Sporting Kansas City returns home for the first time since the FIFA World Cup break this week when the team hosts Minnesota United at Sporting Park on Wednesday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 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. Tickets are available via SeatGeek.com.
1. RETURNING TO SPORTING PARK
Sporting Kansas City will play the club’s first match at Sporting Park since the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup break this week when the team hosts Minnesota United on Wednesday night.
Sporting returned to MLS action last Thursday with a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to St. Louis at Energizer Park, while Wednesday’s match will mark Minnesota’s first match since the World Cup break began in May.
With new signings Or Blorian and Emir Karic making their debuts in St. Louis last week and fellow new defender Moises Mosquera building up fitness ahead of his debut, Sporting will be looking to kick on in the second half of the season with 19 games remaining to try to claw their way up the standings and reach the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Addressing the team’s home form will be a priority for Sporting the rest of the season as the team won just one of their first seven home matches before the World Cup break, going 1-4-2. However, improved performances in the team’s last two home matches saw the team pick up their first home win of the season over the LA Galaxy on May 13.
2. WELCOMING THE LOONS
Sporting Kansas City returns home for the first time since the FIFA World Cup break with a showdown against Minnesota United at Sporting Park on Wednesday night. Sporting resumed action last Thursday in St. Louis, while Wednesday’s match will be Minnesota’s first coming out of the break.
Sporting last hosted Minnesota in the nascent stages of the 2025 season, coming back to earn a 3-3 draw in a wild and snowy night at Sporting Park. After falling behind 3-0 just a minute into the second half, Sporting produced a rousing response with goals from Daniel Salloi and Dejan Joveljic along with a Minnesota own goal to pick up a point.
Minnesota claimed the season series last year by cruising to a 3-0 victory at Allianz Field on Oct. 4, 2025. In Sporting’s final road match of the season and penultimate game, Anthony Markanich bagged a brace while Joaquin Pereyra also got on the scoresheet to condemn Sporting to defeat.
All-time, Sporting leads the regular-season series 11-8-5 against Minnesota United, including a dominant 9-1-1 mark at Sporting Park. After winning four on the bounce against Minnesota from 2022-2023, Sporting is now winless in their last five against the Loons since the start of 2024 (0-4-1).
3. JOVELJIC REACHES 25 GOALS IN 50 GAMES
Sporting Kansas City forward Dejan Joveljic showed off his predatory instincts once again last Thursday, scoring an excellent goal against St. Louis in the team’s 3-2 defeat at Energizer Park.
Trailing 2-1 in the second half, Manu Garcia pounced on a turnover and fed Joveljic who sat down his marker before slotting the equalizer into the bottom corner for his team-leading seventh goal of the 2026 season.
The goal was the 25th of Joveljic’s Sporting KC career, coming in his 50th match across all competitions for the club. The Serbian tallied 18 goals in his first season with the club last season and he has now become the second fastest player to reach 25 regular-season goals for the club by doing so in 47 matches - only trailing Sporting Legend Preki who reached 25 goals in 44 matches.
Among all SKC players with 15 or more career regular season goals, Joveljic ranks first in goals per game with 25 goals in 47 regular season games (0.53).
4. GARCIA & CAPITA CONTINUE FINE FORM
Sporting Kansas City’s Manu Garcia and Capita Capemba continued where they left off in the team’s first match out of the FIFA World Cup break, as Garcia tallied an assist and Capita scored a stunning goal in the team’s 3-2 defeat to St. Louis last Thursday.
Garcia entered the break with goal contributions in three consecutive matches - all off the bench - and was restored to the starting lineup in St. Louis. With Sporting trailing 2-1 in the second half, Garcia picked off a pass from the St. Louis goalkeeper and set up Dejan Joveljic with a clever first-time pass, allowing the Serbian to equalize. Garcia has now tallied goal contributions in four straight matches, equaling his best run for the team from last June.
Garcia has recorded 14 assists in 42 games for a rate of 0.33 assists per game - the second highest in club history behind Preki.
Capita - who scored his first goal for the club against the LA Galaxy on May 13 - found the back of the net for a second time on Thursday, rifling a thunderous strike into the top corner to mark Sporting’s third goal from outside the area this season.
5. ANTONGIROLAMI SIGNED AS ONE FOR THE FUTURE
Sporting Kansas City announced on July 6 that the club has signed 15-year-old Academy defender Luca Antongirolami to a contract with Sporting KC II and the Sporting KC first team. Antongirolami joined the SKC II roster immediately under an MLS NEXT Pro contract and will elevate to the Sporting KC first team as a Homegrown Player a year from now ahead of the 2027-2028 season on an MLS contract.
Antongirolami, a Kansas City native and the son of Rockhurst University associate head coach Giorgio Antongirolami, joined the Sporting KC Academy at the age of 10 in 2021 and quickly rose through the ranks, resulting in his professional debut for Sporting KC II in the team’s season opener on Feb. 28, 2026 - becoming the second youngest player in SKC II history.
Antongirolami has been a regular member of the U.S. Youth National Team setup since 2024, representing his country at the U-14, U-15 and U-16 levels. He notably competed in the 2025 Concacaf U-15 Championship last August before most recently participating at the Vertex Cup with the U.S. U-16s in April 2026.
