Sporting Kansas City is set to host the San Jose Earthquakes this weekend in the club’s MLS home opener on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and will be available to stream in English and Spanish on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV. Tickets are available on SeatGeek.com.
1. FULL STEAM AHEAD IN MLS PLAY
Following elimination from the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup midweek with the 3-1 second-leg loss to Inter Miami CF at Chase Stadium, Sporting’s full focus for the remainder of the 2025 campaign will be on the MLS season.
Sporting will not participate in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup or Leagues Cup this season, so the club has 33 remaining regular-season matches to focus on and look to clinch a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs by season’s end.
Sporting dropped the first MLS match of the season after a late Austin FC goal frustrated the visitors in their MLS season opener last weekend, while a revamped San Jose team cruised to a 4-0 victory over Real Salt Lake at PayPal Park to open 2025 for the new Bruce Arena-led ‘Quakes last Saturday.
Sporting is 16-3-10 in MLS home openers all-time and 5-1-8 in home openers played at Children’s Mercy Park, with the only loss coming in 2018 against New York City FC - a season where Sporting would end up finishing atop the Western Conference standings.
2. HOSTING NEW-LOOK EARTHQUAKES
Sporting Kansas City is set to host the San Jose Earthquakes in the club’s MLS home opener at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night. While the ‘Quakes finished dead last in 2024, the squad has a new look this year headlined by new head coach Bruce Arena and top MLS strikers Chicho Arango and Josef Martinez.
Sporting claimed the double over San Jose last season, earning a pair of 2-1 wins home and away. The first meeting took place at Children’s Mercy Park on March 16, 2024 with Sporting coming back from an early deficit to claim a 2-1 victory off goals from Dany Rosero and Alan Pulido.
The two sides met again at PayPal Park on July 13, 2024 and Sporting once again earned a one-goal victory. Erik Thommy and Alan Pulido each struck shortly after the halftime interval and despite a late own goal that gave San Jose hope, Sporting held on for all three points.
Sporting holds a 32-26-10 lead in the all-time regular-season series between the two sides, including a dominant 24-8-2 mark at home. Sporting are unbeaten against San Jose in their last eight meetings in MLS play (7-0-1) and unbeaten in their last 11 across all competitions (7-0-4), having triumphed on penalty kicks in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup Semifinal and in the 2020 and 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.
3. BARTLETT & RODRIGUEZ COMBINE FOR FIRST GOAL OF 2025
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Memo Rodriguez scored the club’s first goal of the 2025 campaign on Tuesday, firing home a consolation goal from distance in the 3-1 loss to Inter Miami CF at Chase Stadium that saw the team eliminated from the Concacaf Champions Cup.
The goal was Rodriguez’s first goal in an international competition throughout his career and his first since scoring a stunning game-winner in Sporting’s 3-2 victory over FC Dallas on July 7, 2024.
Sporting KC Academy product Jacob Bartlett recorded an assist on the goal, marking his first goal contribution since signing for Sporting as a Homegrown player this offseason. At the age of just 19, Bartlett becomes the youngest player in club history to record an assist in an international competition.
4. FIRST STARTS FOR GARCIA & SHAPI
Sporting Kansas City duo Manu Garcia and Shapi Suleymanov each made their first starts for the club during the team’s 3-1 loss to Inter Miami CF on Tuesday night at Chase Stadium in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Garcia has appeared in all three matches this season with impressive cameos off the bench in the club’s opening two matches before going 58 minutes on Tuesday. Shapi made his club debut last Saturday in Austin as a late substitute and also earned plaudits during his 58-minute outing on Tuesday.
Both Garcia and Shapi signed in a transfer from Aris Thessaloniki in Greece at the start of February. Garcia arrives in KC having amassed 21 goals and 40 assists in nearly 300 professional matches, playing in the top divisions of England, France, Netherlands, Spain and Greece while also representing the Spanish Men’s National Team and the U-16 through U-21 youth national teams.
Suleymanov recorded 55 goals and 46 assists while making over 300 appearances in Russia, Turkey, Israel and Greece prior to arriving in Kansas City. The left-footed winger boasts experience in Europe’s premier club competitions - including the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League - and competed as a youth international at the U-16 through U-21 levels.
5. JAMES, 16, BECOMES SECOND YOUNGEST SKC DEBUTANT
Sporting Kansas City Academy product Ian James enjoyed a momentous personal moment during Sporting’s 3-1 loss to Inter Miami CF at Chase Stadium on Tuesday night - becoming the second youngest player to make his debut in club history.
James, 16, signed with Sporting as a Homegrown player during the offseason after playing for the club’s U-14s through U-19s youth levels and broke into the U.S. U-16 and U-17 Men’s National Teams in 2024.
On Tuesday night, James replaced Dany Rosero in the 84th minute to play the first six minutes of his burgeoning professional career. By making his professional debut at the tender age of 16 years and 262 days, James became the second youngest debutant in Sporting history, only trailing fellow Academy product Gianluca Busio who made his debut at the age of 16 years and nine days in an Open Cup match on June 6, 2018.
