John Pulskamp made seven saves and also assisted on the game-winning goal to lead Sporting Kansas City to a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Friday night in Commerce City, Colo.
SKC earned their first road victory over the Colorado Rapids in more than 11 years. Kansas City had gone 0-6-5 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park dating back to a 3-2 win on March 29, 2014.
Erik Thommy had a goal and an assist and Dejan Joveljic also scored for Sporting Kansas City (6-10-5, 23 points), who moved into a tie for 10th place in MLS’ Western Conference with the Houston Dynamo.
It was the fourth shutout of the season for Pulskamp.
Rafael Navarro scored on a late penalty kick for Colorado (7-9-5, 26 points), which lost despite finishing with a 24-5 edge in shot attempts, including an 8-2 advantage in shots on target.
Kansas City, despite being outshot 13-3 in the first half, led 1-0 at halftime after Joveljic produced his 12th goal of the season in the fourth minute.
Thommy intercepted goaltender Nico Hansen’s weak clearing pass by the left edge of the box and fed Joveljic cutting to the goal. Joveljic then drilled a left-footed shot into the far right corner for his seventh goal in the past eight games.
Colorado had a chance to tie it in the 31st minute after Pulskamp was called for a foul inside the box after tripping Djordje Mihailovic while diving for a loose ball. However, Mihailovic hooked the ensuring right-footed penalty kick attempt off the left post.
Mihailovic hit the woodwork again in the second minute of stoppage time just before halftime. He blasted a right-footed shot from outside the box that caromed off the right post and then cut across the 6-yard box just in front of the goal line.
Thommy made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute with his fourth goal, fielding a long pass from Pulskamp and then dribbling around three Rapids defenders outside the top of the box before blasting a right-footed shot into the right corner.
The Rapids cut it to 2-1 in the 89th minute on Navarro’s right-footed penalty kick into the right corner after Darren Yapi was tripped in the box by SKC defender Ian James.
–Field Level Media
