:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50116103/usa-today-9383168.0.jpg)
Sporting Kansas City thought they were off to a great start when Dom Dwyer headed a Benny Feilhaber ball past Sean Johnson in the 2nd minute but before Dwyer could celebrate; the assistant was waiving it off for being offside.
In the 19th minute the Fire had a restart and referee Nima Saghafi blew the whistle a the Fire restarted the ball and then blew it at again while the play was developing. The Fire did not stop and while Sporting KC did not exactly stop, they may not have been thinking it was a live play. The Fire's Michael de Leeuw easily put it in the net on what will be looked at as the most controversial play of the match.
From that point on, Sporting Kansas City out possessed Chicago, out passed, out shot and generally out played the Fire but could not find the back of the net.
In Peter Vermes own words after the match, "In their place, we were all over them, all over them." With the lead the Fire were content to sit back and defend in a style Vermes described as kickball.
Brad Davis came closest to equalizing when he stepped up to a pair of free kicks in dangerous areas. One took a beautiful dip over the wall but it was saved by a diving Johnson. The second one Johnson would have no chance to stop but Davis played it just wide.
Most of the rest of the chances were attempts at headers from crosses or corners but the boys in blue never found the net.
Same story?
While it is true Sporting KC was all over the Fire, nearly 68% possession with double the number of passes (512-256) and accuracy was 81% to 61% in favor of the visitors. All the stats show a domination of the Fire in their own stadium except in the one place it counts, on the scoreboard.
When Sporting Kansas City does not score first and hopefully early it allows teams to sit back and counter, play it long and hope for the best and SKC played into that again.