Three At Last: SKC downs SJ 2-1

For a lot of the night it looked as though we would have the same ol’ story line for Sporting KC. But a moment of genius from Benny Feilhaber before halftime would give them the upper hand. The match took a turn for the wild in the closing minutes, but KC claimed all three points with the 2-1 win over San Jose.

In the opening minutes of the match it was clear Sporting KC was fired up and hungry for their first goal of the season. There were plenty of encouraging signs as the home side owned possession and created the better chances.

Right at the 1’ minute mark, Medranda sent Dwyer into the box. Dwyer got a touch on the ball and was then taken down by Jungwirth, but referee Jair Marrufo (who else) refused to blow his whistle and award the penalty. There was another chaotic moment in the 16’ minute when Dom would go down again, but this time he was given a yellow card for simulation.

Then came a wave of chances for the home side. Benny created some space for an open look and Gerso came close twice as well. It started to feel like the same old story from SKC. And then after 217 minutes of play in 2017 without bulging the net, Benny Feilhaber came through with a moment of absolute brilliance.

Graham Zusi found Feilhaber about 30 yards out from goal and the San Jose defense gave him enough time to touch the ball to himself. Still with acres of space, Benny fired a beautiful shot from well outside the box. Look no further than the dumbfounded face of David Bingham for evidence of its beauty. The keeper could do nothing but stand - stuck in the grass - and watch the ball float into his net. Sporting KC finally had a 1-0 lead.

KC came out on the offensive to open the second half as well. In the 48’ minute SJ turned the ball over in the final third and Dwyer was able to push it over to Medranda flying down the wing. He fired in a low cross just out of reach for Dwyer. Bingham lost it briefly but the SKC striker was unable to poke it home before it was gathered in.

The chances for SKC continued to pile up but they were unable to double the lead. While that may be concerning, the Earthquakes were being swallowed up before any real scoring chances could develop on the other end. The defense continued to be stingy and Tim Melia was not asked to do very much at all. That is, until stoppage time.

In the 89’ minute when it felt as though the match was winding down, things started to get crazy. Soony Saad took a very weak shot that was on the ground and going wide, but Bingham made a mess of it and the ball bounced over the goal line. SKC had finally extended the lead, but just moments later San Jose would get one back on a set piece. The ball fell for Jung with right in front of goal and he volleyed it homethe ball home. The last few seconds were incredibly frantic as SJ even earned another corner kick, but were unable to equalize.

Thankfully the whistle was eventually blown and KC had secured the 2-1 victory. When it was all said and done, Sporting KC had tallied 15 shots and allowed five from the visitors.

It was far from the prettiest of wins you’ll ever see, but it is worth three points all the same.