Final
Sporting cruises to victory over Toronto
Jun 17, 2012 - 2:43 AM Kansas City, KS (Sports Network) - Sporting Kansas City looks to have gotten back to winning ways as it topped Toronto FC, 2-0, at Livestrong Sporting Park on Saturday to secure its second successive victory.A perfect 7-0-0 start had Sporting on top of the Eastern Conference, but a four game winless run saw the club slip into third place.
With seven points from its last three league contests, Sporting appears to have regained the impressive form that it had in the beginning of the season as first-half goals from C.J. Sapong and Julio Cesar powered the club to a comfortable victory.
Kansas City (9-3-1) improves to 28 points on the season, lifting the club to second place in the East. Toronto (1-10-0) failed to build upon its 1-0 defeat of the Philadelphia Union last time out as it suffers its 10th loss of the campaign and its first under new head coach Paul Mariner.
The home side went in front after just 18 minutes as Sapong connected on a cross from Jacob Peterson and directed his effort past Milos Kocic for his fifth goal of the season.
Toronto came within inches of leveling the score in the 30th minute when Eric Avila latched on to a pass from Torsten Frings. The 24-year-old beat Sporting goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen but was unable to guide his effort into the back of the net as the shot hit the inside of the left post, trickled across the goal line and grazed the right post before Aurelien Collin cleared the ball to safety.
Sporting made the visitors pay for that miss as Cesar doubled the lead five minutes later. He got on the end of a corner kick from Graham Zusi and thumped a one-time volley past Kocic from close range.
Neither side was able to conjure any goals in the second period as the match fizzled out in Sporting's favor.
Both teams return to action on Wednesday as Toronto heads to BBVA Compass Stadium to face the Houston Dynamo and Sporting makes its way to CenturyLink Field to square off against Seattle Sounders FC.
- TORONTO FC: 0
SPORTING KANSAS CITY: 2
Final
Jun 16 10:29 PM - Sporting Kansas City Goal - Cesar 1 (Zusi), 35th minute
Toronto FC 0, Sporting Kansas City 2 36'Jun 16 9:14 PM - TORONTO FC: 0
SPORTING KANSAS CITY: 1
1st Half - 22'
Toronto FC 0, Sporting Kansas City 1 22'Jun 16 9:00 PM - TORONTO FC: 0
SPORTING KANSAS CITY: 0
1st Half - 1'
Jun 16 8:38 PM
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