Sporting KC (5-7-2, 17 points) looks to regain its footing in the Western Conference with points at home against D.C. United (3-5-4, 13 points) on Friday night.
The match between the two MLS charter members kicks off at 6 p.m. at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan., with local coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. on 38 The Spot. A national television broadcast will also be available on UniMas, and listeners can follow the action on 99.3 FM (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish).
A limited number of tickets for Friday’s interconference clash may be available at Ticketmaster.com.
Sporting KC and D.C. United currently sit at seventh place in their conferences, but Kansas City is eighth in the Supporters’ Shield standings while D.C. is 16th.
Both teams will enter Friday’s match coming off a loss from the previous week – D.C. United with a 1-0 defeat to Philadelphia Union last Friday and Sporting KC falling 3-1 to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
The teams last met at Children’s Mercy Park in August 2014, when manager Peter Vermes’ men took a 3-0 loss. Prior to that match, Sporting KC had gone nine home games unbeaten against D.C. United – a stretch spanned from 2007-2013 as Sporting KC went 6-0-3 with five clean sheets.
However, D.C. United has since claimed an unbeaten streak against Sporting KC with two ties and two wins in the series. The clubs most recently met in May 2015 at RFK Stadium, where the home side took the lead in the 42nd minute with a goal from Jairo Arrieta. But D.C. couldn’t enjoy the advantage for long – Dom Dwyer equalized right before halftime off an assist from Roger Espinoza.
Sporting KC’s industrious midfielder, Espinoza, was suspended for one game by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for conduct that endangered the safety of an opponent in the 85th minute of last Saturday’s match against Real Salt Lake.
Sporting KC has recalled midfielder Jordi Quintilla ahead of Friday’s game. Quintilla has been on loan with the Swope Park Rangers since April 27. Captain Matt Besler and midfielders Graham Zusi and Soni Mustivar will also miss Friday’s match due to involvement with their respective national teams for the 2016 Copa America Centenario.
Sporting KC is 9-2-2 against Eastern Conference clubs since moving to the West in 2015, including a 6-0-1 mark at Children’s Mercy Park. Vermes’ side is also unbeaten in 13 straight interconference home games dating back to May 2013, boasting a 9-0-4 record during the stretch.
– Story from Sporting KC