Sporting Kansas City airlifted a timely three points out of Ohio on Sunday for their first MLS road win of 2019, edging Columbus Crew SC 1-0 in a scrappy meeting of two struggling sides, both of whom entered the match with just one win in their last 10 games.
After a back-and-forth first half marked by ample scoring chances but negligent finishing, Sporting snatched the lead just minutes after the intermission via a smart, skillful hustle play from Gerso Fernandes. The Bissau-Guinean winger tracked down a mishit shot just before it crossed the endline, then cheekily nutmegged Luis Argudo before planting a short cross on Felipe Gutierrez's head for a point-blank strike.
Gerso then played a central role in the game's other key moment, as he broke free behind the Crew backline and was tackled from behind by Harrison Afful, who was shown a straight red card by referee Allen Chapman in the 74th minute for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
The loss was made all the more galling for Columbus by an early exit for David Accam, as the winger pulled up with an apparent hamstring injury and had to be replaced by Argudo just 16 minutes in, looking pained and frustrated as he limped off the pitch.
Goals
- 48’ — SKC — Felipe Gutierrez | WATCH
Three Things
THE BIG PICTURE
: Generally speaking, Columbus can’t score in 2019, and Sporting can’t stop leaking goals. When those two traits collided on Saturday, it was the visitors who broke out of character, stifling Crew SC’s goal-shy attack and nipping a resourceful winner.
Next Up
- CLB: Saturday, June 29 vs. Orlando City (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
- SKC: Saturday, June 29 at Real Salt Lake (10 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
