Sporting Kansas City concludes the 2026 MLS season this weekend when the team visits San Diego FC on Decision Day this Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be available to stream on Apple TV, while the game will also be broadcast locally on the radio via Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.
1. SEASON FINALE ON THE HORIZON
Sporting Kansas City is set to close out the 2026 MLS season this weekend when the team heads to Southern California to take on San Diego FC at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday night. Sporting still holds on to hope that the team can avoid finishing in last place this season, with CF Montreal still within reach in 29th.
Sporting and Montreal both picked up a point with respective 1-1 draws last weekend, leaving Sporting three points back of the Canadians with one game remaining. Should Sporting beat San Diego and Montreal lose to the Vancouver Whitecaps this weekend, Sporting and Montreal would be level on points but KC would jump the Club de Foot on the wins tie-breaker.
The only reason Sporting was not doomed to last place this previous weekend was down to the late heroics of goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland. The 32-year-old produced a stunning save to deny Dallas top scorer Petar Musa from the penalty spot in second-half stoppage time for Cleveland’s first-ever penalty save in MLS play.
Following Saturday’s season finale, Sporting will be off for the remainder of the year before beginning preseason preparations in mid-January before the 2027 MLS Sprint Season kicks off on Feb. 20 with a trip to face the Houston Dynamo.
2. VISITING SAN DIEGO ON DECISION DAY
Sporting Kansas City concludes the 2026 MLS season this weekend with a trip to take on San Diego FC at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday night. Both teams head into the Decision Day matchup on the back of disappointing seasons, having already been eliminated from postseason contention.
Sporting hosted San Diego at Sporting Park back on March 7, 2026 in the reverse fixture, falling to a 1-0 defeat in a tightly-contested game. Anders Dreyer scored the only goal of the game late in the first half when the San Diego star curled home from the edge of the area to give the Californians all three points.
Sporting last visited San Diego on May 17, 2025 in the inaugural showdown between the two sides, splitting the points following a 0-0 draw. On a cagey night at Snapdragon Stadium, Sporting almost stole all three points in the second half but Shapi Suleymanov’s effort crashed off the underside of the crossbar as the game ended in a stalemate.
Sporting still awaits the team’s first goal against San Diego, having been shutout in all three previous matchups, and trails the all-time regular-season series 0-2-1.
3. MILLER SCORES FIRST CAREER GOAL
Sporting Kansas City defender Jansen Miller enjoyed a momentous moment last weekend, finding the back of the net for the first time in his professional career during the team’s 1-1 draw with FC Dallas at Sporting Park on Saturday night.
With the team trailing courtesy of an early Herman Johansson goal, Miller rose highest at the far post on the stroke of halftime to send Owen Wolff’s free kick delivery into the back of the net with a bullet header which ultimately salvaged a point for SKC. Miller had previously gone close midweek, but his header off a corner in Minnesota caromed off the post.
Sporting selected Miller with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft out of Indiana University. The 24-year-old has gone on to make 49 appearances in all competitions for Sporting over the past two seasons, tallying one goal and one assist from center back.
4. WOLFF GETS FIRST ASSIST FOR SKC
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Owen Wolff made the most of his first start for the club this past weekend, picking up his first assist since signing with Sporting in August during the 1-1 draw with FC Dallas at Sporting Park on Saturday afternoon.
Wolff has battled injuries since arriving in Kansas City this summer but was inserted into the lineup for the first time last Saturday and quickly showed his quality, delivering a pin-point free kick in first-half stoppage time that was headed home by Jansen Miller at the far post to make the score 1-1.
It was Wolff’s second assist of the season, having recorded a secondary assist for Austin FC in Sporting KC’s 2-1 victory at Q2 Stadium on May 16, 2026, taking him to 18 career regular-season assists.
Sporting KC acquired Wolff in a cash-for-player trade from Austin in late August. Wolff, the son of Sporting Legend Josh Wolff, joined SKC after recording 10 goals and 23 assists in 147 appearances for Austin FC as one of the most exciting young players in MLS and has been named to Major League Soccer’s annual 22 Under 22 rankings the last four seasons.
5. SPORTING SETS CLUB RECORD WITH 20 DEBUTS IN 2026
Sporting Kansas City has undergone a roster overhaul throughout the 2026 season and has had 20 players make their debuts for the club to date. In fact, every single player that has been signed this season has made at least one appearance for the club.
Sporting signed 19 new players this season, with all 19 making their debuts, while SKC II midfielder Shane Donovan also debuted while on a short-term agreement with the first team, resulting in 20 debuts for the club in 2026 - the highest amount in Sporting history following the team’s inaugural season in 1996.
Sporting has gotten contributions out of the team’s debutants this season, resulting in 21 goals and 28 assists from first-year players in 2026 - led by the attacking trio of Taylor Calheira (5 goals, 3 assists), Calvin Harris (4 goals, 6 assists) and Andre Luiz (7 goals, 3 assists).
