Five years ago today, Sporting Kansas City strolled into the Big Apple and handed expansion side New York City FC their first loss at iconic Yankee Stadium.
Sporting's center backs combined for the decisive goal in the early stages as Ike Opara towered above the rest to steer a powerful header into the back of the net off of captain Matt Besler's signature long throw-in. The visitors saw out a 1-0 victory for their first triumph of an exciting 2015 campaign that ended with a playoff appearance and a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title.
However, the club's first trip to Yankee Stadium is perhaps best remembered for something that happened on the field after the match. Less than an hour after the full-time whistle blew, Sporting's Besler, Seth Sinovic and Benny Feilhaber reenacted one of the most famous moments in Major League Baseball history: the Pine Tar Incident involving Kansas City Royals star George Brett.
On July 24, 1983, Brett notoriously charged the mound at Yankee Stadium to protest the home plate umpire's decision to disallow his home run. The umpire deemed Brett's bat to have exceeded the maximum amount of pine tar, nullified the homer and called him out. The Royals lost the game that day but successfully protested the result. On Aug. 18, the game was continued from the point of Brett's home run and Kansas City wound up with a 5-4 win.
