Striker Khiry Shelton scored two goals – one on his own goal – and Trinidadian Kevin Molino scored the 1-2 victory for Minnesota United, which came from behind, against Sporting Kansas City, in the opening game of Group D of Returning Tournament of the Professional Soccer League (MLS).
Shelton scored the first goal after completing an excellent penetration from the center of the field after receiving the ball from Mexican striker Alan Pulido.
The defense of Sporting Kansas City recovered a ball that reached the feet of Pulido, who put it to Shelton from the right, at the height of midfield, to win by speed and his scores and stood alone against goalkeeper Tyler Miller, whom he beat low and hit the right post (1-0).
The advantage on the scoreboard had come at the right time for Sporting, who went to the break with the tranquility of the advantage, while it was the team that also put the control of the rhythm of the game and the game in the midfield, with the Spanish Ilie Sánchez, who did a good job of restraint.
But with everything under control, the possession of the ball, keeping the game pace, without risking defense, came the action that would be decisive when the 74th minute was up and goalkeeper Tim Melia was sent off by the referee of the match, Joseph Dickerson, by missing striker Aaron Schoenfeld, out of the box when he was alone in possession of scoring.
Melia’s expulsion completely changed the history of the game as her team lost the concentration and brand of Minnesota’s most dangerous players who began to create greater danger on Sporting’s goal, now defended by the Hispanic Richard Sánchez, who was always out of placement.
That motivated Minnesota to decide to attack relentlessly, although without achieving the equalizer goal when 90 minutes of regulation time were completed.
All this led to Sporting’s triumph, when in stoppage time, at minute 90 + 2, Shelton scored the equalizer at his own door before the frustration of the entire Kansas City team.
Slovak midfielder Jan Gregus took a free kick to put the ball over Sporting’s area where no one touched it to finish it off, nor did Sánchez go out to clear, but he did hit Shelton’s body, who was defending and meant 1- one.
The tie weighed like a slab in the spirit of the Sporting players, who saw how five minutes later (90 + 7), Molino surprised his defense and Sánchez with a shot from the left leg from inside the area and got the final 1- two.
The French defender Romain Metanire was the one who made the center to the Sporting area from the right, the Canadian Raheem Edwards touched it before Molino became the hero of his team, who before the match began, in the warm-up exercises, His Designated Player, the young Paraguayan striker Luis Amarilla, 24, was injured.
According to the information offered by Minnesota United, Amarilla began to suffer slight discomfort in the groin, and the team’s coach, the Englishman Adrian Heath, decided to leave him on the bench so that he did not risk suffering some type of major injury.
However, the extent of the injury and whether he will continue in the tournament are not yet known.
The loss of Amarilla prevented the match from having the Latin American duel of Designated Players with the Mexican Alan Pulido as the star of Sporting, who did not show his best football during the 89 minutes he was on the field, although he was the one who made the most shots on goal of his team, with three.
The victory leaves the provisional leader to Minnesota United waiting for the second game that tonight will be played by the teams from Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids who are also in the same group.
Minnesota United’s next game will be against Real Salt Lake on Friday, July 17, the same day that Sportins Kansas City will face the Colorado Rapids.
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