Recap: Sporting falls 2-1 to Toluca in Leagues Cup group stage finale

Sporting Kansas City fell 2-1 to Deportivo Toluca FC on Monday in a competitive Leagues Cup 2024 group stage finale at Children’s Mercy Park. Stephen Afrifa scored an excellent equalizer on the cusp of halftime for the hosts, but Toluca used goals from Jesus Angulo and Maximiliano Araujo to secure the victory and finish atop West Region Group 4.

Despite the result, Sporting has advanced to the Leagues Cup knockout stage as the second-place finisher in the group and will travel to face defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew in the Round of 32 on Friday at Lower.com Field.

Manager Peter Vermes deployed a 4-2-3-1 lineup that featured three changes from Sporting’s 2-1 win over Chicago Fire FC in their Leagues Cup opener on July 28. Robert Voloder replaced Andreu Fontas in central defense, while captain Johnny Russell and forward Alan Pulido relieved Daniel Salloi and Erik Thommy, respectively.

Toluca won at Children’s Mercy Park for the second straight year, having beaten Sporting in the Leagues Cup Round of 32 last August, but Vermes’ side enjoyed the brighter start on Monday. In the 19th minute, Afrifa cut centrally from the left wing and delivered a teasing cross that striker Willy Agada nodded marginally wide of the right post. Shortly thereafter, Afrifa settled into possession off a cleared corner kick and sent a searching ball to the opposite side of the penalty area for Robert Castellanos. The center back sent a volley back across the face of goal and Nemanja Radoja’s booming effort from 15 yards carried over the bar.

Pulido, who starred in LIGA MX before joining Kansas City ahead of the 2020 campaign, almost vaulted Sporting ahead in spectacular fashion in the 34th minute, but his sweetly struck curler from 22 yards was cast aside by diving Toluca goalkeeper Tiago Volpi.

Toluca found its footing and landed the first blow in the 40th minute. After Sporting failed to clear their lines inside the box, Angulo scurried onto the ball, feigned a shot, then finished low past Tim Melia for his second goal in as many Leagues Cup matches.

Sporting suffered an injury blow in the 45th minute as Radoja was forced to exit, summoning the return of Jake Davis, who had spent the last three weeks with the U.S. Men’s Olympic National Team in France. Second after his substitution into the game, Sporting were on level terms as Afrifa drifted into a pocket of space and unleashed a brilliant bending effort that beat Volpi from 25 yards. Afrifa now has five goals this season in all competitions, tied with Pulido and Thommy for second most on the team, while Russell picked up his 50th career assist for Sporting in all competitions and passed Roger Espinoza for fifth place on the club’s all-time assist chart.

After Toluca went close to restoring its lead on the brink of intermission—Robert Morales’ chip shot from a tight angle nestled wide into the side netting—Sporting threatened twice before the hour mark. Agada fired a close-range shot high off a pinpoint Russell cross before Pulido’s laudable attempt from the edge of the box was palmed away by Volpi.

Four minutes after Brian Garcia misfired on a volley, the defender assisted Toluca’s go-ahead goal in the 66th minute. The right back latched onto the end of Marcel Ruiz’s searching diagonal ball and cushioned a header back across for Araujo to bundle home on the doorstep, making the score 2-1 in favor of the 10-time LIGA MX champions.

Angulo had his bid for a brace denied in the 70th minute as Melia made a smart save to deny the Toluca playmaker from the top of the box. Three minutes later, Sporting left back Logan Ndenbe received a standing ovation by entering the action for his first appearance since last November after overcoming an ACL injury suffered in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Sporting committed numbers forward in search of a late equalizer, and a well-worked move down the left side involving Davis and Salloi culminated with Agada unearthing a shot that was blocked near the penalty spot in the 90th minute. Not long later, Thommy had a venomous blast punched away by the leaping Volpi as Toluca held on for the win.

Leagues Cup 2024 | West Region Group 4
Children's Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas
Attendance: 14,797
Weather: 91 degrees and sunny

Sporting Kansas City: Tim Melia; Khiry Shelton, Robert Castellanos (Dany Rosero 73'), Robert Voloder, Tim Leibold (Logan Ndenbe 73'); Remi Walter, Nemanja Radoja (Jake Davis 45'); Johnny Russell (C), Alan Pulido (Erik Thommy 61'), Stephen Afrifa (Daniel Salloi 60'); Willy Agada

Subs Not Used: John Pulskamp, Ryan Schewe, Zorhan Bassong, Andreu Fontas, Kayden Pierre, Memo Rodriguez, Alenis Vargas

Deportivo Toluca FC: Tiago Volpi; Brian Garcia, Bruno Mendez, Federico Pereira (Luan 50'), Jesus Gallardo; Victor Arteaga (Frankie Amaya 58'), Marcel Ruiz; Juan Dominguez (Maximiliano Araujo 46'), Alexis Vega (C), Jesus Angulo (Jean Meneses 73'); Robert Morales (Edgar Lopez 57')

Subs Not Used: Ronaldo Beltran, Luis Garcia, Claudio Baeza, Carlos Orrantia, Abraham Villegas, Isaias Violante, Emiliano Freyfeld

Scoring Summary:
TOL -- Jesus Angulo 2 (unassisted) 40'
SKC -- Stephen Afrifa 1 (Johnny Russell 1) 45+1'
TOL -- Maximiliano Araujo 1 (Brian Garcia 1) 66'

Misconduct Summary:
SKC -- Tim Leibold (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 45+3'
SKC -- Dany Rosero (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 79'
TOL -- Jean Meneses (yellow card; delaying a restart) 90+3'

Referee: Fernando Guerrero
Assistant Referee: Michel Espinoza Ávalos
Assistant Referee: Leonardo Castillo Rodríguez
Fourth Official: Astrid Gramajo
VAR: Erick Miranda
AVAR: Luis Enrique Santander