Sporting Kansas City vs. Houston Dynamo FC
2025 MLS Regular Season | Match 34
Saturday, Oct. 18 | 8 p.m. CT (8:15 kickoff)
Children's Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV | Pub Partners
Listen: 103.7 FM or 810 AM | SKC App
More: Know Before You Go | 5 Things | By the Numbers | Game Notes
Sporting Kansas City will conclude the 2025 campaign with the team's season finale against the Houston Dynamo at 8 p.m. CT on Saturday on Fan Appreciation Night at Children's Mercy Park.
Tickets are available fee free on SeatGeek and the Fan Appreciation Night festivities will include a team poster giveaway at the gates (while supplies last) as well as 50% off adidas styles and scarves at SportingStyle stores, free popcorn on the Mazuma Plaza pregame and discounts on value menu items at stadium concessions throughout the game.
Sporting has played Houston more often than any other opponent during the Sporting era (2011-present) with 49 match-ups across all competitions. The two sides have met in six editions of the MLS Cup Playoffs -- most recently in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals -- however both teams will miss the postseason after disappointing seasons in 2025.
Sporting Kansas City has earned at least a point in eight of its last nine league meetings with Houston (5-1-3) and will look to sweep the season series for only the second time in 20 years. Sporting earned a 3-1 comeback win over Houston on May 31 at Shell Energy Stadium to take the lead in the all-time regular season series with a 15-14-16 record. Dejan Joveljic scored on both sides of halftime while goalkeeper John Pulskamp posted an MLS career-high eight saves.
Joveljic -- named the team's MVP and Offensive Player of the Year last week -- is tied for fourth in MLS with 18 goals this season, which are the second most in a single regular season in club history. Eleven of his 18 goals have come at home, putting him one shy of the record for most goals scored at Children's Mercy Park in a single regular season set by Dom Dwyer in 2014.
Pulskamp -- named the SKC Defensive Player of the Year -- ranks third in MLS with 114 saves, which are fourth most in a regular season by a KC goalkeeper all-time. The 24-year-old is the only SKC player to start every game this season and he could become the fifth player in club history to play every minute of a 34-game regular season along with Jimmy Nielsen (2012-13), Tim Melia (2018), Ilie Sanchez (2018) and Graham Zusi (2018).
Houston is led by head coach Ben Olsen -- a former U.S. MNT teammate of Sporting KC interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin -- with support from two SKC standouts as assistant coaches in Aurelien Collin (2011-2014) and Josh Wolff (2003-06, 2008-10). Olsen will be without four players on Saturday including U.S. Men's National Team midfielder Jack McGlynn (lower body injury), who leads the team with eight assists in addition to seven goals across all competitions, as well as goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell (knee) and defenders Daniel Steres (lower body injury) and Franco Escobar (illness).
The Dynamo have earned road results in 10 of their 16 away matches this season (4-6-6) and the team's attack has been headlined by Argentine striker Ezequiel Ponce, who leads the team with 12 goals in all competitions while the Designated Player also leads the league in fouls committed this season.
SKCvHOU will be officiated by Nabil Bensalah - who made his debut as an MLS referee last month -- and will be available to watch in English (Neil Sika and Lloyd Sam) and Spanish (Erasmo Provenza and Ivan Kasanzew) on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV with local radio coverage on 103.7 FM or 810 AM (Blake Aerni and Jon Kempin). Pub partners in the Sporting Pub Network will also show all of the action, including a watch party at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light district featuring $4 domestic drafts, $5 wells and 50% off nachos for fans in SKC gear starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
