Sporting Kansas City heads to the Pacific Northwest this weekend to take on Seattle Sounders FC at Lumen Field on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. CT and is available to stream for free on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish, while the match will also be nationally televised on FOX and FOX Deportes. The game will be available on the radio locally on ESPN 94.5 FM (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish).
1. ON THE HUNT FOR ELUSIVE FIRST VICTORY
Sporting Kansas City will go back to the drawing board this weekend when the team heads to the Pacific Northwest to take on Seattle Sounders FC at Lumen Field on Saturday night. Sporting were unable to build upon their triumph in the U.S. Open Cup last Tuesday as the squad fell to a 2-0 loss to CF Montreal at Children’s Mercy Park during their return to MLS play on Saturday.
Sporting remain the only winless team in MLS this season and have endured the worst start to an MLS season in club history, going 0-7-3 and picking up just three points through 10 matches.
The club is set to open a congested part of the fixture list this weekend when Sporting heads to Seattle, opening a slate of games that will see the team play five times in 14 days - with four of those contests coming away from home. Should Sporting advance to the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals, Sporting will play 11 games in the next 35 days.
Over their next four MLS matches, Sporting will play the top three teams in the Western Conference on the road, starting with first-place Seattle this Saturday night. Following a trip to Houston on May 10 in the U.S. Open Cup, the team heads home to host Minnesota United FC on May 13 before a week-long road trip to take on third-place LAFC on May 17 and second-place St. Louis City SC on May 20.
2. SPARRING WITH THE SOUNDERS
Sporting Kansas City hits the road this weekend to take on Seattle Sounders FC at Lumen Field in what will open a stretch of five games in 14 days with a potential to play 11 games in the next 35 days should Sporting continue advancing in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Sporting and Seattle have already met once in 2023, with the Sounders cruising to a 4-1 victory at Children’s Mercy Park on March 25. Willy Agada gave Sporting the lead early with his first goal of the 2023 campaign, before Jordan Morris equalized before the halftime interval. It was the Morris show in the second half as the Sounders forward tallied another three goals to give his side all three points.
Sporting last visited Lumen Field on June 25, 2022 and fell to a 3-0 setback. Will Bruin headed Seattle into an early lead before second half goals from Cristian Roldan and Morris made the points safe for the Sounders.
Sporting KC holds a 10-12-4 record against the Sounders all-time, with Sporting’s all-time series split evenly 5-6-2 home and away.
3. KINDA MAKES MLS RETURN
Sporting Kansas City Designated Player Gadi Kinda made his long-awaited return to MLS action as a second-half substitute in last Saturday’s 2-0 loss to CF Montreal at Children’s Mercy Park. Kinda missed the entire 2022 campaign and the early parts of 2023 after undergoing knee surgery.
Kinda had made his initial return in a 31-minute cameo during the U.S. Open Cup victory over Tulsa Athletic last Tuesday before making his first MLS appearance since the end of the 2021 campaign on Saturday.
Sporting still has yet to see all three of the club’s Designated Players - Kinda, Alan Pulido and Erik Thommy - on the field at the same time since Nov. 28, 2021, with Kinda replacing Thommy in the match.
Kinda showed flashes of the creative brilliance that made him a Designated Player when he signed for Sporting KC ahead of the 2020 campaign from Beitar Jerusalem in Israel. In 53 appearances for the club across all competitions, Kinda has tallied 11 goals and 12 assists from his position in attacking midfield.
4. DAVIS EARNS FULL MLS DEBUT
Sporting Kansas City Homegrown Player Jake Davis made his full MLS debut in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to CF Montreal, deputizing at right back with the team’s pair of primary right backs - Graham Zusi and Kayden Pierre - both sidelined through injury.
Davis - who had also started the team’s Open Cup victory over Tulsa Athletic at right back - acquitted himself well against MLS competition. The 21-year-old led the team with 96 touches, 60 attempted passes, 50 accurate passes as well as 12 final third entries, all while making his first MLS start and just his sixth MLS appearance since signing with Sporting as a Homegrown Player in August 2021.
Typically deployed in central midfield, the Sporting KC Academy product rose through the ranks first by joining Sporting KC II where he’s tallied four goals and nine assists in 62 appearances. Davis has made eight appearances for the club and three starts in all competitions, with his other two starts both coming in the U.S. Open Cup.
5. ZUSI ON CUSP OF YET ANOTHER MILESTONE
Sporting Kansas City defender and club icon Graham Zusi is on the verge of reaching yet another major milestone in MLS. The 36-year-old is already Sporting Kansas City’s all-time appearance leader in MLS regular-season play (349) as well as in all competitions (403).
With his next MLS regular-season appearance, Zusi will reach 350 and move into a tie with former Real Salt Lake stalwart Kyle Beckerman for third-most regular season appearances with one MLS club in league history.
The only players other than Beckerman with more regular-season appearances for one club in MLS history are Chris Wondolowski who had 376 appearances with San Jose and Nick Rimando who had 367 with RSL.
