Kansas City stun St.Louis, Barreal at the double for Cincinnati

St. Louis City, the top seeds in the Western Conference, experienced a surprising 4-1 defeat at home against Sporting Kansas City in the MLS playoffs opener on Sunday.

Despite defying expectations in their first season, St. Louis suffered a devastating loss in the first game of the playoff series.

Kansas City took the lead in the 27th minute with a powerful left-foot strike from Logan Ndenbe, but St. Louis quickly equalized through Tim Parker after a corner kick.

However, Sporting, a wildcard qualifier, maintained their attacking momentum and regained the lead with a low shot from French midfielder Remi Walker.

Just three minutes later, Gadi Kinda of Sporting scored an impressive solo goal, bursting into the box and unleashing an unstoppable shot from 25 yards.

St. Louis’ hopes of a comeback were dashed in the 61st minute when Daniel Salloi of Kansas City found the back of the net.

The two teams will meet again in the second game on November 5 in Kansas City.

FC Cincinnati, the overall top seed, had a convincing start to their postseason campaign with a 3-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls in their first game on Sunday.

Argentine Alvaro Barreal opened the scoring for Cincinnati in the 23rd minute, assisted by Junior Moreno’s precise through pass.

Luciano Acosta doubled the lead for Cincinnati in the 35th minute with a clever chip from over 30 yards out.

Barreal sealed the victory for Cincinnati with his second goal in the 89th minute, assisted by Acosta.

The two teams will face off again in New York on Saturday.

In their first match, the Houston Dynamo secured a 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake with Amine Bassi’s 79th-minute winning goal.

Houston took the lead in the 22nd minute through Hector Herrera, and Real Salt Lake equalized in the second half with a goal from Luca.

However, Bassi’s decisive strike gave the Dynamo the advantage in the series.

The two teams will meet again in Salt Lake on November 6.

The MLS playoffs continue with Orlando City hosting Nashville in the East and the Seattle Sounders facing Dallas in the West on Monday.

– Dynamo edge RSL –

Amine Bassi struck a 79th-minute winner as the Houston Dynamo beat Real Salt Lake 2-1 in their first match.

French-born midfielder Bassi pounced on a loose ball in the box and slotted home after Griffin Dorsey’s low effort had been pushed out by Zac MacMath.

Houston, the fourth seed in the Western Conference, dominated fifth-seeded RSL from the outset, pinning their opponent back in the opening stages.

The Dynamo grabbed the lead in the 22nd minute through Mexico international Hector Herrera, who collected a cushioned header from Adelberto Carrasquilla and fired home from the edge of the box.

The goal forced RSL into a more positive approach and Costa Rican wing-back Bryan Oviedo went close with a shot that was cleared off the line by Houston’s Brazilian defender Micael.

Diego Luna curled a shot wide for the visitors just before the break and that was a sign of things to come from Salt Lake.

It was a superb counter-attack 10 minutes after the interval that brought RSL level, with Andres Gomez driving from deep in his own half before squaring to Luca, who fired home.

But Houston, the US Open Cup winners, responded strongly and former Nancy midfielder Bassi’s decisive strike gave the Dynamo the series advantage ahead of their November 6 meeting in Salt Lake.

“A playoff win –- it’s hard to get ’em, believe me,” Houston coach Ben Olsen said.

“You see why because you’re going against opponents now that are cagey, experienced, you’re going against a coach that has been in these situations many times and has had success. These are what playoff games look like.”

The first round continues on Monday with Orlando City hosting Nashville in the East while in the West the Seattle Sounders face Dallas.

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