KANSAS CITY, Kan. — In an exciting clash, Cristian “Chicho” Arango and Josef Martínez both found the back of the net in the first half, securing a hard-fought 2-1 win for the San Jose Earthquakes against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night. Remarkably, they managed to hold on to their lead despite being a man down for the final 38 minutes of the match.
This victory marks San Jose’s second consecutive win under the guidance of their new coach, Bruce Arena, a distinguished figure with five MLS Cup championships to his name. The Earthquakes had a challenging previous season, finishing at the bottom of the league with only 21 points.
Arango, who was acquired from Real Salt Lake during the offseason, made an immediate impact by scoring an unassisted goal just three minutes into the game. Last season, he delivered an impressive performance with 17 goals and 12 assists in 30 appearances. Of note, he has consistently performed well against Sporting KC, tallying five goals and three assists over eight encounters.
The Earthquakes extended their lead in the 19th minute when newcomer Josef Martínez scored his first goal of the season. This goal marked Martínez’s 117th career goal, leveling him with Bradley Wright-Phillips for sixth place on the league’s all-time scoring list. It was also his 137th goal contribution, putting him third all-time in that category.
Sporting KC reduced the deficit to one goal by the 27th minute thanks to a penalty kick scored by their recent acquisition, Dejan Joveljic. The penalty was awarded after San Jose’s Ian Harkes committed a foul. Joveljic arrives from the Los Angeles Galaxy after a prolific season, netting 21 goals across various competitions.
San Jose faced a significant challenge when midfielder Hernán López received a second yellow card in the 52nd minute, leaving them a player short. His earlier yellow card was issued during the first half’s stoppage time.
Daniel De Sousa Britto was effective in goal for San Jose, recording two critical saves. On the other side, John Pulskamp had four stops for Sporting KC, which, unfortunately, continued its losing streak to nine matches across all competitions dating back to the previous season.
Next on the schedule, the Earthquakes will host Minnesota United, while Sporting Kansas City is set to compete against D.C. United in their upcoming fixtures.
