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Time and time again during the 2026 season, Sporting KC has found itself stuck in a 30-minute malaise it can’t escape.
From the fifth minute until the team was down 2-0, that was the case all over again in a loss at St. Louis last Thursday.
What followed from Sporting KC was much better. The penalty kick that St. Louis was gifted through a dubious VAR decision was the hosts’ only chance for the remaining hour.
Buoyed at halftime by some tactical tweaks, including the introduction of Emir Karic and Jake Davis at the fullback spots, Sporting put together a second 45 to be proud of.
Kansas City created more shots, had more possession and counted more touches in the penalty area of St. Louis during the second half. Sporting pressed high and forced a turnover by the St. Louis goalkeeper to equalize.
That was KC’s recipe for success in the final three matches before the World Cup break.
Sporting was seemingly about to escape with a point. But that was before the VAR decision awarded the hosts a penalty.
Ultimately, the “disconnection period” comes back into focus. It is a feature, not a bug, but it cost Sporting KC. When a team struggles to get results and win games, all the uncontrollables - like officiating - must go your way. And they surely did not go Sporting’s way that evening.
Wednesday brings Kansas City’s first home match since the World Cup. The players know what they need to clean up.
One way midfielder Zorhan Bassong thinks Sporting can avoid those long spells of getting lost in the game is through repetition of situations during training - almost for the sake of repetition.
Another way puts the onus on the players themselves.
“The goal is for us to be able to identify what (the opponent) is doing, and not necessarily waiting for the coach to tell us what to do,” Bassong said. “We’ve got to be able to see and adapt during the game.”
Stop us if you’ve heard us say ‘set pieces’ before
The KC Current emulated their friends across town and struggled to get into the game in the first half against San Diego.
But the team in teal eventually turned it up a notch in the second half.
In a comfortable position, up 2-1 and seemingly chasing a third goal, the Current got pushed back by the Wave’s final efforts.
A dreaded late set piece situation was KC’s undoing. San Diego took it short, and then worked it out wide. The Current players were late to react and seemingly stayed set at the top of the box for a long time, waiting for a cross in.
There was one chance to clear, but it wasn’t cleared well enough. In a matter of seconds, the Current’s home victory over the NWSL’s top team turned into a frustrating draw.
The ball was played out wide to a Wave player and crossed into the box. The Current seemed to retreat deep, and the header back into the soft spot of the Current’s defense found the foot of Kristen McNabb - who was one of three unmarked Wave players around the ball.
Her shot slipped underneath goalkeeper Marissa Jordan. Trinity Byars pounced on the ball and put it into the goal to make it 2-2.
Set pieces have been the Current’s Achilles heel since 2024 - when the team finished tied for second-worst for set-piece goals-against mark, with nine.
This season, eight of the Current’s 22 goals conceded through 15 games have been from set-piece situations - the highest number in the NWSL.
Most of the time it’s not the initial set-piece service that causes the problem; it’s what happens after, in the second phase. This was the case on Friday.
The Current never stepped out to pressure and let the Wave control the ball off a free kick that was taken short.
In fact, they never really broke out of their set-piece defensive shape until the ball was played wide for the cross into the box. That was too late, as the wheels were already in motion.
Issues like this become glaringly large come postseason time. The dagger goal with which Gotham FC sunk the record-breaking KC Current in 2025 was out of the second phase of a set piece.
If the Current has any hope of going on a deep playoff run, managing those moments better is a must.
Hot stove brought down to a simmer
Sporting KC’s name has been in the rumor mill this summer. But things have gone quiet on all fronts in the past week.
While the team made trades to acquire internationah slots to become roster compliant, there’s not much to report on Sporting’s final open international slot.
Sporting had been linked to Mohammed Salah, Yann Gboho, and Andre Luiz in recent weeks, but no significant movement has ensued. While that doesn’t mean that nothing is happening, it does mean things could be moving a little slowly.
Significant resolution is unlikely until Salah’s destination is decided - whether that’s Kansas City or elsewhere. And Sporting still has plenty of non-DP roster spots to fill - four remain.
KC Current II wins WPSL Championship
KC Current II has won its first WPSL title, defeating New York Athletic 1-0 thanks to Avery Clark’s first-half header.
Coached by Vasil Ristov, Current II went 7-2-1 in regular-season play, scoring 36 goals while conceding just six.
Clark was named the Most Outstanding Player and made the WPSL All-National team. She was joined on that team of the year by teammates Itala Gemelli, Naila Schoefberger and Skylar Blaise.
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at [email protected].
