Defender Daniel Munie scored a brace as the host San Jose Earthquakes spoiled Rapha Wicky’s head coaching debut for Sporting Kansas City with a 3-0 victory on Saturday night in the season opener for both teams.
Preston Judd also scored a goal and Daniel made one save for his 13th career shutout (regular season and playoffs) for San Jose, which finished with a 18-7 advantage in shot attempts and a 6-1 edge in shots on goal. The Earthquakes also held a huge 15-3 edge in corner kicks.
It was the first career brace for the 26-year-old Munie, the 10th overall pick of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft out of Indiana University. The 6-foot, 181-pound center back had scored just two goals in his previous 35 MLS games.
John Pulskamp finished with three saves for Sporting K.C.
San Jose, which outshot SKC, 11-3, in the first half, scored twice in a four-minute span just before intermission to take a 2-0 lead.
Munie started the scoring in the 42nd minute, tapping in a left-footed rebound on the edge of the 6-yard box of a Judd header on a corner kick.
Judd followed with a goal in the first minute of stoppage time, redirecting Jamar Ricketts’ crossing pass from the left wing with a sliding left-footed shot from above the center of the 6-yard box into the center of the net.
Kansas City had a chance to close within a goal in the 49th minute, but Daniel made a diving save to swat away a Calvin Harris right-footed shot headed for the left corner of the net.
Munie then extended the lead to 3-0 in the 54th minute when he flicked a header from the center of the box off a Beau Leroux cross that caromed off the left post and into the net.
Kansas City managed just one good scoring try after that. Dejan Joveljic kicked a right-footed try from the center of the box in the 73rd minute that sailed wide to the left side of the net.
–Field Level Media
