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.
Cinco de Mayo has treated Sporting Kansas City to three wins in the club's history, two of which against fellow MLS originals and one versus a club that no longer exists.
We begin on May 5, 2007, when the Curt Onalfo-led Kansas City Wizards faced the Columbus Crew on an unseasonably hot Saturday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium. In a contest that saw the hosts dictate tempo throughout—Columbus mustered a single shot attempt through the first 70 minutes—the score remained deadlocked at 0-0 until the dying embers.
With 90 minutes on the clock, defender Jose Burciaga advanced into the attacking third and pulled the trigger from well outside the box, unleashing a low strike that beat Crew goalkeeper and Kansas City native Andy Gruenebaum. The dramatic winner moved the Wizards to 4-1-0 on the season and ultimately helped set the stage for a postseason run to the conference finals.
Skip ahead to 2013, and rebranded Sporting Kansas City had far less trouble disposing now-extinct Chivas USA in a Sunday afternoon encounter at Children's Mercy Park. In-form Argentine striker Claudio Bieler scored on either side of halftime to give Manager Peter Vermes' men a 2-0 advantage before Graham Zusi and C.J. Sapong added icing to the cake in a 4-0 triumph.
As just about every Sporting fan will recall, Vermes' side went on to hoist the 2013 MLS Cup on Dec. 7 in an epic penalty shootout defeat of Real Salt Lake at Children's Mercy Park.
The most recent Cinco de Mayo win came two years ago today as Sporting took another step toward ultimately finishing atop the Western Conference standings. In a home fixture with the Colorado Rapids, Daniel Salloi bagged the game's lone goal in the 16th minute. It was his second of a team-leading 16 goals in all competitions in 2018.
