The New Era Comes Home: Sporting KC Hosts the Crew

Sporting Kansas City is back in action at home for Matchday 2, welcoming the Columbus Crew to Sporting Park as both clubs look to shake off rough opening weekends.

The start of the 2026 MLS season brought a massive shift for SKC. Probably the biggest organizational shakeup we’ve seen in two decades, or maybe even in forever. Under President of Soccer Operations David Lee and new head coach Raphael Wicky, the team’s goals are clear and obvious: rebuild the roster, re-energize the fanbase, and implement a new style and identity for a team that has been adrift. But opening weekend was a reality check regarding just how much work still needs to be done. Sporting KC took a tough 3-0 loss on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes, and at times it looked like it could have been even worse.

On the other side, the Columbus Crew are dealing with their own transition. After Wilfried Nancy left for Celtic (and was sacked just 33 days later!), the Crew brought in Henrik Rydström, known in Europe for his wild, unorthodox tactics. He’s bringing a philosophy called “Relationism” to MLS. Like SKC, the Crew stumbled out of the gate, giving up a late goal in a 3-2 loss to the Portland Timbers.

The Form and the Process

To keep some kind of objective perspective, we need to try not to read too much into last week’s score lines. A team can play great and lose or play terribly and win. With that said, for both SKC and Columbus, Matchday 1 highlighted serious underlying issues that need quick fixes, and it would be hard to argue that Sporting played well.

Empty Possession and Shaky Defense

Sporting’s loss in San Jose was a frustrating mix of empty possession and shaky defense, both hangovers from 2025. Wicky went with a youth movement, starting a lineup where every player was 28 or younger, including a historic start for 17-year-old center-back Ian James, who became the youngest player to ever start an MLS opener for the club.

On paper, SKC did what Wicky wanted: they kept the ball, holding 56% possession and completing almost 500 passes. But games aren’t played on paper, and the underlying numbers show that their possession, once again, didn’t lead to much. The xG difference (0.45 to 3.0) tells much of the story. SKC kept the ball in non-threatening areas and couldn’t break through San Jose’s defensive lines. When they lost the ball, their defense was caught out of position. Add in a total inability to defend set pieces (giving up 15 corners with a set-piece xG of almost 1.6), and it was a recipe for disaster.

Things began to fall apart after right-back Justin Reynolds left with an injury in the 38th minute. Wicky admitted the team lost its shape after that substitution. Another bad result, especially at home, is going to turn up the pressure early in the season, while a solid showing against a tough Columbus team would give the fans something to be hopeful about.

Fluid Attacks, but Flawed in Transition?

The Crew’s 3-2 loss to Portland looked a bit different. Rydström has the team playing a highly fluid, asymmetrical style. Wessam Abou Ali and Diego Rossi both scored, and the Crew moved the ball quickly and decisively, racking up over 600 passes.

Rydström was furious after the game about their transition defense. When his system works, the whole team swarms the ball after losing it to win it right back. Against Portland, that didn’t seem to happen. Players dropped back instead of stepping up, letting the Timbers run straight at them and overwhelm them.

The Matchup Blueprint

When SKC has the ball, they’ll likely try to use patient possession and build out from the back. The goal will be to try and draw the Crew’s press on their own terms and then attack the space behind. Once back in a defensive shell, Columbus has defended in something like a 5-2-3 that tries to trap against the sideline. SKC midfielders like Jake Davis and Manu Garcia will have to be much better at moving the ball forward than they were last week. If they can’t hit quick switches to Shapi Suleymanov and Calvin Harris, we’re in for another game of pointless possession.

When a Henrik Rydström team has the ball, things can get a little weird. Instead of spreading out, they bunch up around the ball. They’ll empty out one side of the field to create massive overloads on the other. For an SKC defense that’s already struggled with positioning, this could be a nightmare. Do you shift everyone over and leave the far side wide open, or do you stay in your zones and get completely outnumbered around the ball?

The Flanks

Games are often won and lost in specific areas of the field, and it seems like the key area on Saturday will be SKC’s defensive right flank.

During practice Justin Reynolds wasn't involved.

Zorhan Bassong was working off to the side by himself. #SportingKC

— Chad Smith (@PlayFor90) February 24, 2026

If Reynolds is out, Wicky has to either start the inexperienced rookie Kwaku Agyabeng or perhaps consider moving Jake Davis over from midfield. Columbus is going to target this side all night.

The moment the ball changes hands here is when the game will be decided. If SKC wins it back, Columbus’s clustered shape means they have numbers to immediately counter-press. If Columbus blows that press, SKC will have massive, wide-open spaces on the opposite flank to launch counterattacks.

The X-Factors

While grand tactics matter, it’s sometimes the details that matter most. Keep an eye on these three things:

The Right-Back Domino Effect: The right-back spot is a question mark if Reynolds is out. Should Wicky elect to move Davis, the midfield changes the team’s core. But starting Agyabeng puts a massive target on his back against Diego Rossi. Who SKC decides to play on the right side and how Columbus decides to attack them in the first 15 minutes will be telling.

The Pressing Game: How high will Columbus press SKC’s young center-backs? If the Crew drops into a more reactive midfield tempo, it could give Manu Garcia the time he needs to dictate the pace. If they press high, Ian James and Wyatt Meyer will be under fire.

The Target Man: If SKC falls behind early, their only real clinical threat is Dejan Joveljic. They’ll have to play their way through a packed defense holding a lead, which is much harder to do, even at home.

The Verdict

Guessing at the outcome of an early-season game between two teams we haven’t seen much from is a bit of a crapshoot.

Being back at Sporting Park will absolutely help SKC. Wicky’s squad should come out with more energy, more fight, and more discipline than they showed out in California. The desire to prove that they’re on the right track to their home fans is absolutely real.

But energy only takes you so far against a team with better chemistry. Despite the changes that Rydström has tried to introduce, Columbus kept most of their core roster from last year. They have a baseline understanding that SKC’s completely rebuilt roster just doesn’t have yet.

The attacking threats and combinations from Rossi and Abou Ali are tough for even the best of defenses to deal with, let alone a young SKC backline that’s been leaking goals. While Sporting will probably have long spells of possession, their struggles to create high-quality chances against San Jose are a big red flag against a Columbus team that usually defends well.

The Prediction: Sporting Kansas City 1 – 2 Columbus Crew

SKC’s home-field advantage will probably lead to a much more competitive game, but the tactical mismatches are too big to ignore. The Crew’s ability to overload the inexperienced Sporting defense will lead to chances for the visitors, and SKC’s struggles moving the ball into the final third will leave them relying on quick counters and perhaps a lucky set piece.

Our Captains: Dejan, Manu & Zorhan Ⓒ pic.twitter.com/ZB0jtzrc4K

— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) February 25, 2026