By Kurt Austin – SportingKC.com
Sporting Kansas City secured the club’s third win in a seven-day span for the first time in club history with a 2-1 road result at the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday. Erik Thommy and Alan Pulido each scored their fifth goals of the season in the second half at PayPal Park as Sporting snapped an eight-game losing streak away from home.
Playing the club’s fourth match in 10 days and just 72 hours removed from a 120- minute performance in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals, Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes brought in Pulido to lead the 4-2-3-1 formation.
After a largely uneventful first half — in which Sporting’s defense held the hosts without a shot on goal despite being forced into a change at centerback in the 23rd minute when Dany Rosero was substituted due to injury — Pulido nearly gave the visitors a 1-0 lead on the cusp of halftime with a pair of scoring opportunities.
In the 44th minute, the World Cup veteran picked up a loose ball and dribbled into a shooting position at the top of the penalty arc where he unleashed a dipping right-footed attempt that William Yarbrough tipped over the crossbar.
Pulido would then find the back of the net on the final play of the first half only for the goal to be called back when the assistant referee raised his flag for offside. Alenis Vargas sprung Sporting KC on the counter with a 50-yard run forward before laying the ball to his right for Pulido, who was a half step beyond the last defender when the pass was played which negated his low strike past Yarbrough.
Sporting made three changes coming out of halftime with the introduction of Remi Walter, Daniel Salloi and Johnny Russell sparking a breakthrough just over two minutes into the second half.
Thommy cut inside his defender and rifled a left-footed shot from 20 yards out that froze Yarbrough in his tracks as it zipped inside the post. The goal goes down not only as Sporting Kansas City’s league-leading 11th goal from outside the box this season, but also as the team’s 1300th regular season goal in club history.
Ten minutes later, Pulido doubled Sporting Kansas City’s advantage with a well-timed run and a pinpoint pass from Nemanja Radoja to split the San Jose backline. Pulido took a touch to control the through ball before hammering home his 35th career goal for Sporting KC across all competitions, tying him with Graham Zusi and Benny Feilhaber for ninth most on the team’s all-time chart.
Pulido now has four goal contributions (three goals, one assist) in five career regular season appearances against the Earthquakes, including the game-winning goal in both match-ups this season. In addition, Radoja became the first Sporting Kansas City player to record two assists in an MLS match this season, doing so against San Jose for a second time in as many years.
Goalkeeper Tim Melia moved into 10th in MLS history with the 38th regular season road win of his career on a night in which he needed to make only one save in the 68th minute on an attempt from MLS All-Star Christian Espinoza.
The Earthquakes, bolstered by an own goal in the 83rd minute when Khiry Shelton cut out a cross destined for Amahl Pellegrino to tap in at the back post, would throw numbers forward late in search of a last-gasp equalizer however Sporting staved off the surge to claim the team’s first three-game winning streak in all competitions since October 2022.
Sporting Kansas City will remain on the road with a third straight mid-week match coming up this Wednesday against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m CT at BC Place and fans can watch the Western Conference clash live on Apple TV with an MLS Season Pass subscription.
2024 MLS Regular Season | Match 24
PayPal Park | San Jose, California
Attendance: 12,034
Weather: 72 degrees and cloudy
Sporting Kansas City 2-1 San Jose Earthquakes
| Score | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sporting Kansas City (6-13-5, 23 points) | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| San Jose Earthquakes (4-17-2, 14 points) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Sporting Kansas City: Tim Melia (C); Khiry Shelton, Dany Rosero (Robert Castellanos 23′), Robert Voloder, Tim Leibold; Memo Rodriguez (Remi Walter 46′), Nemanja Radoja, Alenis Vargas (Johnny Russell 46′), Erik Thommy (Willy Agada 84′), Stephen Afrifa (Daniel Salloi 46′); Alan Pulido
Subs Not Used: Ryan Schewe, Andreu Fontas, Kayden Pierre
San Jose Earthquakes: William Yarbrough; Daniel Munie, Rodrigues, Tanner Beason (Amahl Pellegrino 59′); Benji Kikanovic (Paul Marie 59′), Jackson Yueill (Alfredo Morales 59′), Carlos Gruezo, Vitor Costa; Cristian Espinoza (Jack Skahan 78′), Jeremy Ebobisse (Preston Judd 69′), Hernan
Subs Not Used: Will Richmond, Tommy Thompson, Michael Baldisimo, Jacob Jackson
Scoring Summary:
SKC — Erik Thommy 5 (Nemanja Radoja 3, Johnny Russell 4) 48′
SKC — Alan Pulido 4 (Nemanja Radoja 4) 57′
SJ – Own Goal (Khiry Shelton) 83′
Misconduct Summary:
SJ — Benji Kikanovic (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 37′
SKC – Tim Leibold (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 38′
SJ – Jack Skahan (yellow card; dissent) 87′
Match Statistics
| Stat | SKC | SJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fouls | 12 | 8 |
| Offsides | 1 | 2 |
| Corner Kicks | 7 | 8 |
Referee: Alexis Da Silva
Assistant Referee: Corey Rockwell
Assistant Referee: Cory Richardson
Fourth Official: Calin Radosav
VAR: Fotis Bazakos
AVAR: Jonathan Johnson
