Facing a team riding a 10-game winless run, the first-place Seattle Sounders came out flat, fell behind early and couldn’t make up the deficit before falling 2-1 on Sunday. Sporting KC, who had scored just three goals all season, scored twice inside the first 31 minutes. Those were the first goals the Sounders had allowed at home this season, snapping a 468-minute home shutout streak. Nicolás Lodeiro converted a penalty for the Sounders’ only goal.

MATCH SUMMARY

Seattle Sounders FC 1 – Sporting Kansas City 2

Saturday, May 7, 2023

Venue: Emerald Queen Casino Pitch at Lumen Field

Referee: Victor Rivas

Assistants: Lyes Arfa

Fourth Official: Mike Rottersman, Jeremy Kieso

VAR: Carol Anne Chenard

Attendance: 31,620

Weather: 62 degrees and clear

SCORING SUMMARY

SKC – Erik Thommy (Gadi Kinda, Daniel Salloi) 4’

SKC – Alan Pulido (Erik Thommy) 31’

SEA – Nico Lodeiro (penalty) 66’

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

SEA – Alex Roldan (caution) 8’

SKC – Remi Walter (caution) 12’

SKC – Logan Ndenbe (caution) 65’

SEA – Albert Rusnák (caution) 81’

SKC – Johnny Russell (caution) 90’+5’

LINEUPS & STATS

Seattle Sounders FC – Stefan Frei; Reed Baker-Whiting (Cody Baker 57’), Yeimar, Jackson Ragen, Alex Roldan; Obed Vargas (Dylan Teves 84’), Albert Rusnák, Nico Lodeiro, Heber, Léo Chú (Fredy Montero 57’), Jordan Morris

Substitutes not used: Stefan Cleveland, Andrew Thomas, Xavier Arreaga, Ethan Dobbelaere, Sota Kitahara

Total shots: 11

Shots on goal: 3

Fouls: 15

Offside: 1

Corner-Kicks: 5

Saves: 3

Sporting Kansas City – Tim Melia; Andreu Fontas, Dany Rosero, Jake Davis, Logan Ndenbe; Gadi Kinda (Felipe Hernandez 46’), Erik Thommy (Roger Espinoza 76’), Remi Walter; Johnny Russell, Alan Pulido (Graham Zusi 85’), Daniel Salloi (Khiry Shelton 79’)

Substitutes not used: John Pulskamp, Robert Voloder, Robert Castellanos, Stephen Afrifa, Marinos Tzionis

Total shots: 11

Shots on goal: 5

Fouls: 7

Offside: 2

Corner-kicks: 8

Saves: 2

FotMob.com

Postgame comments

SOUNDERS FC HEAD COACH BRIAN SCHMETZER

On Nouhou’s condition as of today:

“So, I wanted address right away Nouhou because I know I was little vague in times about his illness, but we’ve cleared things with the doctors and Nouhou himself. So, the unspecified illness was actually malaria, and we don’t know exactly where he picked it up, maybe on his international duties but that was the illness. He’s being treated and he’s fine. The medicine, it works fairly quickly, the appropriate medication, and it is a serious condition, I mean, even the world is kind of scary. That’s the way we felt but we expect him to make a full recovery. There are some concerns with malaria though about enlarged spleen, that can be one of the side effects of the illness. And so, we are monitoring that closely and as soon as that issue is resolved, he will be returned to full participation. He can still run on the side but just no contact until that issue is resolved. So, that was the reason for his absence.”

SOUNDERS FC MIDFIELDER NICOLÁS LODEIRO

On playing out wide instead of in the middle:

“I feel weird because you know, my position [is in the middle.] I tried to do my best, but it wasn’t enough. The team in the first half played bad, the whole team felt uncomfortable. In the second half we changed a little, some players back in their normal position and we could have scored another goal to tie the game. We created more chances. I feel weird, very weird.”

SOUNDERS FC MIDFIELDER REED BAKER-WHITING

On how hard it is to give up a goal that early:

“It was definitely tough to [get] your first start and concede a goal in the fifth minute or however early it was. I think the guy is at the top of the box and I couldn’t get close enough to affect him. So, we concede early and it’s tough to get things going after that. I think it took a while to impose ourselves after that.”

SOUNDERS FC MIDFIELDER OBED VARGAS

On the difficulty of chasing a game from behind:

“I think it’s four minutes into the game, we can keep our patience. Like coach said, just be disciplined and that second goal really got us. It was counter intuitive. We were just going, going, going, and we took another goal and it kind of hurt, but after we took that first goal I think we were still fine. It’s one goal, we just need to be patient and disciplined.”