Sporting Kansas City (1-1-1, 4 points) suffered their first setback of the 2021 MLS season on Saturday, surrendering an early lead in a 3-1 road defeat to rivals Real Salt Lake (2-0-0, 6 points) at Rio Tinto Stadium.
After striker Alan Pulido fired Sporting ahead within the first 20 minutes, Real Salt Lake responded through Damir Kreilach and secured all three points thanks to Rubio Rubin’s second-half double. The result snapped Sporting’s eight-match regular season unbeaten run and five-game regular season road unbeaten run dating back to 2020—both of which were the longest active streaks in MLS.
A new-look Sporting Kansas City lineup featured four changes from a 1-1 home draw against Orlando City SC on April 23.