September 19, 2020

By Fred Liggett
FredL@lstribune.net

Sporting Kansas City returned home on Sunday night to play rival Minnesota United FC in front of their adoring fans at Children’s Mercy Park. The two teams were tied with 17 points going into the match with First place in the Western Conference on the line.

The pursuit of a first goal and the lead was top of mind for Sporting as they outshot the visitors 21-6 including 7-0 in shots on goal. Thanks to a dramatic 80th minute strike from Johnny Russell Sporting KC picked up a well-earned 1-0 win. The victory gives Sporting KC a 6-3-2 record with a Western Conference leading 20 points. Goalkeeper Tim Melia earned his third shutout of the season in a match with just over 2300 fans in attendance.

Up next for Sporting KC is a home match on Saturday, Sept. 19 against Dallas FC starting at 2:30 p.m. The next two home matches for Sporting KC will see a slight increase in how many fans will be allowed inside Children’s Mercy Park. The team will allow 18% of the stadium’s capacity which is around 3,300. For the first time the General Public can get tickets in addition to Season Ticket members. The second home match affected by this attendance increase will be played on Wednesday, Sept. 23. No official word yet regarding plans for the upcoming post-season which begins next month.