Fifteen minutes from time in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round, Sporting Kansas City were on their way to extending their season by two more matches and continuing their uphill battle to retain the MLS Cup title they won last year.
By the 90th minute, the hope was for just one more half-hour, maybe an exchange of penalties after that. And then, a defensive lapse opened the door for New York goal machine Bradley Wright-Phillips – and even that hope went away.
Still, Sporting manager Peter Vermes refused to lay the blame for Thursday night's 2-1 away loss in the MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T, at Red Bull Arena, at anyone's feet.
“Unfortunately, it didn't go our way,” Vermes told reporters in a postmatch conference call. “But I can't fault the guys whe were out there for anything. They did what they had to do. Unfortunately, we came up short. I know they're very disappointed, as is the staff, but they did themselves proud, in my opinion.”
Rather than play their usual high press, Sporting kept things conservative and defense-minded for much of Thursday's match.
New York racked up significant advantages in several statistical categories on Thursday, including 71.8 percent of possession and a 13-3 advantage in shots. Sporting still led 1-0 at the 75-minute mark, though, after Dom Dwyer's decisive finish of Benny Feilhaber's spot-perfect pass in the 53rd minute following Eric Alexander's giveaway in midfield.
“I thought we were extremely tactically sound with the way we played,” Vermes said. “I thought they had a very, very difficult time getting through us.”
Even after Wright-Phillips equalized on 77 minutes – the first of Thursday's brace for the 2014 Golden Boot winner, who finished the regular season with 27 goals and a three-way share of the single-season scoring record – Sporting had hoped to stay compact, not concede and take the match to extra time.
Then Ambroise Oyongo's mishit ball from the right wing turned into the perfect cross. Sporting goalkeeper Eric Kronberg was backing away from the ball instead of going to get it, center backs Matt Besler and Aurelien Collin left Wright-Phillips unmarked, and the English forward headed the winner home just inside the left post.
“The way the ball was so high in the air for so long, I think there was an ability for [Kronberg] to come out, for sure,” Vermes said. “We weren't matched up in the box as well. But again, their guy mishit it.”
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
