Sporting Kansas City Continue Great Run At Home, Defeat Colorado Rapids

Kansas City, Kan.-- Sporting Kansas City's 2-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night at Sporting Park gave the club its 6th straight win at home across all competions, and allows them to remain unbeaten at home in the 2015-2016 campaign so far (6-0-3).

Sporting KC had numerous chances in the first five minutes of the match when both Graham Zusi and Chance Myers were unable to connect on volley opportunities from teammate Marcel De Jong. Then the match would go quiet until Sporting KC's goalkeeper Tim Melia made himself a canidate for MLS Save of the Week by making not one, not two, but three consecutive saves back-to-back-to-back, including having to untangle himself from the back of his own net in between making the second and third save.

Melia also had some defensive help from teammates Soni Mustivar, Kevin Ellis and De Jong who all made acrobatic clears to prevent the Rapids' attack from some high-quality scoring chances early in the first half as they tried to take a commanding early lead at the always hostle Sporting Park.

Finally, in the 32nd minute the scoreless draw was broken when Myers, who is just back from injury, ran to the base of the far line to cross it deep into the box only to find May's MLS Player of the Month. Krisztian Nemeth controlled the cross beautifully and volleyed it past Rapids keeper Clint Irwin to give Sporting a 1-0 lead. Nemeth's goal increases his total on the season to seven, making him the team leader in that category. Benny Feilhaber was given the second-assist on Nemeth's goal which moved him to 2nd in the league with a total of nine assists on the year.

With his goal, Nemeth becomes only the second player ever in MLS history to score 7 goals with his first 7 career shots in MLS. The Hungarian international continues to dazzle on the field after being signed by Sporting KC in Janurary of 2015.

Luis Solignac had Colorado's best chance to equalize in the first half when he found himself on a breakaway in the 42nd minute. Solignac was able to get himself into the box and unleash a shot only to watch Melia make a diving save against his body to keep his shutout streak alive at home. Melia hasn't allowed a goal at Sporting Park over the last 4 matches (3 MLS league matches, 1 U.S. Open Cup Match). Sporting KC would take their 1-0 lead into halftime over the Rapids.

In the 47th minute, before Colorado lined up to take a free kick just outside of the box the sprinklers at Sporting Park went off, causing a five-minute delay and a lot of laughs throughout the stadium. But once the action resumed, nothing changed as Sporting KC continued to dominate to the possession and Melia and the Sporting backline kept the Rapids offensive players led by team-leader Gabriel Torres scoreless and without any major scoring chances.

Sporting Kansas City put the game away in the 64th minute when Feilhaber put a cross into the box and Colorado midfielder and captian Sam Cronin accidently knocked the cross into the net for an own goal. Kevin Ellis was officially given credit for the goal, while Feilhaber adds his second assist tally of the night to move his season total to 10.

With the 2-0 victory, Sporting KC moves to 4th place in the heavy-loaded Western Conference (7-3-6, 27 points). Colorado drops their second two-goal contest of the week after a loss at Orlando City on Wednesday night and remain in 10th place in the West (2-6-9, 15 points)

Sporting Kansas City won't play another league match until July 12th, but host FC Dallas at Sporting Park on July 1st in the Round of 16 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Colorado looks to rebound from their 0-2-0 week when they host the Vancouver Whitecaps at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on the 4th of July.

Lineups:

Sporting KC (4-3-3)

9 Nemeth 14 Dwyer 8 Zusi

27 Espinoza 93 Mustivar 10 Feilhaber

71 De Jong 5 (C) Besler 4 Ellis 7 Myers

29 Melia

Colorado Rapids (4-2-3-1)

21 Solignac

17 Serna 11 Sarvas 10 Torres

22 Pittinari 6 (C) Cronin

16 Riley 33 Watts 23 Burling 20 Greenspan