Sounders Can't Finish and Sporting KC Steals a Point in Possession Clinic Gone Wrong

The Seattle Sounders dominated Saturday in Kansas City. They held 61% of the possession. They took 27 shots to Sporting KC's 11. They should have won. Instead, they left Children's Mercy Park with a 1-1 draw after Dejan Joveljic capitalized on a catastrophic Cristian Roldan mistake in the 18th minute.

It was a brutal way to snap a three-match winning streak, even if the Sounders (6-1-2, 20 points) extended their unbeaten run to seven games across the league. The bigger story, though, belongs to Sporting KC. Joveljic's fifth goal of the season halted a six-match losing streak and snapped a 351-minute scoreless drought across all competitions for the home side (1-7-2, 5 points). Think about that for a second. Only twice in their last 23 MLS matches dating back to last July has Sporting KC won. A draw felt like a playoff clincher for them.

One Backpass Changes Everything

Paul Rothrock put Seattle ahead early, just two minutes in. Alex Roldan pushed up the right flank and sent a diagonal ball toward Jesus Ferreira. Whether Ferreira, his defender, or both touched it, the deflection fell to Rothrock on the left side of the box. He finished first-time across Stefan Cleveland and into the far post.

Then Roldan, the American World Cup hopeful, did something you almost never see from a professional. As Seattle tried to play out of the back against Kansas City's pressure, Roldan badly mis-hit a backpass that was clearly intended for his goalkeeper. Joveljic was right there. He reached the top of the penalty arc and drove a low first-time finish through goalkeeper Andrew Thomas and into the net.

Chances Everywhere, No Finish

The second half was a masterclass in squandering dominance. Danny Musovski flashed a promising header over the goal in the 57th minute. In the 65th, substitute Paul Arriola's dangerous strike from the left was blocked accidentally by teammate Albert Rusnak. Cleveland made a double save in the 70th minute off Kalani Kossa-Rienzi and Musovski.

Thomas stood tall at the other end, denying Joveljic in the 82nd minute and making a difficult save off Taylor Calheira's spinning effort in the 85th. When the final whistle blew, Sporting KC had its point. Seattle had regret.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.