Sporting Kansas City stumbled to a 2-0 loss at the Philadelphia Union on Sunday, delaying the club's celebration of an eighth consecutive playoff berth for at least another week. Union forward Jay Simpson bagged a brace as the hosts knocked off the Western Conference leaders in a rain-soaked battle at Talen Energy Stadium.
Sunday's result marked the first time since June 30 that Sporting KC had been shut out, snapping an 11-game MLS scoring streak. This surge through the heart of summer was tied for the sixth-longest single-season scoring streak in club history, falling four matches short of Sporting KC's all-time record set during the inaugural 1996 MLS campaign.
SPORTING KC'S LONGEST SINGLE-SEASON SCORING STREAKS
(MLS REGULAR SEASON, ALL-TIME)
<strong>Matches</strong> |
<strong>Dates</strong> |
15 |
06/29/96 to 09/07/96 |
14 |
06/25/11 to 09/10/11 |
12 |
04/12/03 to 06/21/03 |
12 |
04/01/06 to 06/17/06 |
12 |
08/09/08 to 10/25/08 |
11 |
06/15/02 to 07/31/02 |
11 |
06/02/04 to 07/28/04 |
11 |
04/14/07 to 06/20/07 |
11 |
07/04/18 to 09/15/18 |
10 |
05/12/13 to 07/20/13 |
10 |
05/29/15 to 08/15/15 |
10 |
05/22/97 to 07/06/97 |
On a day Sporting KC will otherwise choose to forget, veteran midfielder Roger Espinoza etched his name into the team history books as the seventh player to log 250 appearances for the club in all competitions. He joins a pair of current teammates, No. 1 Matt Besler and No. 3 Graham Zusi, on the distinguished list.
SPORTING KC: MOST GAMES PLAYED ALL-TIME
(ALL COMPETITIONS)
<strong>#</strong> |
<strong>Games</strong> |
<strong>Player</strong> |
<strong>Seasons</strong> |
1 |
296 |
Matt Besler |
2009 - present |
2 |
291 |
Kerry Zavagnin |
2000-2008 |
3 |
286 |
Graham Zusi |
2009 - present |
4 |
273 |
Davy Arnaud<br>
Nick Garcia |
2002-2011<br>
2000-2007 |
6 |
254 |
Preki |
1996-2000; 2002-2005 |
7 |
250 |
Roger Espinoza |
2008-2012; 2015 - present |
While the Union venture to Houston for the 2018 U.S. Open Cup Final on Wednesday, Sporting KC returns home to host rivals Real Salt Lake at 4 p.m. CT next Sunday in a nationally televised showdown on FS1. A limited number of tickets, including Coca-Cola Sunday Family 4-Packs, are available and can be purchased by calling 888-4KC-GOAL or visiting SeatGeek.com.
