Sporting KC Earns 1-1 Tie at Minnesota

July 13, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Sporting Kansas City News Release

Captain Johnny Russell came off the bench to score a second-half equalizer as Sporting Kansas City (5-11-5, 20 points) earned a spirited road result for the second straight game by drawing rivals Minnesota United FC (8-8-4, 28 points) 1-1 on Wednesday night at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Minnesota was fortunate to take a 1-0 halftime lead on a 43rd-minute Sporting own goal, but Manager Peter Vermes’ men responded admirably and claimed a point behind Russell’s 63rd-minute strike and his team-leading eighth goal of the year in all competitions. On the defensive side, 21-year-old goalkeeper John Pulskamp totaled four saves-including two stunning stops in the final moments-in his first MLS appearance of the 2022 campaign.

Sporting have now taken seven points from their last four road matches and own a 4-0-1 record in midweek contests this season, including three victories in the club’s run to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals.

Manager Peter Vermes fielded a history-making lineup for the Rivalry Week encounter as Sporting Kansas City started five Homegrown Players for the first time-namely Pulskamp, right back Kayden Pierre, midfielder Felipe Hernandez and attacking duo Cam Duke and Daniel Salloi. Defenders Andreu Fontas, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin and Logan Ndenbe rounded out the backline, Uri Rosell and Remi Walter joined Hernandez in the center of the pitch and Marinos Tzionis manned the left wing as one of five changes from Saturday’s 2-1 road win at CF Montreal.

Veteran goalkeeper Tim Melia was notably sidelined with a shoulder injury-missing his first MLS match since last October-and captain Johnny Russell was available off the bench as Sporting played its second of three straight road games in the space of nine days. With an average age of 25.1, the starting XI was Kansas City’s youngest for an MLS fixture since 2015 and the third youngest lineup for an MLS match in club history.

Salloi was inches away from vaulting the visitors ahead in the seventh minute, punctuating an intricate attacking move through the central channel by settling Walter’s square pass near the top of the box and dragging a low shot marginally wide of the left post. The 25-year-old forward asked further questions of the Minnesota defense three minutes later, thieving the ball from Robin Lod and forcing Loons goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair into a diving save with a dipping, long-range…