Russell now has four goals in SKC’s last four matches across all competitions, sparking a mini 2W-0L-1D run since a 7-2 loss at the Portland Timbers left him saying “I’m embarrassed to call ourselves professionals.”
For Russell’s latest act, his 52nd-minute equalizer was a spectacular solo effort from distance after appearing to be fouled. Then his 73rd-minute penalty kick sealed the comeback at Children’s Mercy Park after Dynamo forward Corey Baird had put the visitors ahead just before halftime.
It’s the type of virtuoso performance manager and sporting director Peter Vermes has come to expect from the Scotsman.
“It’s what the captain is supposed to do,” Vermes said. “At the end of the day, that’s why he’s the captain and I don’t mean that comically. He’s the captain. He’s the leader. That’s why the guys respect him. He wins all the time. He wins in practice.
“He brings it to the game week in and week out and that’s why the team follows him. He brings a level of energy and a level of competitiveness that is a great example for every guy on our team and it’s infectious. Don’t get me wrong, the other guys are working, they’re trying, they’re fighting, but at the end he finds a way. It’s apropos.”
