Sporting KC forward Cameron Porter hopes CCL goal sparks return to form

Think Wednesday’s CONCACAF Champions League match didn’t mean anything? Try telling that to Cameron Porter.

598 days ago, Porter scored one of the most memorable goals in CCL history when he equalized against Pachuca to send Montreal Impact to the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League semifinals. The goal made him a fixture in Montreal soccer lore and a household name less than two months after the Impact drafted the Princeton product in the third round of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. Three weeks later, Porter tore his ACL and missed the remainder of his rookie campaign.

In July, Sporting KC acquired Porter in exchange for defender Amadou Dia. The Ohio native appeared in two MLS matches and all four Champions League group stage matches, but it wasn’t until Wednesday that he found his breakthrough. In the 49th minute of last night’s match, Porter collected Tomas Granitto’s long ball over the top of the defense and calmly slotted it past Central FC goalkeeper Jan-Michael Williams. The goal was the culmination of more than a year of hard work to get back to his pre-injury form.

“The biggest thing is first goal for Sporting KC, but also first goal since my knee injury,” Porter told reporters after the match. “Just getting the weight of your chest, it feels nice to get that confidence.”

Porter has primarily featured on the wing since joining Sporting KC. However, with Diego Rubio sidelined for the year with his own ACL injury, the 23-year-old striker started at center forward on Wednesday, a position he mostly played in college when he scored 31 goals with 13 assists.

“I’m definitely more comfortable there, but I appreciate playing anywhere,” he said. “My biggest thing is wherever the coach wants me, I’ll put the effort there. It’s all for the team.”

With Rubio out for the year and Sporting KC ravaged by injuries, Porter could find himself with more opportunities to help the club down the stretch. 

"He showed a lot of different things that were important for us moving forward,” Manager Peter Vermes said. “His movement off the ball was very good, and that’s something we need out of that position. With [Diego] being injured, [Cameron] Porter now has a chance to step up and I think tonight was good for him."