The initial response was equal parts relief and the release of mounting frustration. Sporting Kansas City striker Krisztian Nemeth actually broke away from his typical celebration, turning around to find one teammate flexing, another yelling toward nothing in particular and one more simply taking a long exhale.
All of it to say this: At last.
After more than an hour of failure to solve Independiente’s packed-in defense, Nemeth finally found the back of the net in the 74th minute, the opening of the flood gates in Sporting Kansas City’s 3-0 victory Thursday in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.