Match Recap: Sporting falls to Club Leon in Leagues Cup quarterfinals

Sporting Kansas City were eliminated from the 2021 Leagues Cup following a 6-1 loss to Club Leon on Tuesday night at Children's Mercy Park. Cam Duke found the back of the net in the second half off an assist from fellow Sporting KC Academy product Grayson Barber, but Leon prevailed behind a ruthless attacking display to reach the semifinals.

The remainder of the 2021 campaign will see Sporting compete exclusively in MLS, with a compelling regular season matchup slated for Saturday at Western Conference rivals FC Dallas (5-7-6, 21 points). First-place Sporting (10-4-4, 34 points) will travel to Toyota Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. CT kickoff as the clubs meet for the second time in 15 days. Supporters can catch the action live on Bally Sports Kansas City Plus, Bally Sports Midwest Plus, BallySports.com and the Bally Sports app as well as Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.

Navigating a busy stretch of seven games in 22 days, Sporting started six Academy products in a competitive match for the first time ever as 17-year-old midfielder Ozzie Cisneros earned his first team debut, Jaylin Lindsey and Kaveh Rad featured along the backline and Barber, Wilson Harris and Daniel Salloi formed an all-Homegrown attacking trio. Cisneros notably became the third youngest player to start a match in club history, while fellow midfielders Ilie Sanchez and Remi Walter added veteran experience to the side. Between the posts, 20-year-old goalkeeper John Pulskamp landed his first Sporting appearance since May 12.

Pulskamp did well to prevent Leon from opening the scoring in the ninth minute, advancing off his line to win the ball cleanly off the feet of Victor Davila and extinguish a breakaway opportunity. Shortly thereafter, an injury to Lindsey prompted the introduction of 18-year-old debutant and fellow Sporting KC Academy product Kayden Pierre on the right side of defense.

Santiago Colombatto fired Leon ahead in the 16th minute, slotting low into the right corner after his initial header off Angel Mena’s cross was blocked by Pierre. Sporting conjured a spirited response, however, and Harris almost equalized in the 19th minute when his side volley at the top of the box fizzed marginally high.

Omar Fernandez struck twice before halftime to put the result out of reach. The Colombian hammered home inside the near post to double his team’s advantage in the 27th minute before finishing off a lethal counterattack with a crisp finish past Pulskamp in the 44th.

Sporting tested Leon goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota for the first time in the 55th minute. Substitute Gadi Kinda's corner kick was cleared only as far as Barber, whose shot from 15 yards was corralled by the visiting team's captain. A few minutes later, Cota was called into action once more as Barber set up Harris for a shot from a difficult angle on the right side of the penalty area.

Duke, who had entered as a halftime substitute, etched his name onto the scoresheet in the 61st minute. Barber squared up his defender on the right edge of the box, drove toward the touchline and cut the ball across the grain to the on-running Duke, whose side-footed finish nestled into the left corner. Barber tallied his first Sporting assist on the play, while Duke now has two goals in his last three competitive appearances.

Leon were quick to restore their three-goal cushion in the 62nd minute when Mena smashed high into the roof of the net to punctuate an attack involving Elias Hernandez and Ivan Rodriguez. The goal was initially disallowed for offside, but VAR evoked referee Juan Gabriel Calderon to take another look and the scoring play was awarded. The visitors added a fifth on 72 minutes, with Jean Meneses striking from close range off a clever Mena feed, before Davila made the score 6-1 six minutes later.

2021 Leagues Cup Quarterfinals
Children's Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas
Attendance: 15,579
Weather: 89 degrees and mostly cloudy

Sporting Kansas City: John Pulskamp; Jaylin Lindsey (Kayden Pierre 15'), Roberto Puncec, Kaveh Rad, Amadou Dia; Ilie Sanchez (C), Remi Walter (Gadi Kinda 46'), Ozzie Cisneros; Grayson Barber, Wilson Harris, Daniel Salloi (Cam Duke 46')
Subs Not Used: Kendall McIntosh, Luis Martins, Graham Smith, Graham Zusi, Roger Espinoza, Alan Pulido

Club Leon: Rodolfo Cota (C); David Ramirez, Andres Mosquera, Ramiro Gonzalez, William Tesillo (Osvaldo Rodriguez 66'); Ivan Rodriguez, Santiago Colombatto (Fidel Ambriz 87'), Omar Fernandez (Jesse Zamudio 88'), Elias Hernandez (Jean Meneses 66'); Angel Mena, Victor Davila (Emmanuel Gigliotti 79')
Subs Not Used: Ivan Vazquez, Gil Buron, Pablo Rangel, Armando Leon, Santiago Ormeno

Scoring Summary:
LEO -- Santiago Colombatto 1 (unassisted) 16'
LEO -- Omar Fernandez 1 (Angel Mena 1) 27'
LEO -- Omar Fernandez 2 (Victor Davila 1) 44'
SKC -- Cam Duke 1 (Grayson Barber 1) 61'
LEO -- Angel Mena 1 (Elias Hernandez 1, Ivan Rodriguez 1) 62'
LEO -- Jean Meneses 1 (Angel Mena 2, Omar Fernandez 1) 72'
LEO -- Victor Davila 1 (Angel Mena 3) 78'

Misconduct Summary:
None

Referee: Juan Gabriel Calderon
Assistant Referee: Juan Carlos Mora
Assistant Referee: William Arrieta
Fourth Official: Keylor Herrera
VAR: Benjamin Pineda