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Rémi Walter and Jake Davis scored seven minutes apart in a three-goal second half as Sporting Kansas picked up where it left off with a 3-1 victory over FC Toronto on Saturday night.
It was the first meeting between the clubs in 1,758 days but that didn’t matter to Sporting KC (2-1-3), which improved to 7-0-4 in the last 11 matchups. The length between matches was Sporting KC’s longest against any opponent. Coach Peter Vermes is 12-1-6 all time versus Toronto since taking the reins in 2009, with the lone loss coming on March 9, 2013, at the Rogers Centre. Sporting KC is 5-0-4 all time at BMO Field, Toronto’s current home.
Sporting KC struck quickly midway through the second half to grab a 2-0 lead. Walter scored unassisted in the 57th minute, sending a left-footed shot to the bottom left corner of the net. Jake Davis used an assist from William Agada in the 64th to send a right-footed shot to the bottom left corner for a two-goal lead. It was the second goal this season for Walter and the first for Davis.
Alenis Vargas, a 20-year-old forward, made it 3-0 in the 83rd minute with his first career goal in the third appearance of his rookie season. Vargas used an assist from Davis to drill a right-footed shot to the same spot Walter and Davis did.
Toronto (3-2-1) avoided a shutout when Jonathan Osorio took a pass from Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty in the seventh minute of stoppage time and scored his first goal of the season. Tim Melia turned away one shot for Sporting KC. Luka Gavran had six saves in his seventh career start for Toronto. Gavran had five saves for Toronto in a scoreless first half. Melia’s save came in the second half.
Toronto, under first-year coach John Herdman, had equaled the club´s best start through five matches.
Sporting KC was coming off a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy in which it blew a two-goal lead after the 70th minute for the first time in club history.
Toronto travels to play the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. Sporting KC returns home to play the Portland Timbers on April 7.
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