June 19, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Sporting Kansas City News Release
Long-range goals from Felipe Hernandez and Graham Zusi propelled Sporting Kansas City (4-9-4, 16 points) to a momentous 2-1 victory over Nashville SC (6-5-5, 23 points) on Sunday afternoon at sunny GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tennessee. The result gave Sporting their first road win since Oct. 23, 2021, and snapped Nashville’s 25-match home unbeaten run in all competitions dating back to November 2020. Hernandez, who grew up in Nashville prior to joining the Sporting Kansas City Academy as a youth, fired his team ahead in the 41st minute and Zusi bagged a world-class winner six minutes into the second half, rendering Ake Loba’s 63rd-minute strike inconsequential.
With Sunday’s triumph in the bag, Sporting has now handed seven different MLS teams their first ever regular season defeat in their current stadium: Toronto FC in 2007, Seattle Sounders FC and Real Salt Lake in 2009, Houston Dynamo FC in 2012, New York City FC in 2015, LAFC in 2018 and Nashville SC this year after the club had been previously unbeaten in five league games at the new GEODIS Park.
After missing last weekend’s home defeat to the New England Revolution, Sporting winger and 2021 league MVP finalist Daniel Salloi returned to the squad for his 100th career start in MLS competition. He accounted for one of four Sporting Kansas City lineup changes as striker Khiry Shelton and central defenders Andreu Fontas and Nicolas Isimat-Mirin also entered the fray. Roger Espinoza, Kortne Ford, Robert Voloder dropped to the bench and Uri Rosell was unavailable due to a red card suspension.
Overcoming a hamstring injury to make his first since May 14, Shelton nearly opened the scoring in glorious fashion after 28 minutes. Left back Logan Ndenbe won an aerial duel and cushioned a header to the feet of Sporting’s center forward, who cut the ball onto his right foot and unleashed a 22-yard curler that Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis was forced to tip over the crossbar.
Sporting continued to grow into the game and took the lead through Hernandez, who had returned to his hometown of Nashville for his second professional match in the city. Over three years after scoring against Nashville SC as a member of the Swope Park Rangers in the USL Championship, Hernandez struck again by driving a 40-yard free kick into the mixer from a central position. The ball fizzed past a swarm of bodies untouched and skipped beyond the outstretched…
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