Sporting Kansas City fell 2-1 at FC Dallas in the MLS Reserve League on Wednesday at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.
FC Dallas (5-4-0, 15 points) struck first in the 11th minute on a goal from Home Grown player Ruben Luna, who now leads the MLS Reserve League with six goals on the season. Bobby Warshaw added a second goal in the 16th minute to extend the home side's lead before Nick Cardenas scored for Sporting Kansas City (3-3-2, 11 points) in the 30th minute.
Kansas City was on the attack early and had the game’s first scoring opportunity in the sixth minute. Midfielder Scott Lorenz fielded a long ball on the left wing, cut across the Dallas defense and dropped the ball for forward Soony Saad, whose low one-timer went wide of the left post.
In the 11th minute, Dallas capitalized on their first opportunity of the match. After intercepting a failed clearance on the left side, midfielder Bryan Leyva played a curling cross to the back post for Luna. The forward’s high header beat goalkeeper Eric Kronberg, giving Luna his third goal in the last three games.
Five minutes later, FC Dallas struck again. Warshaw took possession of the ball at midfield, dribbled through the middle of the Kansas City defense and took a left-footed shot from 25-yards out to beat the diving Kronberg.
Kansas City came close to scoring in the 30th minute. After settling a long pass from midfield, Lorenz got in alone with Lambo, who challenged Lorenz at the top of the box. Lorenz’s chip beat the charging keeper, but FC Dallas defender Jack Stewart swept in to clear the ball off the line. On the ensuing corner, Milos Stojcev played a curling ball to the back post for Cardenas, who rose high above a challenging Lambo to head the ball into the back of the net and cut the deficit to 2-1.
Cardenas was drafted by Kansas City in the third round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft and has trained with the club in recent months.
FC Dallas nearly built on their lead in the second half. On the counterattack and with numbers, Maykel Galindo played a leading ball to Luna at the 18-yard line in the 51st minute. Luna’s low drive toward the back post was handled with ease by a sliding Kronberg.
Another opportunity came in the 59th minute, as Victor Ulloa played a wide ball to the left side of the box to Luna. From a tough angle, Luna fired a hard shot right at Kronberg, whose deflection landed at the feet of FC Dallas midfielder Bruno Guarda. Guarda’s one-time volley from 15 yards out found the chest of Kronberg, ending the threat.
Looking for the equalizer, Kansas City applied pressured to the Dallas defense for the remainder of the match. In the 72nd minute, Stojcev played a sinking cross from the right side to the far post. Lorenz’s left-footed volley was denied by goalkeeper Chris Seitz, who dove to his right for the save.
Another scoring opportunity came for Kansas City in the 80th minute. With possession inside of the box, Lorenz played a ball across the box to Saad, who found himself unmarked and 15-yards from goal. The forward settled the ball before unleashing a left-footed attempt which went narrowly wide.
In the final seconds of the game, Seitz punched a dangerous cross away from a crowd of bodies to end the game.
Scoring Summary:
DAL –Ruben Luna (Bryan Leyva) 11
DAL –Bobby Warshaw (unassisted) 16
KC – Nick Cardenas (Milos Stojcev) 30
Misconduct Summary:
DAL – Moises Hernandez (caution; reckless challenge) 48
DAL – Bruno Guarda (caution; unsporting behavior) 53
Sporting Kansas City Reserves – Eric Kronberg, Korede Aiyegbusi, Lawrence Olum, Nick Cardenas, Kevin Ellis, Craig Rocastle, Birahim Diop (John Sosa 70), Milos Stojcev, Scott Lorenz, Michael Harrington (Jeff Scanella* 62), Soony Saad.
Substitutes Not Used: Jon Kempin
FC Dallas Reserves – Josh Lambo (Chris Seitz 46), Moises Hernandez (Michael Ambrose 88), Jack Stewart, Leone Cruz, Christian Ibeaga, Victor Ulloa, Bobby Warshaw, Bruno Guarda, Bryan Leyva (Daniel Garcia* 80), Maykel Galindo (Jonathan Top 64), Ruben Luna (Alberto Rodriguez 83).
Substitutes Not Used: Richard Sanchez, Mark Ashby
Academy players
**Guest trialist
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 63 degrees
