Sporting Kansas City's marked dominance suggested a goal was coming. The team had unleashed a barrage of 16 first-half shots against a wobbly Minnesota United FC side — the most in a half by any MLS team this year — but the breakthrough had evaded Peter Vermes' men heading into first-half stoppage time.
Then, almost out of nowhere, Ike Opara exploited a pocket of space and sent a 30-yard laser into the corner of the net to give Sporting Kansas City its deserved lead. The scoring play highlighted a comprehensive performance from Opara, who landed MLS Team of the Week honors from MLSsoccer.