Sporting Kansas City closes out the 2025 season this weekend when the team plays host to the Houston Dynamo at Children’s Mercy Park in the club’s season finale on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 8 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. PUTTING 2025 SEASON TO REST
Sporting Kansas City is set to put their 2025 season to rest this weekend with a regular-season finale against the Houston Dynamo at Children’s Mercy Park on Major League Soccer’s Decision Day.
Sporting can end a forgettable season no higher than 14th place in the West and 25th in the Supporters’ Shield standings, but the club is guaranteed to avoid finishing in last place - as 30th-place D.C. United and 29th-place Atlanta United face off against one another on the final day to see who will win the dreaded Wooden Spoon. Sporting remains the only MLS original that has never finished in last place.
Saturday’s match is a dead-rubber for both teams as neither Sporting nor Houston have a chance to make the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2025 and both sides will be looking to turn their fortunes around heading into 2026.
Following Saturday’s curtain call, President of Soccer Operations & GM David Lee will lead the club into a new era heading into 2026 and beyond as he brings his expertise from a highly successful tenure as New York City FC’s Sporting Director to the Midwest.
2. CONCLUDING WITH HOUSTON
Sporting Kansas City will conclude the club’s 2025 campaign this weekend when the team plays host to the Houston Dynamo at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night.
Saturday’s matchup will be all about looking toward 2026 as both Sporting and Houston have been eliminated from postseason contention in the Western Conference. Sporting will be looking to sweep the Dynamo for the first time since 2018 when the two sides meet this weekend, as Sporting already topped their Texan foes 3-1 at Shell Energy Stadium on May 31 following a brace from Dejan Joveljic and a first goal in Sporting Blue for Santi Munoz.
Sporting last hosted Houston at Children’s Mercy Park on May 11, 2024, suffering a 2-1 defeat. Hector Herrera’s stunning goal gave Houston the lead in the first half before Daniel Salloi equalized for Sporting, only for Ibrahim Aliyu to tally a late winner for the visitors.
Sporting leads the all-time regular-season series against Houston 15-14-16, including a 9-6-7 mark on at home. Sporting is also 5-1-3 in their last nine regular-season matches against the Dynamo dating back to the middle of 2021.
3. JOVELJIC LOOKING TO END BRILLIANT SEASON ON A HIGH
Sporting Kansas City forward Dejan Joveljic will look to close out his brilliant 2025 season on a high this weekend when Sporting hosts the Houston Dynamo in their regular season finale on Saturday night.
Joveljic has enjoyed a stunning first season in Sporting Blue and currently ranks fourth in the Golden Boot rankings with 18 goals. He has tied Preki for the second most goals in a single regular season in club history - only trailing Dom Dwyer’s 22 from the 2014 season.
Coming off a brilliant campaign where he helped lead the LA Galaxy to the 2024 MLS Cup, Joveljic has been worth every penny for Sporting and has tallied 39 MLS goals since the start of 2024 season, only trailing Lionel Messi (47) and Denis Bouanga (45).
4. SPORTING ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS
Sporting Kansas City announced the recipients of the 2025 Sporting Club Awards on Friday, Oct. 10. Votes cast by Sporting players, fans and media determined the following award winners:
- Most Valuable Player: Dejan Joveljic
- Offensive Player of the Year: Dejan Joveljic
- Defensive Player of the Year: John Pulskamp
- Newcomer of the Year: Manu Garcia
- Goal of the Year: Shapi Suleymanov (6/14 vs. DAL)
- Save of the Year: John Pulskamp (5/10 at POR)
Sporting Kansas City also selected award winners in the following categories:
- Golden Boot: Dejan Joveljic
- Neal and Jeanne Patterson Humanitarian of the Year: Mason Toye
- Sporting KC II Most Valuable Player: Shane Donovan
- Bob Gansler Academy Player of the Year: Jacob Molinaro
- Sporting Club Network Member of the Year: Sporting Columbia
5. BASSONG REPRESENTS HIS COUNTRY
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Zorhan Bassong returned to the Canadian National Team for a pair of friendly matches during the FIFA international window in October.
Bassong was an unused substitute as Canada fell 1-0 to Australia at Saputo Stadium in Montreal on Oct. 10 before earning his seventh cap with a late sub appearance in a 0-0 draw against Colombia on Oct. 14 at Sports illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey.
Bassong has enjoyed a busy 2025 with his national team after competing for the Reds at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup this summer and rejoining head coach Jesse Marsch’s side in September. He made two appearances in the Gold Cup group stage - helping the team to an emphatic 6-0 victory over Honduras and playing the full 90 minutes at left back in a 1-1 draw against Curacao - before earning his sixth and most recent cap in a 3-0 friendly win at Romania on Sept. 5.
