Rapid Reaction: Sporting KC earns draw against Orlando

Down for most of the match, Sporting KC managed to fight back and earn a 2-2 draw against Orlando City SC. Here’s our quick takes from the night.

It was a tense and exciting game that ended with a less than thrilling result. Sporting KC managed to come back late in the match and tie up Orlando City, ultimately earning a draw. The scoreboard doesn’t reflect it, but Sporting definitely looked to be every bit the superior team in this match.

Sporting KC won’t gain any ground in the MLS Western Conference standings. Though they jumped ahead of Dallas FC with the point from the tie, the Houston Dynamo leaped over them by grabbing a win. That leaves Sporting in 2nd place.

As for the match itself, the boys in blue will likely head home knowing they should have taken this one. Sporting KC controlled the ball for over 60% of the match. However, they simply could not seem to find the back of the net enough, despite some great chances. That seems strange to say given they scored twice, but it should have been more.

Star Of The Game: Latif Blessing

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I’ve been waiting for this since Sporting KC picked up the young Ghanan forward in the offseason. Latif Blessing came out and showed why so many people are excited about his future. Blessing managed to score an early goal in the ninth minute to give Sporting a 1-0 lead. He then came through in the 76th minute to tie the game up at 2-2.

The 20 year old forward hadn’t gotten a lot of playing time before this game. However, when finally given the chance, he showed what he could do. The two goals tonight were the first two of the year for Blessing. However, it should be noted that he’s only taken six shots all season! That’s a heck of a conversion ratio.

Free advice for the future…play Latif Blessing more!

Next: Sporting KC: Ten Players To Watch In 2017

Sporting KC returns home to Children’s Mercy Park to take on the Seattle Sounders this Wednesday. That will be another key match up in the Western Conference, and Sporting needs to come out of it with the win.