Teal Bunbury works around DC's Chris Korb (Getty Images)
This match really could have been one of the weekend's main events with a healthy DC United squad, however the squad that took to the pitch in Kansas City was missing several key players and had a tough time challenging Sporting. However, knowing that that KC had just played a hard fought cup final in the midweek, DC still had hopes of getting a result.
Sporting sought to crush those hopes early on though, setting the pace right out of the gate. Over the first 10 minutes of the match Sporting gained an increasing amount of time on the ball, and it was only a matter of time until the quality chances started coming along. Their first goal of the match came in the 13th minute. Graham Zusi knocked a corner kick toward the six, where it found the waiting head of Teal Bunbury. The KC forward calmly headed the ball past Bill Hamid to make it 1-0 to Sporting and leaving the visitors scratching their heads.
DC United did find a way to stay in the match, even though they really didn't look very dangerous on offense. They struck gold on a counter attack chance in the 23rd minute, with Honduran Olympian Andy Najar providing the spark. Bolting up the pitch, Najar connected with Nick DeLeon in the area, who worked around a Sporting defender and slotted the ball home to knot the match at 1-1.
That would be about all that DC United could muster though, as Sporting really took control in the second half. Zusi nearly put the men in blue on top in the 53rd minute, but his effort to chip Hamid hit the crossbar. it was the second time Zusi had hit woodwork in this one. However just ten minutes later he hit pay dirt. Kei Kamara had sent a cross through the box that found it's way all the way through to Zusi on the far post. He smartly slapped a shot through Hamid's legs and into the net to make it 2-1, which was the score at full time.
Notes: With the win, Sporting takes control of sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference on 43 points, two ahead of New York. They showed no hangover from their midweek match, with several players, including Zusi, going the distance. Zusi is also my man of the match with a goal and an assist. DC United was missing several key players, including Dwayne De Rosario, Maicon Santos, Hamdi Salhi, and Robbie Russell. Formerly in first place, they now sit just three points ahead of the Montreal Impact for the final playoff spot in the East.
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