Sporting KC unleashes torrent of goals vs. Minnesota United at Children’s Mercy Park

After going 10 straight Major League Soccer matches without a win to start the season, Sporting Kansas City has launched a new streak.

Dany Rosero and Daniel Salloi scored and Tim Melia stopped a penalty kick that resulted from a foul he created. And that was just the first half. Gadi Kinda landed the final blow with an 84th-minute goal as Sporting KC beat Minnesota United 3-0 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan.

It’s Sporting’s second straight MLS victory after last weekend’s 2-1 win at Seattle — two league triumphs sandwiching Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup loss at Houston, a game played with more than a few KC subs.

Saturday’s victory was additionally meaningful because it moved Sporting KC out of the Western Conference cellar at 2-3-7.

The last time Sporting KC went on a winning streak was last season, when Peter Vermes’ club won three in a row. That mini-streak started with positive results against — wait for it — the Sounders and Minnesota, in that order.

The wins seem like a turning of the tide. Sporting KC’s last two performances have been markedly more inspired, and, well, laden with goals. Manager Vermes has always preached belief in the squad he has.

Now they seem to be repaying that faith on the field.

“There’s a side of me that’s vengeful,” Vermes said. “I want to show everybody that we are that good, and I know inside the locker room, inside the group, that we want to show everybody that we are that good. I know there’s been a lot of doubt.”

Captain Johnny Russell talked about that after Saturday’s win. Vermes was the subject of pointed criticism in a recent letter to ownership from the KC Cauldron, Sporting’s largest supporters group. The letter came days after some within the Cauldron had chanted “Vermes Out” during a 2-0 home loss to Montreal.

Russell put the blame on himself and his teammates, saying they’d put Vermes under unnecessary pressure.

“We’re trying to put that right,” Russell said. “We’re taking steps towards it. By no means are we out yet. We have to continue to show performances like that and what we did last week as well.”

Rosero opened the scoring less than 10 minutes into Saturday night’s match. Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair couldn’t keep out Rosero’s header off a corner kick.

Salloi got the assist on the corner kick and then scored a goal of his own 13 minutes later. The sequence began in Sporting’s midfield with a vicious turn from Alan Pulido.

Pulido dumped off the ball to Remi Walter, who back-heeled a pass right into Salloi’s path. From there, the Hungarian winger lashed a curling shot past St. Clair for his second goal of the season.

Salloi took that goal as a sign Sporting KC is truly tapping into its potential now.

“Playing and combining like that, it’s why you play,” Salloi said. “And I think that was amazing.”

Sporting KC was dominant throughout the match, holding Minnesota to six shots. Melia’s penalty-kick save was the only save he needed to make in the first half.

Kinda tallied Sporting KC’s third late on a beautiful sequence between Johnny Russell and Pulido to unlock space in the midfield. As Russell drove toward the goal, he slipped a pass behind the Minnesota backline to Kinda, who chipped St. Clair for his first goal since undergoing surgery. Before Saturday, his most recent goal was Oct. 3, 2021.

Melia had to come out of the match after an injury to his hip flexor. Kendall McIntosh replaced him.

Sporting KC continues its busy May schedule this coming week in Southern California. Sporting takes on high-flying LAFC on Wednesday night before heading east along I-70 to play St. Louis for the first time.