As the ball crept inside the far goal post, Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler slapped his hand against the grass in frustration. Nearby, goalkeeper Tim Melia put his arm across his knee, stoic and silent. Later, he would say, “We just can’t allow that.”
But the truth is that Sporting KC has been allowing a lot of that. At least relatively speaking. At least through three games.
Sure, it’s a considerably small sample size. The MLS season is less than 10 percent complete. But a team that conceded the fewest goals in the league in three of the previous six years has allowed seven goals through three matches, more than anyone in MLS.