In their first match of the post-Dom Dwyer era, Sporting Kansas City showed they still have players who can score, earning a 3-2 victory at home over the Chicago Fire at Children's Mercy Park with three different goalscorers contributing.
Daniel Salloi opened SKC's scoring with a 23rd-minute goal to put the exclamation point on a fine solo box-to-box run, but the home team allowed an own-goal equalizer less than five minutes later when Matt Besler misjudged a Fire cross and chipped his own goalkeeper—the first own-goal of his extensive MLS career. SKC regained the lead in first-half stoppage time, on a wild attacking sequence ending with Benny Feilhaber's close-range bicycle kick, after a Latif Blessing header was parried away by Fire keeper Matt Lampson and into Feilhaber's path.
Six minutes after play resumed, Blessing got on the end of a Diego Rubio shot, with enough of a deflection to get credit for SKC's third goal of the night. The home team continued to threaten with additional chances throughout the second half, but couldn't put further distance between themselves and the Fire. David Accam, in a substitute role, slotted in a 78th-minute goal to close the gap, and nearly equalized in the 81st minute, before the currently best-in-the-West SKC found enough defensive mettle to close the match out.
Goals
- 23' – SKC – Daniel Salloi Watch
- 28' – CHI – Matt Besler (OG) Watch
- 45'+1 – SKC – Benny Feilhaber Watch
- 51' – SKC – Latif Blessing Watch
- 78' – CHI – David Accam Watch
Three Things
- AHOY, SALLOI: The 21-year-old Hungarian had arguably the best of a number of strong SKC attacking performances, on a night where the team was without the services of leading scorer Gerso and coping with the Dwyer-sized hole up front. In addition to scoring his second goal of the season, he was credited with an assist on Blessing's second-half game-clinching goal, and nearly had two more goals in the 2nd half—an audacious 49th-minute volley that just found a diving Lampson's fingertips, and a 59th minute shot that just skipped wide of the target.
- A SMOULDERING FIRE: Though the scoreline indicated a closely-fought match, the Fire's slow-to-burn first half attack left them at a disadvantage they couldn't quite overcome. The East's No. 2 team, finishing with 10 shots but only three on target, only mustered two first-half shots in total, both by Juninho. Despite playing the full match, Nemanja Nikolic couldn't add to his league-leading 16 goals.
- 2ND HALF ACCAM-MODATIONS: Earlier in the day, a media report held that David Accam, who has only started two of the Fire's last six matches, is looking to move from the Fire should the team pick up Colombian international Juan Quintero. But Accam was a difference maker in this match, coming on as a 55th-minute sub and sparking a to-that-point stymied offense, nearly adding an 81st-minute equalizing header to his neatly-finished goal three minutes prior.
They Said It
Next Up
- Sporting Kansas City: Sunday, August 6 vs. Atlanta United (8 pm ET | FS1, Fox Deportes in US; TSN2 in Canada)
- Chicago Fire: Saturday, August 5 vs. New England Revolution (8:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE)
