Sporting KC: Tim Melia red card proves costly in first match back

Sporting KC returned to action in the MLS is Back tournament against Minnesota United FC, who barely squeaked by Sporting in the final minutes.

Goalkeeper Tim Melia received a red card in the 74th minute, forcing Sporting Kansas City to play with just ten men for the final 20+ minutes of the match and that proved to be costly.

In their first match since early March, Sporting looked to be the superior team and were in control throughout the first half. Minnesota was playing without three key players and that helped Sporting take over the match early on.

Khiry Shelton had the first goal of the match in the 43rd minute, putting Sporting up 1-0 right before the half. The goal was a beaut, but at the same time, Minnesota goalie Tyler Miller basically conceded and allowed the ball to go in.

When the second half got underway, Ethan Finlay looked to have tied the match at 1-1 in the 64th minute, but they were offsides on the goal, so it didn’t count. Sporting continued to hold onto their lead and all seemed well.

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Things got interesting in the 74th minute when Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia was issued a red card, forcing him to leave the match and for Sporting to play with just ten men on the field. It was Melia’s second ever red card during his career.

Obviously playing down a man is a huge disadvantage, but they also had to roll with their backup goalkeeper Richard Sanchez, who made his Sporting Kansas City debut in the loss.

This proved costly, as Minnesota tied things up in the 92nd minute and later took the lead in the 97th minute. The seven minutes of stoppage time allowed Minnesota to win the match and put Sporting KC in a tough spot in Group D right off the bat.

Sporting is in the bottom of their group and will now have a tough hole to climb out of, as Melia will miss Friday’s match due to his red card. That red card was very costly and could cost Sporting their season, as they’re now forced to win both matches and have to win one with their backup goalie.

Sporting KC outplayed Minnesota early on in this match and were the better team, but eventually, playing down a man caught up to them and Minnesota capitalized in stoppage time. It just shows that all it takes is a few minutes of motivation to win and Sporting couldn’t hold onto their early lead.

What started as a promising match ended in a heartbreaker.

Sporting Kansas City plays the Colorado Rapids on Friday night at 7:00 PM. Hopefully they can come out of that one victorious, but it won’t be easy.