KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Sporting Kansas City put in a complete performance, dominating the Houston Dynamo en route to a 4-0 victory at Children’s Mercy Park.
Four different scores found the back of the net for SKC, which have maximum points from its first two matches, while the Dynamo failed to build momentum from a 1-1 home draw against the LA Galaxy and dropped their first game of the young season.
New Houston coach Tab Ramos stated in the buildup to Saturday night’s match he wanted his Dynamo team to press high. They did, and got punished.
“That’s what you do when you prepare well and then you execute,” SKC coach Peter Vermes said. “It was good today. I love the fact that we scored four goals, but also really proud of the fact that we had a clean sheet.”
Sporting KC’s first goal began all the way with Tim Melia. Houston were caught pressing high as Sporting played quickly out of the back. Melia lobbed a ball over the top to Graham Zusi, who found a streaking Gadi Kinda in the middle of the field. He played Khiry Shelton, whose back-heel found the feet of Alan Pulido, who did the rest. A curling worm-burner tucked inside the near post for the Mexican international’s second goal in as many games.
It was the second straight game Sporting scored first.
According to Ilie Sanchez it’s a major difference from this year compared to their dismal 2019.
“Maybe the difference between last year and this year is that we can score first,” Ilie said. “We dominated the games last year, and we’ve dominated the games this year, but if you score first that puts pressure on the other team and not to your defensive backline.”
From then on it was all Sporting. They ran rampant down the throat of the Houston defense as both central defenders and their defensive midfielders were on yellow cards by the 30-minute mark. Roger Espinoza added one off a set piece, Kinda added one one the break, and Shelton made it four off a late corner.
It was an all-around effort on both sides of the ball for Sporting, but their two main newcomers were the largest influence in the result. Pulido, in particular, was instrumental in every phase of the game.
“Very unselfish player,” Vermes said in reference to Pulido. “[He] understands that he has a responsibility on the defensive side as well.”
Ilie lauded Pulido’s defensive effort as well after Sporting’s win.
“He knows how to press, when to press, and where to press,” Ilie said. “He helps us a lot when he starts that pressing, and then he can win some difficult, 50/50 balls against the center-backs and that’s huge for the team.”
While his sense of pressing helped Sporting KC turn Houston over time and time again, Pulido’s hold-up play and prowess inside the 18-yard box was on display as well, leading to the next two goals for Sporting.
On a free kick sent into the area, Pulido drew the eyes and attention of the Dynamo backline. Despite getting crushed trying to get a head on the ball, the entire Houston back line left Espinoza unaccounted for and he got his foot on the end of the ball to turn it home.
On Kinda’s goal, it was Pulido’s movement that drew the attention of both Dynamo center backs leaving Kinda unmarked, with enough time to take a touch and then slot the ball home for his second goal of the season.
“When you talk about building up in the game, he does such a great job of holding the ball up and finding himself in tight little spaces that he can handle and doesn’t lose the ball,” Vermes said. “[Pulido] draws a lot of attention, and then he’s able to slip and find other players. You can see his creativity in and around the box is tremendous. He knows where everybody is, and that’s why the other guys are finding opportunities as well.”
Sporting (2-0-0, 6 points) head to Atlanta United next Saturday in an early tussle of two undefeated sides. Houston (0-1-1, 1 point) return to BBVA Stadium to take on the Seattle Sounders.