With Sporting Kansas City trailing the Colorado Rapids 2-1 in the final moments of Saturday's match at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Manager Peter Vermes looked to his bench for a game changer.
Diego Rubio was summoned in the 88th minute as the visitors pushed for an equalizer, and the 24-year-old Chilean promptly delivered with 91 minutes on the clock. The forward's neat finish off a Khiry Shelton back-heel rescued Sporting KC a point and extended the club's unbeaten run to three games heading into a Week 5 home tilt with D.C. United this Saturday at Children's Mercy Park.
In the aftermath of his heroic cameo, Rubio joined hosts Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine for Tuesday's episode of The Sporting KC Show. Despite feeling under the weather on Saturday, he was delighted to make such a palpable impact as a late substitute.
"I wanted to do something important for the team, and I remember starting to scream 'Shelton, give me the ball, give me the ball!' The goal happened so fast and we tried to celebrate, but we also knew we could go onto win the game. I am happy we could get the point."
While Rubio is part of of Major League Soccer's most prolific offense during the early stages of 2018 — Sporting KC leads MLS with nine goals through Week 4 — captain Matt Besler is part of a backline that has yet to hit full stride after performing brilliantly throughout 2017. But the center back is confident that it's only a matter of time before Sporting KC returns to its stingy ways of last season.
"Throw out the first 10 or 15 minutes where we gave up those two goals, and we completely dominated away from home," Besler said in a conversation with Border Patrol hosts Bukaty and Steven St. John on Wednesday morning. "And you're talking about playing in altitude in Colorado's home opener. This is four games in a row where we've gotten stronger as the game has gone on, and that's a great sign early in the season."
Tickets for Saturday's meeting with D.C. United are available at SeatGeek.com, and the first 10,000 fans through the gates will receive an Ike Opara bobblehead courtesy of match sponsor UMKC.
"With me being his partner in the back, I want to make him look good," Besler said in good humor, referencing Opara's bobblehead night. "It's pretty cool to get a bobblehead made out of you, especially when you're doing a bicycle kick. Everyone remembers that bicycle kick that he scored to help us beat the LA Galaxy last year. So it'll be a good night for everybody, especially for Ike."
Listen to the entirety of both podcasts below.
Tuesday night: Diego Rubio on The Sporting KC Show
Wednesday morning: Matt Besler on The Border Patrol
