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| Chance Myers and Jimmy Nielsen celebrate a last-minute road triumph. |
Woah.
Still trying to catch my breath. Did that really just happen? Yes, yes it did.
Let's go back to the moment. Pandemonium. Me, jumping up and down chaotically, screaming so hard that my throat now feels like it's on fire. Sounds like something tragic happened? Well, not exactly.
Now, back even further. It was moments before Sporting KC, a team wanting to relieve the woes of last season's end from their minds, would kickoff and start a new chapter in their tale. The jitters of First Kick were absolutely tearing me apart; I was anxious, impatient, and just about everything else. The referee blew the whistle, and a smile crept onto my face, as I began to realize that the new MLS season was capable of providing Sporting with a new chance to prove themselves - a chance to show the league that this was a matured team that could go all the way.
The rest was a blur: fairly good possession; grittiness from Espinoza, Zusi, and most of all, Collin; a few chances here and there. As the game went on through the second half, it became clear that Sporting needed a spark. On came C.J. Sapong, with only a sliver of time left in the game to make an impact. Sporting KC continued to push for a winner.
And that's when it happened. With stoppage time almost up, Graham Zusi sent in a perfectly flighted ball from a corner kick and Sapong connected with his head. In the ball went, redirected into the corner of the goal.
How can you possibly describe the feeling of seeing a last-minute goal go in for your hometown soccer team in the first game of the new season, after having the last season end so badly? I'd say it's nearly impossible.
Even with this positive start to the season, the sour taste from last year's Eastern Conference Final will not truly be gone for good until Sporting Kansas City casts a dose of revenge on the Dynamo.
