Sporting Kansas City hits the road this week for a July 4 matchup against the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. CT and will be available to stream on Apple TV+ as well as MLS Season Pass, while the game will also be broadcast locally on the radio via Sports Radio 810 WHB.
1. SPORTING LOOKS TO CLOSE GAP TO PLAYOFF SPOTS
Sporting Kansas City hits the road this week for the team’s lone away game in the space of six matches from June 14-July 19 when Sporting travels to take on the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Friday night. Sporting closed out a three-game homestand with a 1-1-1 record following Saturdays 1-1 draw with Real Salt Lake, while Colorado are licking their wounds after surrendering a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 on the road at New England over the weekend.
For the second game running, Sporting earned a result from a losing position having turned a 1-0 halftime deficit into a 2-1 win over Charlotte on June 25 before turning a 1-0 halftime deficit into a 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake on June 28.
Sporting now heads to Colorado where the team has not won since March 29, 2014 - going 0-6-5 in their last 11 visits.
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 19 points (5-5-4 record), scoring 25 goals in 13 matches in the process - tied for the fourth most in MLS during that time.
2. SEARCHING FOR RARE COLORADO WIN
Sporting Kansas City visits a location where wins have been tough to come by over the last decade, heading west to take on the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Friday night at a venue where Sporting has not won in over 10 years.
Sporting last visited Colorado a year ago to the day, facing off on July 4, 2024. The two teams traded second-half goals from Johnny Russell and Oliver Larraz before the Rapids were awarded a penalty deep into second-half stoppage time which Djordje Mihailovic converted to condemn Sporting to a 2-1 loss.
Sporting got some payback in the return fixture at Children’s Mercy Park on Sept. 18, 2024, claiming a 4-1 victory. Alan Pulido scored a brace with goals either side of halftime before Erik Thommy came off the bench to bag a pair of goals of his own to guide Sporting to a comfortable victory.
Sporting last picked up three points on the road against the Rapids with a 3-2 victory on March 29, 2014.
3. GARCIA ONE OF THE LEAGUE’S TOP CREATORS
Sporting Kansas City midfielder and Designated Player Manu Garcia continued his excellent run of recent form on Saturday night, recording yet another assist as Sporting KC came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake at Children’s Mercy Park.
Garcia orchestrated much of Sporting’s attack throughout the night and some of his sharp passing led to the team’s equalizer in the 59th minute as he picked out Erik Thommy on the edge of the area who rifled a shot into the side-netting to make the score 1-1.
The assist moves Garcia to a team-leading nine assists this season - tied for third in the league. The Spaniard has six goal contributions in his last six games as well as assists in four straight matches, the longest active streak in MLS and the second longest streak this year by any MLS player.
Garcia is only the second newcomer in club history to record nine or more regular assists in his first season with the club, joining Johnny Russell (10 assists in 2018).
4. THOMMY COMES UP CLUTCH
Sporting Kansas City captain Erik Thommy stepped up to salvage a point with an excellent strike during the club’s 1-1 draw with rivals Real Salt Lake at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night.
Trailing 1-0 at the interval, Thommy received a pass from Manu Garcia on the edge of the area and curled a brilliant effort beyond Rafael Cabral in the Salt Lake goal and into the side-netting to pull his side level - leading to an inclusion in the MLS Team of the Matchday.
The goal was Thommy’s third of the season to go along with three assists, and his six goal contributions are tied for fourth on the team behind Dejan Joveljic (13), Manu Garcia (11) and Daniel Salloi (9). The German playmaker now has four goal contributions (two goals, two assists) in five career regular season appearances against RSL.
Thommy, who arrived in Kansas City in the summer of 2022 after spending the entirety of his career in his native Germany, has now tallied 19 goals and 23 assists in 114 appearances across all competitions for the club.
5. JAMES MAKES FIRST START AT AGE OF 17
Sporting Kansas City defender Ian James made his first MLS start on Saturday night, proving a steady presence in the heart of the team’s backline as 10-man Sporting saw out a 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake at Children’s Mercy Park.
At the age of just 17 years and 22 days, James became the second-youngest player and the youngest defender to start an MLS game in club history. The only Sporting player to start an MLS match at a younger age than James was Gianluca Busio, who did so at the age of 16 years and 68 days back in 2018.
James had previously made his first-team debut in the Concacaf Champions Cup, playing the final six minutes of the club’s defeat in the second leg of Sporting’s Round One matchup with Inter Miami at Chase Stadium on Feb. 25, 2025.
