September 4, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Sporting Kansas City News Release
Sporting Kansas City (8-15-6, 30 points) erased an early deficit with second-half goals from Johnny Russell and Felipe Hernandez to secure a thrilling 2-2 draw against the LA Galaxy (11-11-6, 39 points) on Sunday night at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
The Galaxy drew first blood through Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, who later made the score 2-2 with a finish from the penalty spot, but Sporting rallied behind Russell’s 67th-minute penalty kick and a deflected finish from Hernandez in the 76th. Sporting goalkeeper John Pulskmap then provided late-game heroics, saving Chicharito’s 97th-minute penalty to seal a hard-earned road result as Manager Peter Vermes set a league record by participating in his 663rd MLS match as a player or a coach.
Sporting are now unbeaten in their last four meetings against the Galaxy-who sit three points below the playoff line-and have scored multiple goals in four of their last five matches since the start of August, with the club going 3-1-1 during that stretch. Vermes’ side will now prepare for another important road fixture against Houston Dynamo FC, slated for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT with live coverage on 38 The Spot, the Sporting KC app and SportingKC.com.
Minor injuries to veteran defenders Sweat and Graham Zusi prompted Sporting to make two lineup changes from last weekend’s 1-0 home win over the Portland Timbers, with 22-year-old left back Logan Ndenbe and 19-year-old right back Kayden Pierre joining the backline.
The hosts needed just four minutes to find their breakthrough, taking a 1-0 lead through an in-form Chicharito. Newly acquired Spanish midfielder Riqui Puig played an incisive forward pass to Victor Vazquez, who took a settling touch and squeezed a through ball into the path of the longtime Mexican international. Chicharito made no mistake from there, hammering past goalkeeper John Pulskamp and into the left corner for his team-best 13th goal of the year, his sixth in as many games and the 200th strike of his storied club career.
Sporting briefly thought they had drawn level seven minutes later when Remi Walter’s long-range piledriver fizzed through traffic, deflected off the foot of teammate Willy Agada and nestled into the net, but Agada was flagged offside and the goal was disallowed.
A week removed from bagging the decisive match-winner against Portland, Sporting winger Daniel Salloi was next to threaten…
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