Sloppy, disjointed, and in disarray is how Sporting Kansas City looked for much of the first half of their first match in 11 days, a match that all hoped would begin their road to recovery. But a near-emergency mode defense, Tim Melia, and a busted play gained the much needed victory, 1-0 over a shorthanded Crew in Columbus on Sunday.
One year ago – after 15 MLS matches – Sporting Kansas City stood tall in the Western conference at 29 points, with only two losses (8-2-5). Sunday, as they faced Columbus Crew (5-9-2 in 2019) at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, Sporting sat in 12th place at 16 points (3-5-7), and without a league win since April.