Recap: Sporting storms to 3-0 victory over Vancouver

Sporting Kansas City (6-10-6, 24 points) stormed to a convincing 3-0 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC (6-6-7, 25 points) on Saturday night at Children’s Mercy Park, securing the club’s 75th MLS shutout in Children’s Mercy Park history and its first clean sheet since May 13.

Remi Walter opened his 2023 scoring account to vault Sporting ahead in the 33rd minute before Alan Pulido bagged his seventh goal in a torrid six-game stretch on the stroke of intermission. Erik Thommy came off the bench at halftime and promptly provided Sporting’s third goal in the 53rd minute, sealing a comprehensive three-point performance that lifted Manager Peter Vermes’ side within a single point of playoff position in the Western Conference.

Saturday’s result snaps Sporting’s four-game regular season winless drought against an outmatched Vancouver side that suffered its heaviest MLS defeat of the 2023 campaign. The hosts also eclipsed 350 regular season goals at Children’s Mercy Park and 450 goals at the stadium across all competitions.

Sporting’s midsummer slate will continue next Saturday, July 8, with a trip to longtime rivals Houston Dynamo FC, who have conceded just three goals in nine home fixtures this season. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT with live coverage on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Vermes on Saturday fielded his 20th unique lineup in 24 games this season across all competitions, with Dany Rosero returning from a yellow card suspension to join Andreu Fontas in central defense and Thommy making way for fellow midfielder Gadi Kinda. Further up the field, Pulido notably earned his 50th career regular season appearance in a Sporting uniform.

After a pedestrian start to proceedings, the all-action Kinda ignited danger by creating separation to cross from the left wing and pick out Rosero, who had advanced into an attacking position. The Colombian center back did well to settle Kinda’s delivery with his chest and smoke a blistering volley narrowly over the crossbar.

The Whitecaps offered little going forward but enjoyed a rare foray into the attack on the half-hour mark. At full stride, former Sporting defender Luis Martins whipped a pinpoint cross from the left flank into the penalty area for target man Sergio Cordova, whose header under duress carried harmlessly high.

Walter landed the first punch just a moment later off a stunning run and pass from Kinda. The Israeli international received a pass 70 yards from goal, skillfully evaded multiple would-be tacklers and powered into the attacking third before dinking a through ball in behind the defense for Walter with the outside of his right foot. The Frenchman made no mistake from there, holding off a challenge from his marker and lifting a shot high into the net for his first goal since July 9, 2022. With the assist, Kinda now has 28 goal contributions (13 goals, 15 assists) in 55 career regular season appearances for Sporting.

Daniel Salloi could have doubled Sporting’s advantage in the 40th minute, steering a volley off captain Johnny Russell’s in-swinging corner kick, but Japanese goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka produced the save.

Sporting defender Tim Leibold left a decisive stamp on the game in first-half stoppage time. He first embarked on a slithering run into the box before spreading a ball across the face of goal for Russell, whose first-time effort fizzed wide of the near post and into the side netting. Leibold was at it again a moment later, however, and this time his driven cross from the left side of the penalty area was poked home by Pulido to push the score to 2-0.

Pulido has set a new career-high with Sporting by scoring nine goals this season in all competitions, and his seven league strikes since the start of June are most in MLS. The Mexican has also notched five goals in four career appearances against Vancouver. Leibold, meanwhile, has recorded three assists in only seven home appearances at Children’s Mercy Park this year.

Vermes’ men were seldom threatened in the second stanza, though they did breathe a sigh of relief in the 49th minute when a Vancouver free kick pinballed around the six-yard box before Cordova’s shot was blocked through traffic and the subsequent clearance was nearly turned into Sporting’s own net. The play preceded a quickfire Sporting counterattack as Salloi slipped a delightful through ball into the path of Russell, whose breakaway shot from a tough angle was saved by Takaoka.

Thommy bagged his third goal of the year with 53 minutes on the clock. Closely marked on the left side of the area, Salloi managed to unleash a slow, dribbling shot that Takaoka comically chose to palm away rather than corral. Sporting’s German midfielder did not let the mistake go unpunished, rifling a shot that deflected through traffic and into the corner of the net for his sixth career MLS goal since joining Kansas City last summer. In Sporting’s last 17 home matches since August 2022, the team has scored at least three goals eight times, collecting a win on each occasion.

Making the 100th appearance of his professional club career, Sporting keeper Kendall McIntosh had a stress-free night en route to Sporting’s fifth shutout of 2023. Vancouver’s lone shot on target came in the 90th minute off the foot of Sebastian Berhalter, but McIntosh was equal to it.

2023 MLS Regular Season | Match 22
Children's Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas
Attendance: 18,867
Weather: 79 degrees and partly cloudy

Sporting Kansas City: Kendall McIntosh; Jake Davis, Dany Rosero, Andreu Fontas, Tim Leibold (Logan Ndenbe 86'); Nemanja Radoja (Erik Thommy 46'), Remi Walter, Gadi Kinda (Roger Espinoza 78'); Johnny Russell (C), Alan Pulido (Stephen Afrifa 86'), Daniel Salloi (Marinos Tzionis 78')

Subs Not Used: John Pulskamp, Robert Castellanos, Felipe Hernandez, Khiry Shelton

Vancouver Whitecaps FC: Yohei Takaoka; Mathias Laborda, Ranko Veselinovic, Luis Martins; Andres Cubas (Sebastian Berhalter 46'); Ryan Raposo (Giovanni Aguilar 81'), Pedro Vite (Deiber Caicedo 61'), Alessandro Schopf (Jean-Claude Ngando 78'), Ryan Gauld (C); Sergio Cordova, Simon Becher (Levonte Johnson 61')

Subs Not Used: Thomas Hasal, Matteo Campagna, Karifa Yao, Kamron Habibullah

Scoring Summary:
SKC -- Remi Walter 1 (Gadi Kinda 3) 33'
SKC -- Alan Pulido 8 (Tim Leibold 3, Remi Walter 3) 45+2'
SKC -- Erik Thommy 3 (unassisted) 53'

Misconduct Summary:
SKC -- Erik Thommy (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 57'
VAN -- Sebastian Berhalter (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 66'
SKC -- Jake Davis (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 89'

Referee: Malik Badawi
Assistant Referee: Cameron Blanchard
Assistant Referee: Ian McKay
Fourth Official: Mark Allatin
VAR: Pierre-Luc Lauziere
AVAR: Jeremy Hanson