Sporting Kansas City 2, FC Dallas 0 | 2016 MLS Match Recap

Franco Panizo

One team took its chances with aplomb. The other wasted theirs.

Sporting Kansas City prevailed over FC Dallas on Sunday afternoon with a 2-0 victory at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Benny Feilhaber led the way in the Western Conference showdown, assisting on the opening goal and scoring the other from the penalty spot.

Both Sporting Kansas City tallies came in a span of a few minutes late in the first half. Lawrence Olum found the back of the net when he got a slight touch on a free kick in the 43rd minute, and then Feilhaber converted a penalty kick two minutes into stoppage time.

FC Dallas had several opportunities to take the lead in the game, but wayward finishing and a missed call on what should have been an Olum own goal in the 15th minute doomed them to a defeat on the road.

Sporting KC improved to 6-8-3 with the triumph and is in fourth place in the West while Dallas remains in second despite slipping to 8-5-4.

Box Score

43' - SKC - Lawrence Olum (Benny Feilhaber)
45+2' - SKC - Benny Feilhaber (penalty kick)
Full box score
Stats
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Three Things

WAYWARD FINISHING: FC Dallas had the better of the scoring chances in the match, especially in the first half, but just could not muster up that final bit of quality in the final third. Fabian Castillo was denied by a potentially errant offside flag in the 15th minute and the post at the half-hour mark, and Dallas also wasted a golden 2-on-2 chance later in the opening stanza.

CONTROVERSIAL CALL:
Before Lawrence Olum struck for Sporting KC, he appeared to do so for FC Dallas. In the 15th minute, Olum misplayed a back pass towards his own goal and away from goalkeeper
Tim Melia
. Replays showed the ball crossed the entire goal line before the scrambling Melia cleared it away with a sliding kick, but referee Jorge Gonzalez and his assistants did not award a goal and kept the match scoreless.

.@SportingKC got VERY lucky here. Officials missed this clear own goal: https://t.co/Gi43ljYYXd pic.twitter.com/kLL8s3nS54
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 19, 2016

MUCH-NEEDED WIN: Sporting Kansas City may have been in a playoff spot prior to the match, but they were in sore need of a victory. The club entered Sunday's affair with just one win in its 11 games, and will be hoping that the victory over FC Dallas is the start of a good run of form.

Special Olympics Unified Sports match recap:
Following Sporting KC’s 2-0 victory over FC Dallas, Special Olympics Unified teams took the field at Children’s Mercy Park for an Exchange Match. The Special Olympics Kansas City team featured players from both Special Olympics Kansas and Special Olympics Missouri, marking the organizations’ first time teaming up for a match. Kansas City battled Special Olympics Texas over two 15-minute halves, with Special Olympics Texas ultimately earning a 3-0 win. Learn more