Sporting Kansas City is set to close out the club’s three-game homestand when the team hosts Real Salt Lake at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and will be available to stream on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV, while the game will also be broadcast locally on the radio via Sports Radio 810 WHB. Tickets are available via SeatGeek.com.
1. AIMING TO CLOSE OUT HOMESTAND ON A HIGH
Sporting Kansas City is set to close out the club’s three-game homestand when the team hosts longtime rivals Real Salt Lake at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night. Sporting has gone 1-1-0 in their first two games of the homestand, falling 4-2 to FC Dallas on June 14 before earning a dramatic 2-1 win over Charlotte FC on Wednesday.
Trailing 1-0 entering second-half stoppage time, Sporting got goals in the 93rd and 96th minutes from Mason Toye and Dejan Joveljic to seal all three points. The match marked the fourth time in club history in which the team has scored twice in second half stoppage time of an MLS regular season match and the third time in which Sporting has scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in second half stoppage time.
Saturday’s match is a monumental one for the Sporting family as the club inducts former captain and hometown hero Matt Besler into the Sporting Legends hall of honor with a halftime presentation to go along with a host of other activations throughout the night.
Since taking the helm following the departure of longtime Manager Peter Vermes at the end of March, interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin has picked up 18 points (5-5-3 record), scoring 24 goals in 13 matches in the process - the third most in the Western Conference during that time.
2. FACING LONGTIME FOES AND SOME OLD FRIENDS
Sporting Kansas City concludes the club’s three-game homestand this weekend when the team welcomes old adversaries Real Salt Lake to Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night.
Lining up against Sporting for the first time in their MLS careers will be former captain Johnny Russell and ex-forward William Agada, who are both in the midst of their first seasons with the Utes. Russell left Sporting after seven seasons with the club - including four as captain - when his contract expired at the end of the 2024 campaign, while Agada arrived in Salt Lake City via trade two months ago.
Sporting last faced Real Salt Lake over a year ago on June 19, 2024, falling to a 4-3 defeat at Children’s Mercy Park. Agada scored twice that night to go along with a strike from Stephen Afrifa but RSL’s offense ruled the day. Sporting last visited America First Field in Utah on May 4, 2024, falling to a 1-0 defeat courtesy of Chicho Arango’s late header.
3. JOVELJIC SCORES LATE GAME-WINNER
Sporting Kansas City forward Dejan Joveljic can’t stop finding his way onto the scoresheet, scoring a dramatic late game-winner in the club’s 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC at Children’s Mercy Park on Wednesday night
Joveljic, who has seven goal contributions in his last six appearances, now has a team-leading 13 goal involvements (11 goals, two assists) in just 18 regular-season appearances this season. His 11 goals place him in a tie for third in the MLS Golden Boot charts.
Joveljic has tallied goal contributions in six straight matches for the first time in his MLS career. Joveljic’s run of goal involvements in six straight games is the longest active streak in MLS.
The 25-year-old, who set a new career high with seven shots on Wednesday night, has 21 goals in his last 34 MLS games (including postseason) - spanning a full season worth of matches. The 21-goal total would have been enough to win the regular-season Golden Boot in 2023 and 2021.
In addition, Joveljic’s 32 goals in MLS play since the start of 2024 is the most in the league - one ahead of superstar Lionel Messi.
4. GARCIA INSPIRES COMEBACK
Sporting Kansas City midfielder and Designated Player Manu Garcia produced when it mattered most on Wednesday night, setting up both stoppage-time goals as Sporting came from a goal down to beat Charlotte FC 2-1 at Children’s Mercy Park.
Garcia first clipped a brilliant pass over the top of the Charlotte defense to pick out Mason Toye who finished with aplomb in the 93rd minute, before launching another superb pass into the path of Santiago Munoz who set up Dejan Joveljic for the game-winner in the 96th minute. The pair of assists takes Garcia to a team-leading eight assists this season - tied for third in the league - and five goal contributions in his last five games.
Garcia, who arrived this offseason from Aris Thessaloniki in Greece, ranks third in MLS in fouls suffered (42), progressive passes (163) and successful passes into the final third (144) while ranking fifth in successful passes into the penalty area (42), sixth in successful through balls (10) and 10th in goal-creating actions (10).
5. MUNOZ & TOYE MAKE IMPACT OFF THE BENCH
Sporting Kansas City newcomers Santiago Munoz and Mason Toye came off the bench to help spur the club to a dramatic late comeback in the team’s 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC at Children’s Mercy Park on Wednesday night.
Coming on in the 85th minute, Toye latched onto Manu Garcia’s brilliant pass over the top to slot home his first goal for the club in the 93rd minute and set the stage for a dramatic victory. Three minutes later, another sublime pass from Garcia picked out Munoz in behind who squared for Dejan Joveljic to tap home the winner.
Sporting has now received seven goals from substitutes this season, the third most in MLS. Sporting has also received eight assists from substitutes.
