Sporting Kansas City returns home this weekend as the club hosts reigning MLS Cup champions the LA Galaxy in MLS’s Match of the Week on Sunday night. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be available to stream on Apple TV+ as well as MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, while also being broadcast locally on the radio via Sports Radio 810 WHB. Tickets are available via SeatGeek.com.
1. ROLLERCOASTER STREAK CONTINUES
Sporting Kansas City will look to bounce back from the club’s 2-1 defeat to table-topping FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium this past Saturday afternoon when the team hosts reigning MLS Cup champions the LA Galaxy at Children’s Mercy Park in Major League Soccer’s Match of the Week on Sunday night.
While the Galaxy won MLS Cup back in December - with Sporting’s Dejan Joveljic scoring the game-winner - LA has been in a tailspin ever since and has opened the 2025 season winless in their opening 10 matches (0-7-3).
Under the leadership of interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin, Sporting has gone 2-2-0 in their first four matches since the departure of longtime Manager Peter Vermes, producing a roller-coaster sequence of win-loss-win-loss since the start of April.
Sunday’s match kicks off a hectic month of May for Sporting who will play seven matches throughout the month with five coming on the road - including a brutal seven-day stretch where Sporting travels to Portland, St. Louis and San Diego from May 10-17. Sporting’s only other home game in May comes against New England on May 24.
2. HOSTING THE REIGNING CHAMPS
Sporting Kansas City returns home this weekend for an intriguing matchup against reigning MLS Cup champions the LA Galaxy at Children’s Mercy Park in Major League Soccer’s Match of the Week on Sunday night.
The Galaxy claimed the season series over Sporting in 2024, winning a pair of high-scoring affairs. The first meeting took place on March 23, 2024 at Children’s Mercy Park with LA erasing a 2-0 deficit to score three unanswered in the second half for a 3-2 victory. Nemanja Radoja and William Agada gave Sporting a halftime lead but LA fought back with goals from Eriq Zavaleta, Dejan Joveljic and Marky Delgado.
LA also won the return fixture by a 4-2 scoreline on June 15, 2024 at Dignity Health Sports Park. LA took a 2-0 lead following goals from Joveljic and Gabriel Pec before Stephen Afrifa scored his first MLS goal for Sporting to pull one back. LA restored their two-goal advantage through Joseph Paintsil only for Robert Castellanos to give Sporting hope before Miguel Berry sealed the win late for the hosts.
Sporting trails the all-time series 26-28-18, including a 18-10-9 mark at home.
3. BASSONG SCORES FIRST PROFESSIONAL GOAL
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Zorhan Bassong enjoyed a major personal moment this past weekend, scoring the first goal of his professional career in the club’s 2-1 loss to FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Bassong, who came on as a 66th-minute substitute for Nemanja Radoja in the heart of the team’s midfield, received a pass from fellow sub Erik Thommy on the right side of the area before roofing a strike beyond a helpless Roman Celentano on his weaker right foot to give Sporting hope late in the contest.
The goal was a long time coming for Bassong - who has spent the vast majority of his professional career at left back before transitioning to central midfield late in the 2024 campaign - having come in his 119th professional club appearance in a career that has spanned MLS, France and Romania.
Bassong, who was recently called up to the Canadian National Team for the Concacaf Nations League Finals - joined Sporting Kansas City as a free agent ahead of the 2024 season and has now tallied one goal and one assist in 33 appearances across all competitions.
4. THOMMY ADDS ANOTHER ASSIST OFF THE BENCH
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Erik Thommy continued to show his productivity off the bench by tallying another assist in the club’s 2-1 defeat against FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Thommy entered the game as a 73rd-minute substitute in place of Daniel Salloi and showed terrific composure to set up Zorhan Bassong to pull a goal back for Sporting in the 89th minute of the match.
Thommy now has a goal and two assists in his last two substitute appearances, and also played a major role off the bench to help the club see out the 2-0 victory over St. Louis on April 5. Over the past two weeks alone, Thommy has three goal contributions (one goal, two assists) in 39 combined minutes. Five of Thommy’s last six regular season goal contributions have come as a substitute dating back to Sept. 18, 2024.
The German attacker joined Sporting midway through the 2022 season and has tallied 18 goals and 22 assists in 105 appearances across all competitions in that timeframe, including two goals and two assists in 2025.
5. JOVELJIC SET TO FACE FORMER CLUB
Sporting Kansas City forward Dejan Joveljic is set to face off against his former club the LA Galaxy for the first time this weekend when Sporting hosts the reigning MLS Cup champions at Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday night.
Joveljic spent four seasons with the LA Galaxy, enjoying tremendous success as he tallied 45 goals and 18 assists while leading the team to the 2024 MLS Cup title - scoring the winning goal against the New York Red Bulls in the final.
The Serbian frontman will be looking to keep his hot streak at home going this weekend. All five of Joveljic’s goals for Sporting have come at Children’s Mercy Park, while his home goalscoring exploits date back to his time with the Galaxy as he has 12 goals in his last 10 home appearances in MLS play.
In addition, Sporting goalkeeper John Pulskamp developed in the Galaxy Academy from 2017-2019, while midfielder Memo Rodriguez spent the first half of the 2023 campaign with LA. On the other end, Galaxy midfielder Tucker Lepley is a Sporting KC Academy product who also represented SKC II in 2019.
