Sporting Kansas City remains at home this weekend as the team looks to build on last week’s rivalry victory over St. Louis when the Portland Timbers visit Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1:15 p.m. CT and will be nationally televised on FOX and FOX Deportes, while also being available to stream on MLS Season Pass and Apple TV+. The game will also be broadcast locally on the radio via Sports Radio 810 WHB. Tickets are available at SeatGeek.com.
1. WINLESS RUN SNAPPED vs. ARCHRIVALS
Sporting Kansas City capped an emotional week with their first victory of the 2025 campaign last Saturday with a 2-0 win over archrivals St. Louis at Children’s Mercy Park.
The organization parted ways with Manager Peter Vermes last Monday after a wildly successful 20-year stint at the club in various roles, leading to longtime assistant coach Kerry Zavagnin taking charge for the team’s victory on Saturday night - resulting in Coach of the Matchday recognition.
The win snapped a club-record 13-game winless run across all competitions since a 4-1 thrashing of the Colorado Rapids at Children’s Mercy Park on Sept. 18, 2024. Forced to be patient by a defensively stout St. Louis team for much of the game, star striker Dejan Joveljic scored twice in the last 20 minutes to seal all three points.
Sporting recorded their first MLS shutout since Aug. 24, 2024 with youngsters Jacob Bartlett, Jake Davis, Jansen Miller and John Pulskamp all impressing.
Sporting continues the club’s new era this weekend with a home match against the Portland Timbers before back-to-back road matches at San Jose (April 19) and Cincinnati (April 26).
2. EXORCISING DEMONS vs. PORTLAND
Sporting Kansas City will be looking to exorcise some demons this weekend when the team hosts the Portland Timbers at Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday afternoon. Almost a year to the day since a home match against Portland essentially derailed a promising start to the 2024 season, Sporting will have an opportunity to put that right after winning their first match of the 2025 season this past Saturday.
On April 7, 2024, Sporting seemed to be cruising to three points after taking a 3-0 lead into halftime following a brace from William Agada and a set-piece goal from Dany Rosero. However, after Agada missed a penalty early in the second half, the Timbers roared back to tie the game at 3-3 - a result that kicked off a 10-game winless run in MLS play.
The return fixture took place at Providence Park on May 25, 2024 - game eight of that 10-game winless run - with Sporting falling 2-1 with Evander striking late after Felipe Mora and Memo Rodriguez had traded goals.
Sporting leads the all-time regular-season series 9-8-7, including a 5-1-5 mark at home where Sporting has not lost to Portland in the regular season since 2013.
3. JOVELJIC LEADS SPORTING TO FIRST WIN
Sporting Kansas City forward Dejan Joveljic broke out with his most productive performance for the club since joining this offseason as he bagged a brace in the 2-0 win over St. Louis at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night.
Joveljic broke the deadlock with a composed finish after being slipped through by Manu Garcia in the 71st minute before sealing the win with his team-leading fourth goal of the campaign in the 88th minute as Sporting claimed their first victory of the 2025 season.
Joveljic tied his MLS career-highs in goals (two), shots (six) and shots on goal (four) on Saturday. The Serbian frontman also recorded the highest expected goals in the league this weekend (1.4) on his way to being named to the MLS Team of the Matchday.
All four of Joveljic’s goals this season have come at Children’s Mercy Park and he now has 11 goals in his last nine MLS home appearances dating back to last season with the LA Galaxy.
4. GARCIA SHOWS CREATIVE QUALITIES
Sporting Kansas City midfielder and Designated Player Manu Garcia showed his best form for the club to date during the 2-0 victory over St. Louis on Saturday night at Children’s Mercy Park.
With the game deadlocked with approximately 20 minutes remaining, Garcia drifted in behind the St. Louis midfield and received a pass from Nemanja Radoja before slipping in Dejan Joveljic to give Sporting a precious lead.
It was Garcia’s second assist of the campaign after also setting up Joveljic’s equalizer in the 3-3 draw against Minnesota United on March 15, while it also stood as his first game-winning assist in Sporting Blue. Garcia was named to the bench of the MLS Team of the Matchday for his performance.
Garcia, who arrived alongside teammate Shapi Suleymanov from Greek side Aris Thessaloniki in the offseason, ranks third in MLS in progressive passes (58), seventh in successful take-ons (13), eighth in successful passes into the final third (46) and 10th in shot-creating actions (31).
5. BESLER SELECTED AS 2025 SPORTING LEGENDS INDUCTEE
Sporting Kansas City announced on Tuesday that MLS Cup champion, World Cup veteran and hometown hero Matt Besler has been selected as the newest member of Sporting Legends. Besler, who starred for Sporting for 12 seasons from 2009-2020, will be formally inducted into the Sporting Legends hall of honor in an on-field ceremony on June 28 when Sporting Kansas City hosts Real Salt Lake at Children’s Mercy Park.
One of the most accomplished and beloved players in Sporting history, Besler enjoyed a heralded career that spanned 13 MLS seasons and included a storybook 12-year stint with his hometown club. He anchored Kansas City’s defense from 2009-2020 as one of the premier center backs in MLS, serving as club captain in each of his last seven seasons and cementing his place as a fan favorite on and off the field. Besler helped Sporting win four major championships, playing in every minute of the 2013 MLS Cup as well as the 2012, 2015 and 2017 U.S. Open Cup finals.
During his successful tenure in KC, Besler was a five-time MLS All-Star (2011, 2013-2016), a two-time MLS Best XI honoree (2012 & 2013) and the 2012 MLS Defender of the Year. In MLS regular season play, Besler ranks third in club history in matches played (294) and wins (129) while placing second in starts (285) and minutes (25,501). Across all competitions, he is third on the club’s all-time charts in total appearances (348) - trailing only his longtime friends and teammates Graham Zusi (411) and Roger Espinoza (399) - and second in starts (337) and minutes (30,396).
