes seemed to have scouted M’bolhi and knew he had trouble with balls in the air so decided to just lump one ball after the other into the box until it finally paid off. I feel bad for Philly. Their management has seemingly decided to shove M’bolhi between the posts regardless of any common sense or how many other more qualified keepers they have to snub in the process.