Manchester City Defeat KC in Battle of Champions

Jul 23, 2014; Kansas City, KS, USA; Manchester City defender Aleksander Kolarov (11) is congratulated by midfielder Bruno Zuculini (36) and forward John Guidetti (60) after scoring against Sporting KC goal keeper Jon Kempin (21) in the second half at Sporting Park. Manchester City won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

The Blues started their summer tour with a bang last night, defeating the champions of Major League Soccer 4-1 in Kansas City.

There was silverware on the line last night; the “Champions Shield.” And City wasted no time in getting off to a rocket start. Just inside of 3 minutes in, City were on the board with a goal from Bruno Zuculini. The champions of England torched the left side of KC’s defense in the buildup to the goal, which ended with the ball bouncing out to the top of the box and Zuculini sending a screaming half volley past Andy Greenebaum in goal. It was a fantastic goal from the young Argentine, and City were up early on Sporting.

KC had its equalizer disallowed in the 10th minute after Dom Dwyer (who else?) finished a set piece in an offside position. The Cauldron would have to wait for another chance to explode… and it happened 20 minutes later. CJ Sapong brought down a long ball over the top with a great touch and finished his shot past Willy Caballero in City’s goal. However, Manchester City would find an equalizer before the half was over.

After a free-kick was whipped into the box by Jesus Navas, it was Boyata, up from his spot in central defense, who rose over the KC defense to head the ball into the net. City would go into the break leading Kansas City 2-1.

Manuel Pellegrini made only one change at the half, bringing Micah Richards off in favor of Gael Clichy. Meanwhile, Peter Vermes unveiled an entirely new XI for the home side. This led to the second half being much like the first, with City dominating possession.

17 year old Iheanacho was a large part of City’s second half dominance, contributing to the buildup in the third goal and scoring the fourth. A 73rd minute penalty kick was converted by Aleksandar Kolarov to double the City lead. Fifteen minutes later, it was Iheanacho who scored, and the young Nigerian was rewarded for his stellar play in the second half.

There’s no doubt that KC were more focused on league play, and that was seen with the exclusion of Graham Zusi from the XI and the mass changes at the half. Head coach Peter Vermes reiterated the main objective postgame saying ” For us, our focus is on the league. We have a big game Saturday and that’s where our focus was and is.”

Here’s a look at the trophy won by City, which could be the first of many this season for the Blues.

Sporting have a massive, massive game on Saturday in Toronto. In this matchup of 1st and 3rd in the Eastern Conference, TFC will be without Jermain Defoe due to yellow card accumulation. However, the Reds have 3 games in hand on KC. So, this is a huge game for all involved.