Sporting Kansas City gets their third scoreless draw in four tries. We take a look at three takeaways from the match for KC.
There have been five scoreless draws in the first month of the MLS season. Sporting KC has taken part in three of those. As frustrating as the games have been to watch at times, they have gotten at least a point out of each game.
In addition to that, they’ve only given up one goal this season. Toronto FC held possession more than Sporting was able to in the wet conditions up north.
Despite getting fewer shots on target, they also looked like the most likely to score for most of the match. The best chance was this Giovinco rocket that hit the crossbar.
After a slow start, the pace picked up after halftime and each team had more chances. Another game with no goals, coming to conclusions about this Sporting team is difficult, but there were some takeaways.
Ike Opara Has Been Sporting’s Unsung Hero
All the talk on Sporting’s backline has been about Matt Besler and Graham Zusi. Little attention has been made to the impact Opara has had for SKC. After struggling to get healthy for a long time, the 28-year-old is finally showing what Peter Vermes has always seen in him.
Opara made five interceptions, had several key blocks, all while not conceding a single foul against one of the most potent offenses in the league.
Dom Dwyer is in a Big Shooting Slump
The conditions weren’t ideal for goals, but Dwyer didn’t make the best of his opportunities against Toronto. Now he finds himself in a lengthy slump. Dwyer’s best chance of the game came off a turnover, a situation that he usually thrives in, but he shot it straight at Alex Bono.
He also had a chance to put in a corner in the 89th minute, but wasn’t able to get to the ball in time. In Peter Vermes’ 4-3-3 system, the bulk of the chances are going to fall to Dwyer. Sporting needed a bigger performance from him, especially with Benny Feilhaber out injured, to get three points out of that match.
Sporting Has No Problem Making a Game Look Ugly
The weather conditions helped this out some, but Sporting has proven multiple times in the young season they will grind out games to get any kind of results. The rain affected Toronto’s quick passing game more than it affected Sporting’s direct play.
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Clint Irwin also had to come off with an injury after his foot stuck in the turf making a save, that hopefully isn’t as serious as it looked. That wasn’t the only time the rain soaked field had an effect on the match. While it frustrated Toronto, Sporting took advantage of that frustration and got out of Toronto with a hard fought point.