Sporting KC disappointingly draws Vancouver 1-1

Sporting Kansas City was not able to capitalize on the short-handed Whitecaps as they settled for a 1-1 home draw with Vancouver.

Sporting had many chances in the first half. Graham Zusi received a pass in the middle of the pitch and dribbled up to the right side of the box where he rocketed a shot that was saved by Knighton of the Whitecaps. It set the tone for Sporting KC's offensive tempo in the first half.

In the fifteenth minute Sporting had another great chance. Kei Kamara sent in a cross to an unmarked Claudio Bieler who wasn't able to get to the ball in time to make an accurate shot as he sent it wide.

The 24th minute saw Uri Rosell gather up a ball after a corner kick and send a knuckling strike that required an acrobatic save from Knighton to keep the score at nil-nil. Saad's rebound shot would go wide and Sporting would stay off the scoreboard for the time being.

Aurelien Collin got the scoring started in the 35th minute. Collin recieved the ball just outside the six yard box and initially tried to get the ball in on a semi-volley, however that attempt was blocked. Collin was there for the rebound and put the shot home to give Sporting KC the lead in the first half.

However Vancouver responded in the final minute of the first half. Camillo took a free kick from about 25 yards out and it was a beauty, curving and dipping into the upper 90 corner to equalize the match. It was Camillo's tenth goal of the year and the teams went into the locker room tied at 1-1.

Aurelien Collin would get a booking in the second half that could be concerning for Sporting down the road. A reckless tackle in the 68th minute puts Collin one yellow card away from serving a second suspension on the year. Collin served his first back on May 19th.

The best chance of the second half would come in the 75th minute. A nice series of plays from Benny Feilhaber resulted in a pass to Graham Zusi who waited a second for the defense to juke out of his way before he took a strike. Unfortunately that shot came close but not close enough as it bounced off the post and Sporting was denied the go-ahead goal.

Neither team would be able to get anything in the net in the second half and the match ended in a 1-1 draw at Sporting Park.

Vancouver stayed in fourth place in the Western Conference, still four points down from Portland in third place. The Whitecaps have a big match with Seattle this weekend which could be a big factor in determining points down the road.

Sporting remained in a tie for third place due to Philadelphia's draw with Real Salt Lake. Sporting will head to a red-hot Chicago this Sunday as they take on the Fire in a big rivalry match on national TV.