A marquee interconference battle beckons Sunday night in the nation’s capital as Sporting Kansas City (2-3-4, 10 points) visits fellow MLS original D.C. United (6-3-2, 20 points) in the club’s first trip to Audi Field.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT with national television coverage on FS1 and FOX Deportes. The game will also air nationally on SiriusXM FC, while Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM will transmit local radio broadcasts. Streamers can catch the action live on FOX Sports GO and receive additional in-game updates via the new Sporting KC App.
Sporting enters Week 11 one point below the playoff line with just over a quarter of the regular season played.
Manager Peter Vermes’ men are winless in seven matches across all competitions since defeating the Montreal Impact on March 31 and took a 3-0 defeat to reigning MLS Cup champion Atlanta United FC last Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park.
A growing injury list has complicated matters for Sporting, as up to 10 players could be sidelined on Sunday. Roger Espinoza (knee), Gerso Fernandes (wrist), Andreu Fontas (calf), Erik Hurtado (knee), Jaylin Lindsey (knee), Jimmy Medranda (knee), Rodney Wallace (hip) and Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal (ankle) are all out, while veterans Matt Besler (hamstring) and Graham Zusi (oblique) are questionable. Moreover, 16-year-old Academy products Gianluca Busio and Tyler Freeman are unavailable on international duty with the United States U-17 Men’s National Team.
Vermes’ shorthanded squad was nonetheless bolstered Wednesday when midfielder Benny Feilhaber sealed his return to Sporting in a trade from the Colorado Rapids. The 34-year-old playmaker previously starred in Kansas City from 2013-2017, racking up 33 goals and 56 assists while helping the side to the 2013 MLS Cup and two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles.
Sunday will see Sporting make its inaugural visit to Audi Field, which opened as D.C. United’s new home last July. After languishing in the Eastern Conference basement for all of 2017 and the first half of 2018, United made the most of a home-heavy final stretch and climbed to fourth place by last season’s end.
The club owns a 15-4-2 regular season record at Audi Field, although two of those defeats have occurred this season-including a 4-0 humbling against LAFC on April 6 and a 2-0 setback to New York City FC on April 21.
Presently tied for first place in the East, D.C. boasts one of the best one-two punches in MLS.
English soccer legend Wayne Rooney (six goals, three assists) and diminutive Argentine Luciano Acosta (three goals, two assists) have transformed head coach Ben Olsen’s men into legitimate title contenders since forging their partnership last summer when Rooney sealed his move to MLS. In 30 regular season appearances, Rooney has 18 goals, 10 assists and an 18-7-5 win-loss record. Acosta, meanwhile, ranked second in 2018 with 17 assists to go with 10 goals.
D.C. has also tidied up in defense. Goalkeeper Bill Hamid is tied for the MLS lead with five clean sheets and center backs Frederic Brillant and Steve Birnbaum rank first and second, in clearances. Industrious midfielders Junior Moreno and Lucas Rodriguez are also among the league leaders in tackles and duels.
Sporting has just one loss in their last seven visits to D.C. since 2011, conceding three goals during that seven-game stretch (2-1-4). The last battle between the teams in D.C. resulted in a 0-0 draw as Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia saved a penalty kick on the opening day of the 2017 campaign.
The most recent meeting at Children’s Mercy Park was decided by Felipe Gutierrez, who fired the hosts ahead after three minutes in a 1-0 win on March 31, 2018.
Matches between Sporting and D.C. have tended to be low-scoring in recent years. In 12 of the last 14 fixtures since 2010, neither team has scored more than one goal. The all-time regular season series is dead even through 55 games, with both teams owning 21 wins and 13 draws.
D.C.’s injury report is shorter than Sporting’s, but Olsen will nevertheless have to account for four absences in Antonio Bustamante (knee), Oniel Fisher (knee), Joseph Mora (broken jaw) and Donovan Pines (knee).
- Story from Sporting KC
