Wisconsin Soccer Central

It doesn't get much more daunting than this: The first thing Patrick McLain (Eau Claire Memorial) had to do in his Major League Soccer debut was face a penalty kick.

McLain – subbed in after Chivas USA starting goalkeeper Dan Kennedy was sent off for a foul in the box just before the hour mark of Sunday's match at Sporting Kansas City – stepped to his line and did some jumps, presumably both to get loose and to try to distract Sporting striker Claudio Bieler, who was standing over the ball at the spot 12 yards away.

The 24-year-old McLain dove to his left, Bieler sent the penalty into the other side of the goal for a two-goal lead and Kansas City went on to a 4-0 victory over 10-man Chivas USA.

"I told Patrick McLain it was a tough game to come into," Chivas USA defender Bobby Burling told MLSSoccer.com. "You hate to see a kid get his debut like that and you hate to see Dan get a red card like that. It's the worst of both worlds."

McLain, a second-year pro who played in MLS Reserve League matches and friendlies last season for Chivas USA, ended up giving up goals in the 65th and 87th as Sporting dominated play with the man advantage.

Kennedy was issued a red card when referee Baldomero Toledo ruled that he clipped Paulo Nagamura's back leg as he broke into the box. The dismissal means that McLain, who was recently recalled from a loan to the LA Blues of USL PRO, could make his first career start next Sunday at the Portland Timbers.

"If the league reviews (the red card and reverses it), great," Burling said. "But if not, we're confident in the young kid. He's been getting better each and every week in training. It's a long season. The best thing we can do is have a short memory."

• Keara Thompson (UW-Milwaukee) found the back of the net for the first time with her new club, finishing off a flick from Elisabeth Jeppesen on a counter attack in the 58th minute to give Medkila IL a 1-0 victory over host Klepp in a Toppserien match Sunday in Norway. Thompson and fellow midfielder Rosie Malone-Povolny (Marquette) have started all four matches for newly promoted Medkila (3-1-0), which stands a surprising second in the 12-team league behind only Stabæk (3-0-1).
• Sarah Hagen (Appleton North/UW-Milwaukee) scored her fourth goal in the past six matches, but host Bayern Munich had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Duisburg in a Frauen-Bundesliga match Sunday in Germany. Hagen's 12th goal of the league season gave the home team a 2-1 lead in the 57th, but Duisburg scored in the 87th to earn a share of the points. Hagen is tied for seventh in goals in the Frauen-Bundesliga heading into next Sunday's season finale at 1. FFC Frankfurt, while Bayern Munich (13-7-1) is assured of finishing fourth in the 12-team league.
• It was a similar story for Andrew Stadler (Wauwatosa West) and Sandvikens IF in Sweden. Stadler scored for the second straight match, giving his side the lead in the 62nd minute Friday night, but host Eskilstuna City FK got a 93rd-minute equalizer to pull out a 1-1 tie. Sandvikens (0-2-2) is still looking for its first win of the Division 1 Norra season.
• James Weber (Hartford) made it three goals in three matches this season, but his 86th-minute goal proved to be only consolation as Gullingens GOIF fell to host BK Derby 2-1 in a Division 3 Nordöstra Götaland match Saturday in Sweden. Weber has scored 12 goals in 13 matches since signing with the fifth-division club last July.
• Charles Kazlauskas (Milwaukee Thomas More) and Helmond Sport learned their opponents for the semifinal round of the Nacompetitie, the promotion/relegation playoffs in the Netherlands. Helmond Sport (15-5-10), which finished third in the second-tier Jupiler League, will play host to second-place finisher Sparta Rotterdam (16-7-7) on May 16 and the teams will meet again three days later in Sparta. The winner of the two-leg series will advance to another two-leg series, with a spot in the top-level Eredivisie up for grabs. Sparta Rotterdam took four of the six points between the teams during the regular season, winning 2-0 at home on Nov. 9 and tying 1-1 on April 19 in Helmond.