The final whistle came as a relief for the Union on Thursday night as players dropped to their knees in exhaustion after 97 minutes of play in the Kansas City heat.
Despite being dominated across the board in possession, shots and passing, the team survived a road game against Western Conference leader Sporting Kansas City in a 1-1 tie. The game afforded the Union a point, but it also served as a learning experience for a team struggling to create first-half momentum.
“They put us under a lot of pressure and we didn’t deal with it,” head coach Jim Curtin said.