Revs Squander Lead, Fight Back to Draw Sporting KC

Six goals were not enough to separate the two clubs on Saturday night as the Revs unbeaten streak in the league continues.

Photo By J. Alexander Dolan

A high-scoring affair at Children’s Mercy Park saw the Revs squander a 2-0 lead in the second half before fighting back to claim a 3-3 draw. It was a third successive draw for the Revs, as they ran their unbeaten streak in the league to six games.

Kansas City had the better of the early opportunities, and Dániel Sallói should probably have put the hosts ahead inside ten minutes — especially after winning the ball in midfield and driving into the box to produce a shot from a good angle — but he failed to trouble Aljaz Ivacic with either of his chances.

It was the Revs who got on the board first, however, with Tomás Chancalay putting the visitors ahead in the 14th minute. Carles Gil played an excellent through ball for Ignatius Ganago. The forward played the ball across the face of goal, and Chancalay was able to stretch a foot far enough to poke home from extremely close range. The goal was his first league goal of the season, his only previous goal in any competition for the 2025 season having come when he scored the opener in his side’s 2-1 victory over Rhode Island FC in the U.S. Open Cup earlier this month.

New England doubled its lead less than ten minutes later, when SKC defender Jacob Bartlett was forced into an own goal in the 22nd minute. Gil once again played an excellent ball, this time to put Peyton Miller in behind, and when he whipped the ball across the face of goal, Bartlett could only turn the ball into his own net, with Alhassan Yusuf lurking.

After that opening ten minutes, which had provided SKC with two good chances, the Revs clamped down defensively, denying the hosts a shot on goal through the remainder of the first half, and when the teams headed down the tunnel at half-tiime, the visitors were two goals to the good and well in control of the match.

SKC opened the second half in much the same way they opened the first, on the front foot. Salloi missed the target again before Erik Thommy had an effort saved by Ivacic, and the hosts finally got their reward when Salloi found the target in the 53rd minute. Thommy tried another effort from well outside the area, and Ivacic saved the ball directly into the path of Salloi, who made no mistake from close range.

The hosts continued to pour forward and as the game approached the hour mark, they had outshot Revs 6-0 in the second half and had another excellent chance when a deflected Dejan Joveljic shot deflected off the crossbar with Ivacic stranded. Their pressure was nonetheless rewarded in the 59th minute, when Mamadou Fofana was adjudged to have fouled Dejan Joveljic in the penalty area. The moment came following a turnover in the New England half, and when Ivacic once again spilled the ball into a dangerous area, Fofana took Joveljic to the ground, and the forward easily converted the resulting penalty to level the score.

Things went from bad to worse for the Revs just two minutes later, when Manu Garcia but the hosts ahead 3-2 following a fast break. Erik Thommy played the ball into the middle, and Garcia did well to control the ball and fire home from inside the box to give his side the lead for the first time on the night.

After having hardly been in the game for the first 20 minutes of the second half, the Revs clawed their way back and had an excellent opportunity by Wyatt Omsberg blocked in the 76th minute. A few minutes later, the visitors had the ball in the back of the net, but Ganago was judged to have been offside when he poked the ball home, and the Revs remained behind for the moment.

They kept at it, and finally got their reward in the 84th minute through Maxi Urruti. A long ball down the right-hand side set Luis Diáz free, and his cross was inch-perfect, allowing Urruti to put the ball into the back of the net and salvage a point for the Revs.

Ten minutes of stoppage time brought further chances for both sides but no further goals, and when the final whistle blew, the points were shared. It was the third time the clubs have combined for at least six goals, following a 4-4 draw in 2019, and a 4-2 victory for SKC in 2015. The Revs — who will rue having let a two-goal lead slip — but be glad to have fought back for a point now head to Washington to take on D.C. United on Wednesday.