The force was with Sporting Kansas City as the team took on the aptly-named Los Angeles Galaxy in a Star Wars-themed match at Children’s Mercy Park Sunday evening.
On the offensive end, Sporting scored a goal without recording a single shot, breaking the previous MLS record for fewest shot attempts in a win.
The winning goal came in the 13th minute, when Daniel Salloi fired a cross from the left side, hoping to find Shapi Suleymanov, who was creeping in toward the far post. The ball instead ricocheted off the foot of Galaxy defender Maya Yoshida and into the net for an own goal.
Sporting’s attempts to build on the lead found only frustration, losing contested balls forward or getting picked in the midfield. The Galaxy ended with 71-percent possession for the game, 79-percent in the second half.
The Sporting defense became its own force in the second half. Central defenders Robert Voloder and Jensen Miller were stalwart even as the boys in blue defended twelve corner kicks, a sign of how much forward pressure the Galaxy applied.
Miller, a rookie in his eighth MLS appearance, took a lot of the pressure on himself, with 13 clearances and two blocked shots. Voloder added six clearances, including a likely LA chance turned away in the 55th minute.
Only one LA shot made it on frame, but when needed, goalkeeper John Pulskamp made a big save, diving to knock aside a John Nelson attempt from 12 yards. Pulskamp also came up big in the corner kicks, claiming or punching away several Galaxy set piece set-ups.
After the game, Miller reflected on the youth of the Kansas City central defense — Pulskamp age 24 in his first year as a starter; Voloder only 23 though in his fourth MLS season; Jacob Bartlett another rookie, just 19.
However, Miller also said that the game is starting to slow down for him. “I remember — it’s crazy it was only two months ago — but in DC I get on the field, I’m like, ‘Whoa! Everything’s a hundred miles per hour now.'”
The recent Indiana Hoosier star compared that first game to today. “I’m reading things a lot better. I’ve got really good guys on the team that are very open to teaching me.”
Miller also called out interim coach Kerry Zavagnin as building the confidence he needs to play to his best. The young defender recounted a time last week when the coach called him to the office to point out on game film where Miller’s aggressive play out of the back had led to a build-up and goal on the offensive end.
The win, however unusual on the stat sheet, gives Sporting three victories in the last five matches, pushing the team ahead of rival St. Louis in the standings. With 11 games played, Kansas City is in 12th place in the MLS Western Conference, five points behind the playoff cutoff line.
Sporting KC will play next Saturday, May 10 at 9:30 p.m. on the road against the third-place Portland Timbers, the first of three road games in succession. The next home game at Children’s Mercy Park will be on May 24, against the New England Revolution, kicking off at 7:30 p.m.
