Recap: Sporting KC suffers road loss at Seattle

Sporting Kansas City (6-15-6, 24 points) sustained a 5-2 road loss at Seattle Sounders FC (12-7-8, 44 points) on Sunday night at Lumen Field.

Mason Toye scored his second goal of the season in the 36th minute and Tim Leibold’s cross to Daniel Salloi forced an own goal early in the second half, but Sporting was outdueled by a Seattle side that rode Danny Musovski’s hat trick to victory.

Sporting will look to rebound when the team returns home to face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT with live coverage on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin made one change to Sporting’s lineup from a 3-1 loss at Orlando City SC last weekend as Salloi, donning the captain’s armband, replaced Shapi Suleymanov in the right midfield spot of a 4-4-2 formation.

The visitors survived a scare inside 25 seconds when Georgi Minoungou raced down the left wing and flashed a low ball into the box for Musovski, whose sliding effort on the edge of the six-yard area sputtered wide. Shortly thereafter, Musovski intercepted an outlet pass and misfired from a tight angle near the endline.

Seattle’s fast start was then rewarded in the 11th minute. Kalani Kossa-Rienzi latched onto Minoungou’s low delivery from the left channel, and although the winger’s initial effort was blocked by Sporting midfielder Zorhan Bassong, his rebound effort rippled the roof of the net to peg Kansas City into a 1-0 deficit.

Zavagnin’s side responded well to falling behind as the hosts found joy attacking down the left flank. Left back Tim Leibold brandished a clever cross to the opposite side of the box for Salloi, whose strike in the 20th minute was blocked behind for a corner kick. Not long later, central midfielder Jake Davis clipped a brilliant ball over the top for Sporting’s leading goal scorer Dejan Joveljic, whose shot on the run was smothered by Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei.

Sporting restored parity in the 36th minute on a wonderfully worked team goal. An incisive move through the middle culminated with Bassong spreading the ball left to the overlapping Leibold, who pinged an inch-perfect cross into the middle for Toye. The New Jersey native made no mistake from there, hammering an emphatic finish into the right corner for his third career goal at Lumen Field and his second tally of the season. The play gave Leibold and Bassong their second and third assists of the campaign, respectively.

The Sounders reclaimed their lead on the cusp of halftime when Reed Baker-Whiting’s looping service was nodded home by the leaping Musovski. The in-form Seattle striker bagged his second goal on another header five minutes into the second half, connecting with Danny Leyva’s corner kick to give the hosts a 3-1 cushion.

Kansas City reduced the deficit again in the 53rd minute. Leibold was afforded space to whip a ball into the penalty area for the on-running Salloi, prompting Sounders defender Cody Baker to stick out a foot and steer the ball into his own net. It was the third own goal Sporting has forced this season and cut the scoreline to 3-2.

Sporting’s frustrations were compounded on the hour mark, however, when 18-year-old Snyder Brunell converted from close range for his second goal of the year. Salloi then had a chance to reply for Kansas City but lashed his strike high in the 65th minute.

Joveljic snapped a header wide in the 70th minute and substitute Suleymanov had a shot saved from an acute angle three minutes later before Musovski completed his hat trick. Leyva drew a foul inside the box and Seattle’s center forward placed the ensuing spot kick into the left corner for his team-best 13th goal of the MLS campaign.

Suleymanov almost salvaged a consolation goal for Sporting in second-half stoppage time, intercepting a pass and charging into the box only to see his shot blocked. Fellow substitute Jacob Bartlett found Santi Munoz on the resulting corner kick, but his flick-on header was corralled by Frei.

2025 MLS Regular Season | Match 27
Lumen Field | Seattle, Washington
Attendance: 30,184
Weather: 81 degrees and mostly sunny

Sporting Kansas City: John Pulskamp; Khiry Shelton, Jansen Miller (Ian James 66'), Robert Voloder, Tim Leibold (Logan Ndenbe 75'); Daniel Salloi (C) (Shapi Suleymanov 66'), Jake Davis (Jacob Bartlett 66'), Zorhan Bassong, Santi Munoz; Dejan Joveljic, Mason Toye (Stephen Afrifa 75')

Subs Not Used: Ryan Schewe, Andrew Brody, Nemanja Radoja

Seattle Sounders FC: Stefan Frei (C); Reed Baker-Whiting (Paul Rothrock 78'), Yeimar (Jackson Ragen 46'), Jon Bell, Cody Baker; Snyder Brunell (Jesus Ferreira 84'), Cristian Roldan (Alex Roldan 46'); Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, Danny Leyva, Georgi Minoungou; Danny Musovski (Osaze De Rosario 84')

Subs Not Used: Andrew Thomas, Nouhou, Obed Vargas, Pedro de la Vega

Scoring Summary:
SEA -- Kalani Kossa-Rienzi 3 (unassisted) 11'
SKC -- Mason Toye 2 (Tim Leibold 2, Zorhan Bassong 3) 36'
SEA -- Danny Musovski 11 (Reed Baker-Whiting 2, Danny Leyva 1) 45+1'
SEA -- Danny Musovski 12 (Danny Leyva 2) 50'
SKC -- Own Goal (Cody Baker) 53'
SEA -- Snyder Brunell 1 (Georgi Minoungou 3, Danny Leyva 3) 61'
SEA -- Danny Musovski 13 (penalty kick) 75'

Misconduct Summary:
SKC -- Stephen Afrifa (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 85'

Referee: Chris Penso
Assistant Referee: Corey Parker
Assistant Referee: Nick Balcer
Fourth Official: Drew Fischer
VAR: David Barrie
AVAR: Jonathan Johnson