Sporting Kansas City leads the Best of 3 Series 1-0
Sporting Kansas City’s 4-1 win on Sunday marked just the eighth time in MLS history a road team has won a playoff match by three or more goals and the sixth four-goal away performance in MLS playoff history and the first since 2017 (New York Red Buls at the Chicago Fire).
Sporting Kansas City has failed to win five of its last six home playoff matches dating back to 2018 Conference Finals (W1 D2 L3). Sporting Kansas City had won 14 of its previous 18 home playoff matches (D3 L1) from 2000 through the 2018 Conference Semifinals.
St. Louis City SC will try to become just the third expansion team to win an away playoff match after the Chicago Fire in 1998 and Nashville SC in 2020. St. Louis City SC has managed only three win in its last 16 away matches in all competitions (D3 L10), however, after winning its first three on the road.
Daniel Salloi scored his fourth career playoff goal for Sporting Kansas City in the 4-1 win at St. Louis City SC on Sunday, equaling the third-most in club history. Only Preki (8) and Miklos Molnar (5) have scored more postseason goals for Sporting Kansas City than Salloi’s four (tied with Davy Arnaud and Aurelien Colin). Tim Parker scored his fifth goal of the MLS season (including playoffs) on Sunday one more than he scored in his first seven MLS campaigns combined (4). Three of Parker’s nine career MLS goals have been scored in the playoffs while all nine have come off set plays.