Deja vu? Sporting KC snaps 10 match winless streak against Seattle ... again

What year is it?

Sporting KC snapped a 10-match winless streak against the Seattle Sounders with a 2-1 victory ... for the second year in a row.

After falling behind 1-0, Johnny Russell leveled the score before Alenis Vargas scored the winner in the 85th minute.

If that felt familiar, here’s why.

In 2023, Sporting KC had failed to win any of its first 10 matches before going on the road to the Sounders and snagging a 2-1 road win. That sparked a turnaround that resulted in a run to the Western Conference semifinals.

This win, meanwhile, lifts Sporting off the floor of the 2024 Western Conference standings and snapped a streak of seven straight MLS losses. With a record of 3 wins, 9 losses, 5 draws, Sporting sits in 12th place in the West with 14 points

Seattle’s Jordan Morris opened the scoring 13 minutes in. A chipped ball through the Sporting back line put Morris into a one-on-one situation with Tim Melia, and Morris converted.

Tim Leibold held Morris onside on the pass.

Less than 10 minutes later, Russell scored after striking a loose ball first-time from outside the box. Sounders keeper Stefan Frei dove for the ball, but the shot glanced off his hand and into the bottom corner.

Sporting got a break in the second half after Reed Baker-Whiting picked up two yellow cards in less than 15 minutes — one for a challenge on Russell in the 60th minute and another for a challenge on Vargas in the 73rd.

Vargas had just substituted into the match for Daniel Salloi, who struggled to put weight on his right foot as he hobbled off.

It wasn’t Vargas’ last involvement. He eventually got his game-winner.

Khiry Shelton picked out a perfect pass, and Vargas’ shot — from a wide, near-baseline angle — was low and hard at Frei. The ball bounced off both of Frei’s legs and into the net.

Sporting KC hits the road for its next match, taking on the Los Angeles Galaxy next Saturday in Carson, California.