February 24, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Sporting Kansas City News Release
Erik Thommy’s brilliant second-half goal helped Sporting Kansas City (0-0-1, 1 point) to a hard-earned 1-1 road draw against Houston Dynamo FC (0-0-0, 1 points) to open the 2024 MLS regular season on Saturday night at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston.
Thommy opened the scoring with an impressive solo effort in the 61st minute, his ninth career tally in a Sporting uniform, before substitute Gabe Segal nodded Houston level eight minutes later. The result extends Sporting’s regular season unbeaten run against the Dynamo to seven matches dating back to 2021.
Sporting will now begin preparations for their highly anticipated Children’s Mercy Park home opener against the Philadelphia Union (0-0-1, 1 point) next Saturday, March 2. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT with tickets available at SeatGeek.com and live coverage on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.
In his 500th MLS match as Sporting’s manager, Peter Vermes fielded a near-identical starting XI from Sporting’s 1-0 loss at Houston in the 2023 Western Conference semifinals exactly 90 days earlier. Thommy accounted for the lone lineup change in midfield, making his 51st consecutive MLS appearance since debuting for the club in July 2022. On the opposite sideline, Houston was forced to account for several key absences as Franco Escobar (leg), Sebastian Ferreira (hamstring), Hector Herrera (knee) and Nelson Quinones (knee) missed out through injury, while Amine Bassi was unavailable after receiving his green card Saturday in France.
Sporting striker Alan Pulido entered the night with six career MLS goals against Houston-his most against any opponent-and conjured the first shot attempt of the game inside five minutes. After a searching long ball into the box was repelled to the top of the area, the 2023 MLS Comeback Player of the Year laced a low drive that dragged marginally wide of the target.
The hosts responded with a fleeting chance of their own in the 11th minute when midfielder Artur and Coco Carrasquilla played an intricate give-and-go on the right side of the penalty area, but the former’s chip shot effort at a tight angle failed to test Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia.
Near the half-hour juncture, homegrown winger and freshly minted Designated Player Daniel Salloi-playing in his 57th straight MLS match since June 2022-put Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark to the test with a simmering 25-yard piledriver. The Dynamo again offered a…
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