Remi Walter, Jake Davis and Alenis Vargas scored second-half goals on Saturday night, leading Sporting Kansas City to a 3-1 road victory over Toronto FC in the first clash between the clubs since 2019.
On his return from injury, Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio scored in second-half extra time for the hosts, cutting into the deficit with a consolation goal and avoiding being shut out at home.
In his 100th regular-season MLS appearance, Walter opened the scoring for Kansas City (2-1-3, 9 points) in the 57th minute, finishing a blistering shot from outside the box as the visitors hit Toronto (3-2-1, 10 points) on the counter-attack. Erik Thommy crossed the ball in from the right side, forcing a failed clearance from centerback Kevin Long, lining up the clear attempt for Walter, who curled his strike past Toronto goalkeeper Luka Gavran.
Just seven minutes later, in the 64th, Davis found a pocket of space in the Toronto midfield and fired his effort from distance, beating Gavran again, as the hosts’ midfield breakdown cost a second goal on their home pitch and awarded Davis his first MLS tally.
Vargas’ insurance goal in the 83rd minute was also his first MLS tally.
Although the goals didn’t come until the second half, the opening 45 minutes presented a chaotic back-and-forth affair, forcing Gavran and Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia to make several significant stops.
After a cagey opening spell, Kansas City pushed its way through Toronto’s defense in the ninth minute as Daniel Salloi broke through on a breakaway, only for Gavran to deflect the shot. William Agada kicked the second opportunity over the crossbar.
Toronto ended the night with 61.7 percent possession, while Kansas City made the most of its opportunities with the remaining 38.3 percent.
Ravaged by injuries, Toronto will need to rely on Gavran for the foreseeable future with starting goalkeeper Sean Johnson still on the injured list. At the same time, Italian superstar Lorenzo Insigne will also miss at least six weeks with a hamstring injury.
–Field Level Media
