KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Sporting Kansas City may have gone with a reserve-filled lineup, but they still managed to pull out a result thanks to one of their regular starters.
Sporting picked up a big point in the Western Conference playoff race on Sunday after Dom Dwyer – making a rare appearance off the bench – scored in the 79th minute to salvage a 1-1 home draw against the surging Seattle Sounders.
Sporting (12-9-9) avoided taking their second home loss of the season – and, just as importantly, denied Seattle (14-13-4) a chance to climb into at least a temporary share of the West lead. Still, the Sounders ran their unbeaten streak to five matches and have lost just one of their last six – though they needed some late defensive heroics to extend that run after Dwyer's equalizer undid Obafemi Martins' first-half goal.
Sporting manager Peter Vermes did not start nine regular starters ahead of Wednesday's US Open Cup final against Philadelphia – although he had no choice with center back Matt Beslerand midfielder Benny Feilhaber, both of whom were on yellow-card suspensions.
Even so, Sporting weren't content to sit back against the Sounders in the early going. Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei was forced into two saves in the eighth minute, tipping Jordi Quintilla's rip over the bar and then getting down to stop Bernardo Anor's header on the ensuing corner kick.
But despite Kansas City's 5-2 edge in shots on goal in the first half, it was the Sounders who went up just after the half-hour mark after a giveaway near midfield ignited a counterattack for the visitors.
Martins ran onto Gonzalo Pineda's long ball over the top, muscled off center back Kevin Ellisnear the top of the area and got off a low shot that 'keeper Jon Kempin managed to deflect but couldn't keep from looping just inside the right post.
It was the one low spot of the day for the Homegrown 'keeper, who had two solid saves – including a pure reaction stop on Clint Dempsey's close-range shot early in the second half -- in just his third start of the season.
Vermes inserted Dwyer in the 74th minute for Anor – who had created several good chances but couldn't finish any of them – and it paid off five minutes later with Dwyer's equalizer. Rookie left back Amadou Dia sent in a cross from the left wing that rolled untouched across the face of Frei's goal, and Dwyer was waiting at the far post to knock it in for his 11th league goal of the year.
Dwyer just missed a match-winning second goal in the 87th minute, pushing his header offConnor Hallisey's cross just wide right – and in the third minute of stoppage time, only a goal-mouth clearance from Oniel Fisher kept the home side from taking all three points.
After Wednesday night's Open Cup final at PPL Park, Sporting swing to the West Coast to face Portland on Saturday in league action. Seattle are at home on Oct. 4 to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
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