Recap: Sporting KC falls 1-0 to Supporters' Shield leaders San Diego

Sporting Kansas City fell 1-0 against Supporters' Shield leaders San Diego FC on Saturday at Sporting Park as the visitors kept their third straight clean sheet to open the 2026 MLS regular season.

Head coach Raphael Wicky made one change to Sporting Kansas City's lineup from the club's 2-2 draw with Columbus a week earlier as Jansen Miller made his first start of the season in place of the injured Ian James (quad), while 19-year-old SKC Academy product Shane Donovan made his MLS and SKC debut as a late substitute.

The game's only goal came in the 39th minute as San Diego FC Designated Player Anders Dreyer struck from the edge of the penalty area for his second goal in as many weeks. The reigning MLS Newcomer of the Year - who recorded 19 goals and 19 assists as a Best XI selection a year ago - leads all MLS players with five goal contributions through the first three weeks of the season with two goals and three assists.

Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper John Pulskamp produced four saves in the defeat, with his first of the night coming on a superb foot save on Onni Valakari's diving header in the 42nd minute. On the opposite end, Dejan Joveljic forced a save from Duran Ferree on the cusp of halftime with a well-taken shot from a tight angle.

The second half would see San Diego strike the woodwork on three different occasions - in the 53rd minute on Valakari's shot from outside the penalty area, in the 68th minute from substitute David Vazquez and finally in the 92nd minute as Dreyer nearly bagged a brace -- while Pulskamp continued to keep Sporting within striking distance. The 24-year-old goalkeeper twice denied Dreyer, first from close range in the 56th minute and then again 20 minutes later.

Sporting brought Stephen Afrifa and Taylor Calheira off the bench in the final 20 minutes to spark the attack and both came close to netting a late equalizer. Calheira latched onto a perfectly-flicked pass from Manu Garcia in the 88th minute only for a sliding challenge from Oscar Verhoeven and the left hand of Ferree thwart his attempt. Garcia then set up Afrifa four minutes later as the MLS SuperDraft selection unleashed a powerful half-volley that Ferree dove low to his right to palm away.

After back-to-back home matches, Sporting Kansas City will travel to Southern California next weekend to take on the LA Galaxy in a Walmart Saturday Showdown on Apple TV. The Western Conference clash will kick off at 8:30 p.m. CT from Dignity Health Sports Park and pub partners in the Sporting Pub Network will show all of the action.

2026 MLS Regular Season | Game 3
Sporting Park | Kansas City, Kansas
Attendance: 14,294
Weather: 43 degrees and clear

Sporting Kansas City: John Pulskamp; Jansen Miller, Ethan Bartlow, Wyatt Meyer, Jayden Reid; Jacob Bartlett (Stephen Afrifa 71'), Shapi Suleymanov (Kwaku Agyabeng 79'), Manu Garcia; Jake Davis (Shane Donovan 90'), Dejan Joveljic (C), Calvin Harris (Taylor Calheira 79')

Subs Not Used: Stefan Cleveland, Lasse Berg Johnson, Zamir Loyo Reynaga, Cielo Tschantret, Pierre Lurot

San Diego FC: Duran Ferree; Luca Bombino (Oscar Verhoeven 64'), Chris McVey, Manu Duah, Kieran Sargeant; Pedro Soma (David Vazquez 64'), Jeppe Tverskov (C), Onni Valakari (Anibal Godoy 90+4'); Anders Dreyer, Marcus Ingvartsen (Lewis Morgan 76'), Amahl Pellegrino (Ian Pilcher 90+4')

Subs Not Used: Pablo Sisniega, Bryan Zamble, Bryce Duke, Alex Mighten

Scoring Summary:
SD - Anders Dreyer 2 (Onni Valakari 2, Luca Bombino 1) 39'

Misconduct Summary:
SD - Luca Bombino (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 27'
SKC - Jansen Miller (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 36'
SKC - Manu Garcia (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 38'
SD - Manu Duah (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 75'
SD - Chris McVey (yellow card; persistent infringement) 78'
SD - David Vazquez (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 80'
SKC - Jake Davis (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 81'

Referee: Malik Badawi
Assistant Referee: Jeremy Hanson
Assistant Referee: Eduardo Jeff
Fourth Official: Drew Klemp
VAR: Ekaterina Koroleva
AVAR: Jeff Muschik