Sporting Kansas City vs San Diego FC

San Diego came to Children's Mercy Park and suffocated Sporting Kansas City's attack, dominating possession with 67 percent of the ball and forcing the home side into a defensive shell. The visitors peppered goal with 15 shots across the match, though only five found the target, but it was enough. One goal separated the teams at the end—a 0-1 defeat that leaves Sporting frustrated on their own turf. Anders Dreyer was the architect of San Diego's control, pulling the strings throughout and earning the official man of the match rating with a performance that justified his side's relentless pressure. Sporting managed just three shots on target from five attempts and picked up only two corners as San Diego's backline held firm. Peter Vermes' side never really got going in the final third and paid the price for their inability to create meaningful chances. This is a tough loss at home, and they'll need a response quickly.

San Diego FC beat Sporting Kansas City 0-1 at Children's Mercy Park, and the numbers from the match back up how the game played out. Even without the extra share of possession, which finished 33% in favour of Sporting Kansas City, San Diego FC made the most of the chances that mattered and did enough to see the game out. The shot count told a similar story, with 5 attempts from Sporting Kansas City against 15 from San Diego FC over the course of the game. Sporting Kansas City had their moments and did not make it easy from start to finish, but ultimately came up short on the day. Small margins like this one tend to add up over a season, and results such as this are often what separates teams in the table further down the line. Here is a closer look at exactly how the two sides compared, statistically.