What a difference a month can make.
Thirty days ago, Sporting Kansas City was recuperating amidst the Copa America break with just one win in 11 games. The arduous stretch saw the club score just seven goals and plunge from first place to eighth in the Western Conference.
Four MLS matches later, and Sporting KC has earned 10 points from a possible 12, leapt to fifth in the West and captured arguably the best form of any MLS team since the regular season resumed in mid-June. Peter Vermes' men continued their impressive turnaround Sunday, dispatching Eastern Conference leaders New York City FC with a comfortable 3-1 win at sold-out Children's Mercy Park. The result snapped NYCFC's four-game winning streak and extended Sporting KC's unbeaten run to five in MLS.
BEST MLS RECORDS AFTER COPA AMERICA BREAK (JUNE 18 - PRESENT)
<b>Club</b> |
<strong>Record</strong> |
<strong>PPG</strong> |
<strong>Goals</strong> |
Sporting KC |
3-0-1 |
2.50 |
10 |
New York City FC |
4-1-0 |
2.40 |
9 |
FC Dallas |
3-1-0 |
2.25 |
7 |
Toronto FC |
2-1-1 |
1.75 |
5 |
LA Galaxy |
2-1-2 |
1.60 |
4 |
"I think you're seeing so much from so many guys now," Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes said postgame. "Because when you're on the front foot, when you put the work in, you're out working the other team, you start to break them in different ways. And it's not just physically but it's also mentally."
A defining characteristic of Sporting Kansas City's struggles before the Copa America break was the club's inability to turn chance creation into goals. Despite ranking second with 14.3 shots per game, Sporting KC's 0.88 goals per game were second-lowest in MLS entering a pivotal home date with FC Dallas on June 19.
Vermes' side has undergone a stark transformation since then, leading MLS with 2.5 goals per game. While shots and chances created have remained level, Sporting KC's shooting accuracy (per Squawka.com) in recent games has seen a marked improvement. Three particular statistics speak volumes to the club's upswing over the last month:
- Sporting KC has scored 10 goals over their last four MLS matches (since June 19) after scoring just seven in their previous 11 (April 13 - June 2).
- Sporting KC has recorded four straight multi-goal games for the first time since July 12-26, 2014.
- After failing to reach three goals in each of their first 20 games across all competitions, Sporting KC has done so twice consecutively.
SPORTING KC: BEFORE AND AFTER COPA AMERICA BREAK
<strong>Statistic<br>
(per game)</strong> |
<strong>Before Copa<br>
(MLS rank)</strong> |
<strong>After Copa<br>
(MLS rank)</strong> |
<em><strong>Goals</strong></em> |
<em><strong>0.88 (19th)</strong></em> |
<em><strong>2.5 (1st)</strong></em> |
Shots |
14.3 (2nd) |
14.8 (5th) |
Chances created |
10.2 (2nd) |
10.8 (6th) |
<strong><em>Shooting accuracy</em></strong> |
<strong><em>37% (19th)</em></strong> |
<strong><em>50% (6th)</em></strong> |
"It’s nothing that we’re doing consciously, I think it’s just that we’re producing more quality chances than we were at the beginning of the season," Benny Feilhaber said after Sunday's win. "Our set pieces have been better, our runs too. I think we got unlucky to not get a goal or two on set pieces tonight. We’re getting more guys inside the box and that was one of the things we wanted to make a point on from earlier games this year. That’s what happens you get goals from different guys."
