“Sporting KC’s MLS winless skid reaches 6 matches”. Here’s what went wrong against Houston

Sporting KC has now gone six straight MLS matches without a win, losing to the Houston Dynamo 2-1 at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night.

Saturday’s match marked Sporting’s third home defeat this season. The club holds a 2-5-5 record after 12 games, now four points out of a playoff spot and in 11th place in the Western Conference.

Hector Herrera put the visitors on the scoreboard in the 31st minute with another goal scored from a free kick. Although Dynamo’s corner was not immediately sent into the box, the short corner routine had Sporting scrambling, and no one stopped Herrera before he fired a curling shot into the top corner.

Goalie Tim Melia could only watch.

Daniel Salloi equalized in the second half with a great finish. He collected a loose ball at the top of the box, turned and fired a low, hard shot into the bottom corner.

But Houston took advantage of its last big opportunity of the evening. No one at Sporting KC stepped up to stop Dynamo defender Griffin Dorsey, who took the ball from one end to the other before passing to Ibrahim Aliyu, who was wide open behind the Sporting backline.

Sporting’s best chance to equalize came in the 88th minute, when Willy Agada’s header was stopped on the line by Dynamo goalkeeper Steve Clark.

Sporting returns to action next Saturday, traveling to Texas to face Austin FC.

Daniel Sperry covers football for The Star. He can be reached at sperry[email protected].