One year ago Sporting Kc (then the Wizards) lost against Seattle at Qwest Field in the dying moments of the game. This year it happened again. This year (May 21st to be precise) the exact same thing happened, again. Jeff Parke scored in the 93' minute. His goal was only the second shot on goal from Seattle the entire game. This loss keeps SKC in dead last place with only 4 points.
To be honest, we deserved at least a point. To be honest, we were the better team on Qwest Field. Last night there was nothing SKC players and/or staff did wrong. We had nearly a full strength squad and it became clear very quickly that Sporting were there to walk away with something. However they received nothing for their efforts.
The First Half
Sporting Kc looked quite good in the opening stages of the game. They had good some great possession and it was a patient build up the first 10 minutes. The midfield kept together quite well. Rocastle's sweet passes that switched the attack on a dime, Omar Bravo's fancy flicks and tricks, and Davy Arnaud's work rate all helped contribute to the early possession that SKC enjoyed. But, the game started to go back and forth a little bit more after that. SKC forced Seattle's goalkeeper Kasey Keller to make some early saves. All in all Sporting Kc were definitely the better team this half.
The Second Half
In the first half Seattle hadn't recorded a shot on goal all half. In the second they were eager to get at least one. Sporting's game plan was clearly to keep it at 0-0 until the final whistle, the defense was organized and the midfield controlled the tempo well. The attack, mostly lone striker Teal Bunbury, seemed to be lost. But, the game was a back and forth affair, hence, Sporting only had a handful of chances. Around the 75th minute I started to get a little worried. Seattle played well and enjoyed decent possession, mainly because Smith and Bravo were no longer on the pitch. (those two guys are essentially the most creative guys on our team) Anyway, the game seemed destined to end in a tie. But then lightening struck, again. In the 93' minute a simple set piece (corner) was not properly dealt with by Sporting Kc. The ball was curled in from former Kansas City man Tyson Wahl and in the confusion Espinoza lost Jeff Parke, the man he was marking (Quick Thought: why did the coaching staff want a 5'11 left back covering a 6'1 center back?) anyway, Espinoza lost Jeff Parke in the box and the rest was history. Parke jumped the highest out of everyone and headed the ball with precision into Nielsen's un-guarded post
The loss leaves SKC dismantled and heartbroken. They deserved to win. And frankly I am proud of every last one of those players on SKC, they showed that they have talent and real class. But, it doesn't matter if we get scored on a set piece in the last minute or the first, we've got to defend it.
Match Ratings out of 10
Nielsen - 7
Harrington - 8
Collin - 7
Besler - 8
Espinoza - 9
Rocastle - 9 *
Arnaud - 7
Bravo - 7
Smith - 7
Bunbury - 6
Kamara 7
* Denotes man of the match
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