Sporting KC Beats CA Independiente – Advances to Concacaf Champions League semifinals
It is a moment that will be cherished in American soccer — Sporting Kansas City winning the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. Concacaf is the Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football.
“This is a big moment for our club,” said Peter Vermes, Manager Sporting KC.
It was a difficult first half as Sporting Kansas City battled Independiente’s hefty and determined defense. While the ball may have spent time down by the Panamanian’s goal, the MLS team could not find the back of the net even with the lion share of possession until the second half.
It was in the 74th minute when Sporting KC’s fans could finally cheer as Krisztian Nemeth scored a goal.
Then the floodgates opened. Sporting KC Was Triumphant.
Roger Espinoza scored the second goal and Nemeth found the back of the net for a second time in the 86th minute.
It was a battle between Independiente goalkeeper Jose Guerra and Sporting KC’s keeper Tim Melia — a battle Melia clearly won even though Guerra made incredible saves, stopping a free kick from Graham Zusi and two power shots from Johnny Russell.
Match Stats: Sporting KC enjoyed 75% possession with an 82% pass accuracy.
The final 3-0 score pushes the MLS team to advance. Next up is the Champions League semifinals — a major first in franchise history.
In final, Sporting KC proudly claims a 4-2 comeback victory on aggregate in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Quarterfinals.
Sporting will play Liga MX’s Monterrey first on the road in April and then host them the following week at home in the two-game series.
Champions League semifinal windows are slated for April 2-4 and April 9-11, with exact dates and kickoff times to be announced shortly.
Earlier this week, MLS Cup Champions Atlanta United FC fell to Monterrey on aggregate 1-3 even though the MLS team won their second leg match 1-0 on March 13th with Josef Martinez scoring in the 77th minute.
New York Red Bulls lost to Santos Laguna 6-2 on aggregate and Houston Dynamo was defeated by Tigres UANL 3-0 on aggregate.
Sporting Kansas City, Atlanta United FC, CA Independiente, CF Monterrey, Houston Dynamo, New York Red Bulls, Santos Laguna, and Tigres UANL were teams in the quarterfinal round.
