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If you looked at the Western Conference standings, it looked like a mismatch, but that’s why you play the games.
LAFC, coming off a midweek win vs. the New York Red Bulls that kept them well in the playoff positioning race in the West, traveled to the midwest to face a Sporting Kansas City side in the midst of its worst stretch, as they look destined for a second straight last place finish that will see them miss the playoffs for a third straight season.
However, despite the despair, Kansas City showed on Saturday evening that they will still compete to the very end. SKC got goals from Andre Luiz, Taylor Calhera and Jacob Bartlett, and Sporting rode those three goals to an eventual 3-1 win at Sporting Park.
Denis Bouanga scored LAFC’s lone goal in the match, but it was not enough to prevent LAFC (11-8-7, 40 points) from dropping all the way down to sixth place in the Western Conference. The only good news for LAFC that it is still well within striking distance of even the top spot in the West, as they are one point behind the San Jose Earthquakes and St. Louis City SC for fourth place, three points back of Dallas and Houston for the second spot, and still six points back of first place, currently occupied by the Vancouver Whitecaps, who lost on Sunday to Austin FC.
Kansas City jumped ahead in the 18th minute. Moises Mosquera sent a ball forward to Justin Reynolds, who then played a ball inside the penalty area to Andre Luz, who made a cutting move inside that deked LAFC’s Igor Jesus to the ground, leaving Luiz with a sightline, and Luiz capitalized, as he sent a left-footed volley that beat keeper Hugo Lloris far post at the upper corner to gave Sporting the lead.
SKC doubled its advantage in the 31st minute. Emir Karic sent a left-footed cross into the penalty area, Stephen Afrifa headed a ball for the back post, the ball went off said post, but Calhera was at the right place at the right time, as he beat Eddie Segura to the ball and slotted in a header past a scrambling Lloris near post to double the Kansas City lead. Afrifa looked to triple the SKC lead in the 38th minute, as he launched a right-footed volley just outside the penalty area, the shot was on target, but Lloris came through for LAFC, as he parried the ball over the endline.
LAFC finally started to create some chances as the first half came to a close. LAFC got its first chance in the 43rd minute, as Armindo Sieb played a ball to Bouanga, who turned defender Wyatt Meyer to get free, and even as Mosquera came in for last minute defending, Bouanga still got inside the 18-yard box and fired a right-footed shot at goal, but keeper Stefan Cleveland stopped the shot, and Reynolds cleared the ball out of the penalty area. Another chance for LAFC came in stoppage time, as Son Heung-min curled a free kick on target, but Cleveland again made the save. LAFC eventually got on the scoresheet in the 47th minute of the second half, as Son passed to Jacob Shaffelburg on the left side, Shaffelburg crossed into the six, and Bouanga came in at the back post and slotted the shot into the open net to cur SKC’s lead to a goal.
Kansas City however nullified any notion of not winning this match in the 71st minute. Luiz deflected a pass from Yevhen Cheberko, work a one-two with Calhera that sprung Luiz down the right side, Luiz got inside the penalty area and tried to curl a ball for the far post, the ball deflected off Tafari, but stayed inside the penalty area and Bartlett came in, brought the ball down, then fired a right-footed volley that got past Lloris to restore the two-goal lead for Kansas City and virtually put the match out of reach.
