San Jose Earthquakes continued their strong early-season form on Saturday night, coming from behind to defeat Sporting Kansas City 3-1 at Children’s Mercy Park in Major League Soccer. After Jacob Bartlett gave the hosts the lead in the 27th minute, the visitors flipped the fixture with a clinical response led by Jack Skahan, who struck in the 44th and 49th minutes before Dave Romney added the third in the 75th minute.
For a while, it looked as though Sporting Kansas City might build on a promising opening spell. The home side found the breakthrough in the 27th minute when Jacob Bartlett finished to make it 1-0, rewarding a solid start in front of the Kansas City crowd. Sporting were competitive through much of the first half and matched San Jose in total shots on the night with 10, but the Earthquakes proved far sharper in the decisive moments.
The turning point arrived just before the interval. Jack Skahan pulled San Jose level in the 44th minute, a timely goal that changed the mood of the match and sent the visitors into halftime at 1-1 despite Sporting’s early advantage. That equaliser carried real weight, and San Jose came out after the restart with purpose.
Only four minutes into the second half, Skahan struck again in the 49th minute to complete his brace and put the Earthquakes in front for the first time. Sporting Kansas City were suddenly chasing the match, and while they managed four shots on target overall, they could not find the cutting edge needed to restore parity.
San Jose’s control was not overwhelming in possession, but it was effective. The visitors edged the ball with 51.3 percent possession, won four corners to Sporting’s two, and made their attacking sequences count. Their three goals came from just three shots on target, a ruthless return that underlined how efficient they were in the final third.
Sporting’s frustration began to show as the second half wore on. Shapi Suleymanov was booked in the 54th minute, and with the home side pressing for a way back, San Jose instead found the goal that settled the contest. In the 75th minute, Dave Romney got on the scoresheet to make it 3-1, giving the Earthquakes breathing room and effectively putting the result beyond doubt.
There was another yellow card for Sporting late on when Taylor Calheira went into the book in the 82nd minute, but by then the rhythm of the match belonged to San Jose. The Earthquakes saw out the closing stages with confidence to secure an impressive away victory.
The result keeps San Jose’s momentum rolling, with the visitors improving to 5-0-1 across their opening six league matches. Sporting Kansas City, meanwhile, slipped to 1-1-4 and were left to reflect on a match that began well but got away from them after Skahan’s late first-half equaliser.
In the end, this was a fixture decided by timing and efficiency. Bartlett’s 27th-minute opener gave Sporting Kansas City something to build on, but San Jose Earthquakes responded with conviction. Skahan’s quick-fire brace in the 44th and 49th minutes swung the match, and Romney’s 75th-minute finish closed the door on a polished 3-1 road win.
