Sporting Kansas City leaped back atop the Western Conference table thanks to a 2-0 victory over FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on Saturday, paced by goals from Alan Pulido and Daniel Salloi.
The win moves SKC to 11W-4L-4D and 37 points, vaulting them back over the LA Galaxy, who had temporarily laid claim to the spot by virtue of their victory over Minnesota United FC earlier in the day.
The visitors jumped on top after just 12 minutes courtesy of Pulido's eighth goal of the season. The standout Mexico international had two defenders right near him as he ran onto a through ball from Gadi Kinda down the left side, but still managed to slot home the finish from a tough angle to the far post.
FC Dallas nearly had an equalizer in the 53rd minute at the end of a chaotic sequence that ended with a shot from Ricardo Pepi, who scorched a rebound off the post after an initial attempt from Szabolcs Schön was blocked by SKC goalkeeper Tim Melia.
The hosts then had another golden opportunity just six minutes later. Paxton Pomykal was the catalyst, rounding Melia and leaving the ball off for a rocket shot from Schön that rang the crossbar and missed going in on the downward deflection by a matter of centimeters.
Salloi doubled SKC's lead on 63 minutes, continuing his season-long tear with his 11th goal of 2021. The Hungarian forward gave FC Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer no chance, rifling a clinical finish from inside the area into the top corner.
FC Dallas were once again denied by the post soon after Salloi's goal, with Jader Obrian seeing a first-time shot from the right side clang off the woodwork, allowing Sporting to see out the clean sheet.
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: It was a necessary bounce-back showing from Sporting KC, who got three big road points at a tough venue. They were coming off a disappointing 6-1 Leagues Cup quarterfinal defeat to Club León that saw them field a rotated, youth-heavy lineup. It's a letdown result on the other side for FC Dallas, who were four games unbeaten after a rough start to the season, but now have a first home defeat of the year on their ledger.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: FC Dallas made a strong push for an equalizer early in the second half, until this decisive strike from Salloi took the wind out of the home side's sails.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Salloi's dark-horse MVP candidacy is getting more compelling by the game. With his latest goal, the red-hot homegrown is up to 11 goals and five assists in 18 games.
Next Up
- DAL: Wednesday, August 18 vs. Seattle Sounders | 8:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
- SKC: Wednesday, August 18 vs. Portland Timbers | 8:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
