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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014
PAGE 7A
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Toni Dovale shines against Deportivo Saprissa
CHRISTIAN HARDY
@HardyNFL
GEORGE MULLEN/AFRICA SPORTING KC forward Toni Dovale goes after the ball against a Deportivo Saprissa player during Thursday's game at Sporting Park. Sporting KC won 3-1.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
When Spanish forward Toni Dovale first arrived in America to play with Sporting Kansas City in March, he was never deemed ready to stay on the pitch for a 90-minute match.
"For [Dovale] it's not the soccer, it's the speed of the play, the physicality of the game. Saprissa is a very athletic team, so this was very much like an MLS team."
PETER VERMES Sporting KC coach
"There was a game early on. ... I had to take him out because the game got really fast," coach Peter Vermes said in a press conference following Thursday's game. "He just wasn't ready for it."
When he finally played a full 90 minutes on Thursday night in Sporting KC's 3-1 win against Costa Rica's Deportivo Saprissa, he was more than ready. He notched his second and third goals in CONCACAF Champions League play as Sporting KC took control of group 2 with a home win, which increases its point total to four in two games.
"For him it's not the soccer; it's the speed of the play, the physicality of of the game," Vermes said. "Saprissa is a very athletic team, so this was very much like an MLS team."
The Champions League is a major tournament that
brings together the best teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The winner will qualify as the CONCACAF representative for the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup. If the team does come out of group play, it'll be the second consecutive appearance in the tournament round of the Champions League for Sporting KC.
"The team did a really good job, one of the best 90 minutes we have had in the last few weeks," Dovale said in an interview after the game. "I think we are going up again. After some tough games, I think we are going in the right way."
Sporting KC struggled throughout the first half, missing a number of goal opportunities and failing to find any real space in the middle of the field against a tight Saprissa defense. The team still controlled the first half, going to the break at 1-1 after a penalty kick from Dom Dwyer — his 20th goal across all matches and his first Champions League goal. Though Saprissa's Juan Bustos did come up with a goal in the first half, the Costa Rican team never threatened in the second half.
In the 69th minute, Sporting KC defender Igor Juliao floated a pass from the attacking right side of the box into the penalty area. The next time the ball hit the ground, it was past Saprissa keeper Dany Alvarez and into back of the net on a volley from Dovale to give Sporting KC a 2-1 lead.
Seven minutes later, Dwyer drove into the penalty box,
touched the ball with just enough juice to to get it to an unguarded Dovale, who sent it screaming into the top of the net. The goal placed Dovale at third in the league in three goals, tied with eight others.
The game also proved to the coaches that Dovale was finally physically ready.
because I can see the results."
"I've been working very hard with the fitness coach for the last three to four months," Dovale said. "I'm happy
The victory in front of 16,834 supporters moved Sporting KC further from its four-match slump and into better form for what looks to be another run in the MLS playoffs. A
win in Tuesday's match against Nicaragua's Real Esteli will put Sporting KC in good shape to come out of its group and into elimination play for 2015.
Edited by Yu Kyung Lee
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