Sporting Kansas City: New faces prove pivotal in season opener
Soccer season is here and Sporting Kansas City kicked off their 2020 campaign with three points after defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 on Saturday night.
After a bad season that Sporting Kansas City fans weren’t used to a season ago, many hoped that 2020 would see the team get back on track and find the win column more. Saturday night is the first of many matches this season, but SKC won the match 3-1 and start the season on the highest of notes.
The offseason saw Sporting KC bring in some fresh faces to help get the franchise back to where it belongs and so far, after one match, its paid off.
Alan Pulido, who spent the last four years in Liga MX, scored his first MLS goal to put the good guys up 1-0 in the 17th minute. Gadi Kinda, also in his first year with the club, put the ball past Whitecaps goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau in the 38th minute to give Sporting another lead after the Whitecaps tied the match ten minutes prior.
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The second half saw both teams go at it, but ultimately Sporting KC was able to ice the game with a goal from Erik Hurtado in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Being able to close the opener out with a win was critical because that’s an area this team struggled with in 2019 and in previous years.
CHECK OUT WHAT THE WORLD WIDE WEB IS SAYING ABOUT SPORTING’S VICTORY!
- Newcomers make the difference for Sporting KC in Vancouver [Thad Bell, The Blue Testament]
- WATCH: Alan Pulido scores for Sporting Kansas City on his MLS debut [MLS Soccer]
- Sporting KC kicks off season with 3-1 win over Vancouver [KSHB]
- MLS Cup Odds for all 26 teams, including Sporting KC [Chad C. Smith, The Blue Testament]
"But what you are here for is to see what people think of Sporting Kansas City. Well, considering they had an awful 2019, the odds makers aren’t too down on them."
There’s a long way to go for Sporting Kansas City this season, but starting the season with a win and three points is the perfect way to start it. The only thing better would have been shutting out Vancouver, but SKC allowed just one goal and were actually able to close it out, even when it looked like that might not be the case right before stoppage time when the Whitecaps almost put the ball through the net.
Next. Most surprising Chiefs on defense in 2019. dark
Next up for Sporting KC: Their home opener on Saturday, March 7th, against the Houston Dynamo. Get ready to rock, Cauldron!