As Sporting Kansas City’s 2022 MLS regular season home opener looms, SportingKC.com is rolling out a 15-day countdown until MLS is back at Children’s Mercy Park. Sporting began its 2022 campaign with a 3-1 loss at Atlanta United FC. The attention now turns to Saturday’s home opener against longtime rival Houston Dynamo FC at 2:30 p.m. CT at Children's Mercy Park.
The 2022 Preseason Countdown will provide fans with key storylines to keep an eye on as we approach Sporting’s home opener. From player highlights and coaching spotlights to new features at Children’s Mercy Park, the 2022 Preseason Countdown will highlight the many reasons to be excited for what’s ahead.
The 2022 season is officially underway, and Sporting KC is five days away from returning to Children’s Mercy Park. The first opponent to make their way to the Blue Hell is a familiar foe in the Houston Dynamo.
Since Houston came into the league in 2006 the clubs have locked horns 38 times in the regular season. It has been a rather even series with Sporting posting a 12-13-13 record against the Dynamo. The two sides have also met in the playoffs on five occasions including a span of three seasons in a row in 2011, 2012 and 2013. With the next chapter in this storied rivalry being written Saturday, here is a look at Sporting’s rivalry with the Dynamo.
The Early Years:
There were fireworks on the field from the start with these two teams with the first match being decided in the final minute by a Jose Burciaga goal, giving the Wizards a 2-1 victory in front of 20,000 plus Dynamo fans. The Dynamo would go on to earn results in the next eight matchups with Kansas City and would win back-to-back MLS Cups in 2006 and 2007. The rivalry with Kansas City blossomed as Sporting Kansas City became an MLS powerhouse following the move to Children’s Mercy Park.
Playoff Matchups Galore
Sporting and the Dynamo met in the playoffs for the first time in the 2007 Western Conference Final with Houston winning 2-0 en route to their second straight MLS Cup title. The two sides met again in the playoffs in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals with a similar 2-0 Houston victory being the result. The next season, they faced in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with Houston again advancing, this time by way of a 2-1 aggregate victory. Sporting would not have to wait long for another crack at the Dynamo in the playoffs.
In October 2013, after a scoreless first-leg draw in Houston, the two rivals faced each other in the MLS Cup Playoffs for a third straight season, and in the Conference Finals for a third time. Children's Mercy Park was the backdrop as Houston got out to an early lead with a Boniek Garcia goal in the third minute. Sporting did not hang their heads, equalizing off a CJ Sapong goal 11 minutes later. Neither side took advantage of any opportunities until the 63rd minute when Dom Dwyer scored off an assist from now SKC II head coach Benny Feilhaber. Sporting finally vanquished their playoff nemesis from the past three seasons and would go on to win the club’s second MLS Cup eight days later.
The Modern Rivalry
Since that stretch of exciting playoff matchups, Sporting and Houston have both found loads of success, often at the others' expense. Sporting has captured two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles (2015, 2017) knocking the Dynamo out in the 2015 quarterfinals and the 2017 Round of 16. The Dynamo have one U.S. Open Cup title and have knocked Sporting out of the tournament on two occasions.
The stage for this historically consequential rivalry is set for Saturday. Former Sporting KC midfielder Paulo Nagamura, who played major parts in Sporting’s playoff and US Open Cup matches against Houston is now the Dynamo’s head coach after four years at the helm of SKC II. Sporting Legend Jimmy Nielsen who was Sporting’s 2013 goalkeeper against Houston is also on the Dynamo coaching staff.
This adds a little something extra to this rivalry. It just means more when these two teams take each other on. Fans can still purchase tickets to see Saturday’s 2:30 kickoff against the Dynamo at SeatGeek.com. Fans can also tune in to watch on UNIVISION, TUDN and, for the first time this season, on 38 The Spot. Live streaming options will be available at SportingKC.com/live and on the Sporting KC app.
