With the 2020 MLS season on temporary hold, SportingKC.com is taking daily strolls down memory lane with an "On This Day" web series that celebrates memorable moments in team history. As one of Major League Soccer's proud charter members, Sporting has a decorated past full of thrilling victories, amazing goals, momentous off-the-field developments and more. "On This Day" pays tribute to these specific instances, turning back the clocks while treating fans to nostalgia and club history lessons. To catch up on the series as it unfolds, visit SportingKC.com/OnThisDay.
Four years ago today, Sporting Kansas City released the offensive kraken in a gripping 2-1 victory over Orlando City SC at Children's Mercy Park.
By the end of the muggy afternoon, Manager Peter Vermes’ men had racked up 34 shot attempts, setting a club record still stands today. Sporting put 13 of those attempts on target, one shy of a team record and eclipsing the club’s total from the previous five matches combined (12). The visiting Lions, meanwhile, mustered just seven total shots and failed to test goalkeeper Tim Melia the entire game.
What made this particular plot so wild, though, was the fact that Orlando City had weathered Sporting’s onslaught and—somehow, some way—went ahead in the 67th minute. Jimmy Medranda’s unfortunate own goal gave the Lions a lead to defend and left nearly 20,000 fans at Children’s Mercy Park wondering what on earth it would take for their team to break through. Sporting's first 30 shot attempts had yielded zero goals, the team’s scoreless streak had passed 300 minutes and an ugly winless skid was in danger of reaching eight games.
Enter Jacob Peterson, a grizzled MLS veteran aptly nicknamed “The Answer.” The do-it-all serviceman had played just 14 minutes all season, but his second-half cameo went down as a one of the biggest moments of Sporting's 2016 campaign.
Peterson was the catalyst to unlocking Orlando City’s defense, assisting Dom Dwyer’s goal in the 74th minute before nodding home the game-winner in the 79th. In doing so, he tallied the first multi-goal performance of his 236-game MLS career and—more impressively—became the first player in Sporting history to tally a game-winning goal and an assist after being subbed in past the 60th minute.
To top it all off, the memorable result gave Vermes his 100th career coaching victory at the MLS level.
