It had to end sooner or later. Very few teams go undefeated at home the entire season in professional sports.

Saturday night saw Sporting KC fall at home for the first time this season against the Seattle Sounders, 2-1.
Sporting led for most of the game before a questionable ejection left the players scrambling for the final 30 minutes of the contest. Despite creating chances, Sporting reverted back to a form fans haven’t seen since the beginning of the season, allowing two goals in the last few minutes.

It was hard to watch as tired defenders lunged for balls and missed tackles. They kept going to ground, which is never an effective way to defend. You’ve always got to keep your feet moving and that’s exactly the opposite of what happened.

The offense also sputtered late, making some poor decisions in the attacking third. Perhaps the most glaring mistake was Teal Bunbury’s decision to not pass to a streaking Chance Myers, who likely would have put a shot on goal, if not score.

Give credit in the game to keeper Jimmy Nielsen, who made some spectacular saves before being hung out to dry by his back line. Credit is also due to Kei Kamara, who created chance after chance for his teammates.

While the end result was not desirable, perhaps the loss and end of the streak will allow Sporting to relax a little more moving forward. There were plenty of positives to take from the game and I wouldn’t be surprised if the team at least attempted to appeal Omar Bravo’s red card. Watching the replay it’s clear he got ball. While the play may have been a foul, the straight red was a mistake by the official.

More to come later.