Sporting KC’s scoring woes continue in loss to San Jose, and a red card didn’t help

An early allowed goal — plus a red card and penalty kick — led to a disastrous first half for Sporting KC, setting the tone for a 3-0 loss in San Jose.

Sporting now falls to 0-5-3, having failed to record a win in its first eight matches of the 2023 season. That passes the 1999 Wizards for the longest winless stretch to start a season in club history.

In desperate need of goals and wins, Sporting manager Peter Vermes felt like the team’s head was in the right place.

“Obviously, when you’re in this situation, you doubt yourself a little bit,” Vermes said. “But I thought the mindset was actually really good.”

But the night started poorly, nonetheless, when a cross to the back post found the feet of San Jose’s Cristian Espinoza in the 9th minute to give San Jose the early lead. As Sporting tried to claw back into the game, the club compounded its early issues with a straight red card that led to a San Jose penalty kick in the 40th minute.

San Jose’s Jeremy Ebobisse found himself behind the back line and was dragged down by his shoulders inside the box by defender Robert Castellanos. Castellanos received a red card for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO), and Ebobisse calmly put his penalty past Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia to make it 2-0.

Vermes felt like the team was still in the game and playing well in the moments approaching the penalty — and subsequent red card — but he ultimately felt the red card changed the outcome.

“I’m not sure it’s a penalty,” Vermes said. “Red Card? No chance.”

Despite a number of moves made to reconfigure the 10-man squad, Sporting KC failed to find the net in the second half. And while Vermes felt like the response from going down a man was good, it wasn’t good enough to change the direction of the result.

Sporting failed to find the net for the sixth time in 2023. Per OPTA, Sporting KC has the lowest goal total for a team that has played eight matches in MLS history, with just two scored. No team has ever had fewer than four.

Ebobisse put the game further out of reach in the 51st minute to make it 3-0.

As Sporting searches for a way back into winning form, Vermes hopes his players can keep their heads up.

“I do know this: The guys didn’t walk into the game feeling sorry for themselves, and that’s a good thing,” Vermes said. “We’ve got to try that mentality that you can turn things around, and I believe that these guys can.”

Sporting KC travels to the opposite coast for its next match, which will be against New England. That match next Saturday kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Central (7:30 p.m. Eastern).