By Kurt Austin – Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City suffered a 2-1 defeat at FC Dallas on Saturday to close out the club’s 2024 campaign. William Agada scored a late consolation goal to finish the year with a team-leading 12 goals across all competitions, including a career-high 10 goals in the MLS regular season.
FC Dallas opened the scoring, with their first shot of the night, as MLS All-Star Peter Musa scored his 16th goal of the regular season in the 16th minute on a well-taken effort from near the penalty spot. The 26-year-old Designated Player, acquired on a club-record transfer fee from Benfica, has scored in all three matches against Sporting Kansas City this season.
Dallas then came close to doubling the lead seven minutes later if not for a superb play from Sporting goalkeeper John Pulskamp to deny Bernard Kamungo in a one-on-one situation. The hosts would ultimately stretch the scoreline to 2-0 in the 40th minute on an own goal following an errant header by Joaquin Fernandez.
Sporting Kansas City’s best two scoring opportunities of the first half both came on chances that crashed off the crossbar. Agada’s header struck the woodwork in the 34th minute on a free kick taken by Memo Rodriguez and Daniel Salloi saw his shot deflect off the frame of the goal on the cusp of halftime.
Manager Peter Vermes inserted Mexican striker Alan Pulido into the match to start the second half and the move nearly paid immediate dividends as the World Cup veteran sent a shot narrowly wide of the post in the 48th minute. On the opposite end, Alan Velasco missed the target three minutes later after a miscue from Tim Leibold left the 22-year-old Designated Player on a breakaway with only Pulskamp to beat.
FC Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer would next be called into action for a pair of saves to keep Sporting KC off the scoresheet, denying Erik Thommy in the 53rd minute and Logan Ndenbe in the 61st minute. Sporting were poised to cut the deficit in half in the 68th minute as second-half substitute Stephen Afrifa dribbled toward goal before his shot was blocked at the final moment under pressure from a pair of FC Dallas defenders.
Sporting continued to press until the dying moments of the match and the pressure produced a late breakthrough when Agada intercepted a backpass intended for Maurer in the 89th minute and withstood a challenge from the veteran goalkeeper before finishing into the empty net for the team’s latest regular season road goal of the year. The goal gives Agada four goals in the three meetings with FC Dallas in 2024 and a team-best 16 goal contributions across all competitions (12 goals, four assists).
Sporting Kansas City’s regular season campaign came to an end with four straight losses for the first time in club history during the non-shootout era (2000-present). The club now looks ahead to a 30th season in Major League Soccer in 2025 — featuring new Western Conference expansion side San Diego FC — as well as the 2025 edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup, which will see Sporting compete for a continental club championship against the top teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
2024 MLS Regular Season | Match 34
Toyota Stadium | Frisco, Texas
Attendance: 19,096
Weather: 69 degrees and clear
Sporting Kansas City 1-2 FC Dallas
| Score | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sporting Kansas City (8-19-7, 31 points) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| FC Dallas (11-15-8, 41 points) | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Sporting Kansas City: John Pulskamp; Tim Leibold, Joaquin Fernandez (Robert Castellanos 71′), Robert Voloder, Logan Ndenbe; Nemanja Radoja (Zorhan Bassong 46′), Memo Rodriguez, Erik Thommy (C); Alenis Vargas (Alan Pulido 46′), William Agada, Daniel Salloi (Stephen Afrifa 61′)
Subs Not Used: Ryan Schewe, Chris Rindov, Danny Flores
FC Dallas: Jimmy Maurer; Paul Arriola (C) (Ema Twumasi 46′), Sebastien Ibeagha, Marco Farfan, Sam Junqua; Asier Illarramendi, Sebastian Lletget, Show (Patrickson Delgado 81′); Bernard Kamungo (Jesus Ferreira 71′), Petar Musa (Logan Farrington 71′), Alan Velasco (Katlego Ntsabeleng 58′)
Subs Not Used: Maarten Paes, Omar Gonzalez, Nkosi Tafari, Eugene Ansah
Scoring Summary:
DAL – Petar Musa 16 (Asier Illarramendi 6, Alan Velasco 2) 16′
DAL – Own Goal (Joaquin Fernandez) 40′
SKC – William Agada 10 (unassisted) 89′
Misconduct Summary:
SKC – Tim Leibold (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 28′
DAL – Petar Musa (yellow card; delaying a restart) 55′
Match Statistics
| Stat | SKC | DAL |
|---|---|---|
| Fouls | 17 | 19 |
| Offsides | 8 | 5 |
| Corner Kicks | 5 | 2 |
Referee: Katja Koroleva
Assistant Referee: Kathryn Nesbitt
Assistant Referee: Micheal Barwegen
Fourth Official: Drew Fischer
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic
AVAR: Rene Parra
