Recap: Pulskamp makes four saves as Sporting earns 0-0 draw at Colorado
Goalie John Pulskamp made four saves in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Colorado Rapids (0-1-1, 1 point) as Sporting Kansas City (0-1-1, 1 point) recorded their first result of the season Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.
Sporting threatened 11 shots on goal all night — the most in a game by an MLS team this season and most of Kansas City in an away MLS game since October 2010 — but Rapids goalie William Yarbrough had a career-high 11 saves, to secure a share of the booty.
With their two-game road swing in the rearview mirror, Sporting will return to the friendly confines of Children’s Mercy Park next Saturday, March 11 for a much-anticipated home game against longtime rivals LA Galaxy (0-1-0, 0 points) to deny. at 7:30 p.m. CT. The competition will be streamed live on Apple TV via the MLS Season Pass and tickets for the Western Conference clash are available on SeatGeek.com.
After playing on grass in a rainy 40-degree night in Portland on Monday, Sporting played at altitude in 37-degree conditions with a starting line-up that featured one substitution. Winger Khiry Shelton fell to the bench and Cypriot forward Marinos Tzionis played a three-point attack alongside Willy Agada and Daniel Salloi, who made his debut in MLS at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in his eighth season. At defence, 15-year veteran Graham Zusi recorded his club-record 350 starts in all competitions and became the fifth player to ever surpass 27,000 regular-season minutes with a single MLS club.
Looking for their first win at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park since 2014, Sporting survived a major scare within 60 seconds of kick-off. Colorado forward Darren Yapi sped through at the breakaway and only needed to beat Pulskamp, but Sporting’s 21-year-old goaltender – the youngest American to play at his position in MLS this season – produced a brilliant reflex stop that allowed defender Robert Voloder to break free withdraw and extinguish the danger.
The visitors found their footing and responded in the eighth minute when midfielder Erik Thommy, who was a team strength with four shots on goal, charged forward and unleashed a 20-yard shot that Yarbrough jumped to Coral. A dozen minutes later Sporting veteran Roger Espinoza, returning to his hometown for the 11th regular season, tried his luck from even further range with a shot that Yarbrough parried comfortably.
Colorado appeared to have drawn its first blood in the 13th minute when 18-year-old Yapi fired in from close range after being touched by teammate Sam Nicholson, but VAR intervened and referee Allen Chapman canceled the goal after Yapi im Offside position. Rapids regretted their misfortune again in the 27th minute when Yapi’s header ricocheted off the post from a Michael Barrios cross and nearly bounced over the goal line, only to be heroically parried by Zusi.
Sporting got their first decent look of the second half after an orchestrated set piece that saw Thommy midfielder Remi Walter play to a long-range shot that was saved in the 52nd minute. Seconds later, Salloi placed his marker on the left side of the box and fired from a tight angle, forcing Yarbrough to stop at the near post.
Just after the hour mark, Thommy posed more questions to the Rapids defense, cutting center and exposing a left-footed sledgehammer from the top of the box that Yarbrough had thrown well aside. On the other hand, Pulskamp showed smarter goalkeeping skill in the 67th minute, advancing off his line to smother an open shot attempt by Colorado’s Cole Bassett.
Both goalkeepers were upside down in the 70th minute. Yarbrough dove at full extension to thwart Thommy’s sweet 28-yard free kick, then rallied to block Salloi’s pounding rebound down the right side of the box. On the other side of the field, Pulskamp responded brilliantly, dropping low to deny Barrios his sixth career goal against Sporting.
Salloi led all players with six shot attempts in the match and was agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock in the 86th minute by snapping Zusi’s great long ball over the top, but Yarbrough dived properly to get the heel of his hand grinding and keep the game scoreless.
Sporting Kansas City: John Pulskamp; Graham Zusi, Robert Voloder, Andreu Fontas, Ben Sweat (Tim Leibold 82′); Remi Walter, Roger Espinoza (Felipe Hernandez 72′), Erik Thommy (C) (Cam Duke 88′); Marinos Tzionis (Khiry Shelton 72′), Willy Agada, Daniel Salloi
Subs not used: Kendall McIntosh, Robert Castellanos, Kayden Pierre, Chris Rindov, Jake Davis
Colorado Rapids: William Yarbrough (C); Keegan Rosenberry, Lalas Abubakar, Andreas Maxso, Steven Beitashour; Ralph Priso (46′ max), Cole Bassett, Connor Ronan; Michael Barrios (Braian Galvan 77′), Darren Yapi, Sam Nicholson (Kevin Cabral 63′)
Subs not used: Abraham Rodriguez, Sebastian Anderson, Alex Gersbach, Danny Wilson, Bryan Acosta, Calvin Harris
Summary of Misconduct:
COL – Lalas Abubakar (yellow card; unsportsmanlike conduct) 3′
SKC – Roger Espinoza (yellow card; unsportsmanlike conduct) 58′
COL – Kevin Cabral (yellow card; unsportsmanlike conduct) 69′