Sporting Kansas City at Austin FC
2023 MLS Regular Season | Match 25
Saturday, July 15 | 8:30 p.m. CT (8:39 kickoff)
Q2 Stadium | Austin, Texas
Broadcast Schedule:
Apple TV | Free on MLS Season Pass
English Radio | Sports Radio 810 WHB
Spanish Radio | La Grande 1340 AM
By the Numbers | 5 Things | Tune In on Apple TV | Pub Partners | SKC App | MatchCenter | @SKCMatchday
In action for a third time in eight days, Sporting Kansas City returns to the Lone Star state for a second straight weekend as the club takes on Austin FC on Saturday night at Q2 Stadium.
The Western Conference match-up will kick off at 8:30 p.m. CT – one hour later than originally scheduled due to a forecasted high temperature of 104 degrees in the Texas capital on Saturday – and will be free to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in both English and Spanish.
In addition, local radio coverage will air in Kansas City on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM with streams available in the Sporting KC app. The summer showdown will also be shown by pub partners in the Sporting Pub Network, including an enhanced watch party at The Brooksider Sportsbar and Grill (6330 Brookside Plaza).
Saturday’s road trip comes on the final MLS matchday before a planned pause in the schedule for Leagues Cup 2023 that will see six weeks surpass until Sporting Kansas City resumes the regular season campaign on August 26.
Sporting KC Upcoming Schedule
July 15 at Austin FC (MLS)
July 23 at FC Cincinnati (Leagues Cup)
July 31 vs. Chivas Guadalajara (Leagues Cup)
Aug. 2-4: Leagues Cup Round of 32
Aug. 6-8: Leagues Cup Round of 16
Aug. 11-12: Leagues Cup Quarterfinals
Aug. 15: Leagues Cup Semifinals
Aug. 19: Leagues Cup Final
Aug. 26 vs. San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
With 10 matches remaining in the regular season, Sporting Kansas City sits three points back – and five places below – Austin FC in a tightly contested Western Conference table. Sporting earned a 4-1 victory over Austin FC last month as Mexican striker Alan Pulido provided two goals and an assist en route to earning MLS Player of the Matchday and MLS Player of the Month honors.
Austin FC bounced back to go 3-1-1 since – with all three victories coming in emphatic fashion by three-goal margins -- while SKC has a reverse record of 1-1-3 in the club’s last five outings. Coincidentally, Austin’s lone loss in the last month came Wednesday night in Vancouver, whereas Sporting’s only win in the past month came in a 3-0 victory against the same Whitecaps side.
Sporting leads MLS with 27 goals scored since the start of May and has earned road draws in each of the club’s last three away trips, but travels to Texas with a point to prove after a pair of disappointing 2-2 draws in the club’s past two matches. Sporting settled for a share of the spoils in Houston last Saturday after the Dynamo equalized in the 98thminute and SKC was again denied the full three points on Wednesday despite a 2-0 halftime lead as Real Salt Lake rallied to level the scoreline.
Club captain Johnny Russell and fellow winger Daniel Salloi each scored for Sporting Kansas City in the midweek match, marking the eighth time the duo have scored in the same MLS regular season contest – most of any pairing in the club’s 28-year history. Russell ranks third in club history with 56 goals across all competitions while Salloi sits fourth on the team’s all-time chart with 54 tallies to his name.
Salloi, a Sporting KC Academy product, leads MLS in minutes played this season and ranks second on the team with 11 goal contributions (six goals, five assists) in all competitions. Leading the way in that category with 14 total goal contributions (11 goals, three assists) is Pulido, who has scored twice in each of the team’s last two road matches – becoming only the second player in club history, along with Digital Takawira in 1997, to score multiple goals in consecutive regular season road games.
Austin FC, who finished second in the West a year ago and advanced to the Western Conference Final, is led by a pair of Sporting Legends with head coach Josh Wolff, who played seven seasons in Kansas City, and assistant coach Davy Arnaud, who played 10 seasons in Kansas City, on the team’s technical staff. On the field, midfielder Sebastian Driussi leads Austin with eight goals in all competitions this season and the 2022 MLS MVP finalist has scored in all four of his appearances against Sporting.
