Goalies dominate as Sporting KC, San Diego in scoreless draw

John Pulskamp came up with three saves on Saturday night and Sporting Kansas City was able to salvage a 0-0 draw at San Diego FC, holding one of the MLS’ most potent offenses off the scoresheet.

San Diego FC (7-4-3, 24 points) generated major advantages in possession time (61 to 39 percent) and shots (10-2) but couldn’t convert either category into a goal that would have kept them in second place in the West standings. Instead, they fell to third, a point behind Minnesota.

That’s in part because of Pulskamp, who delivered critical saves that allowed Sporting KC (3-8-3, 12 points) to post its third clean sheet. He denied Jeppe Tverskov on a header in stoppage time to end the first half, then stopped Anders Dreyer’s left-footed attempt in the box in the 67th minute.

Pulskamp also got help from teammate Manu Garcia, who bailed him out during the 60th minute by clearing a loose ball out from directly in front of the net.

While Pulskamp had some work, San Diego’s CJ dos Santos barely had to show up to produce his second straight clean sheet, making one first-half save. Since conceding three goals in three straight matches — all losses — San Diego has coughed up just one in going 3-0-1 in the last four matches.

The prematch storylines concerned both teams’ ability to score. San Diego entered the match with the third-most goals in MLS at 25, while Sporting KC has upped its output considerably under interim coach Kerry Zavagnin, scoring 13 goals in seven matches.

But neither team could dent the other’s defense in the first half, although San Diego certainly had the best opportunity to do so. Hirving Lozano was turned away by Pulskamp in the 13th minute on the biggest of those chances.

Sporting KC’s only shot on frame occurred in the 16th minute but dos Santos denied Shapi Suleymanov. San Diego enjoyed a big advantage in possession time and shot attempt but couldn’t cash in and the teams headed for halftime in a 0-0 draw.

–Field Level Media