Sporting Kansas City earn first win of 2026 in style at LAG

A debutant and an old reliable sprang Sporting Kansas City to their first win of the 2026 Major League Soccer season Saturday night. Sporting’s first win did not come until Matchday 7 in 2025. Lasse Berg Johnsen and Dejan Joveljic scored in the 2-1 win as Sporting ventured to Los Angeles to face the LA Galaxy for Matchday 4 of the MLS season. Berg Johnsen’s strike gave the visitors the winner off a subtle, but brilliant Joveljic move that followed an instinctive strike by Joveljic earlier in the match.

Seeking their first win of the season (0-2-1), Sporting Kansas City went into the match with good news as Norwegian international midfielder Lasse Berg Johnsen would be making his SKC debut in central midfield. The 26-year-old  was signed from Malmö FF in the Swedish Allsvenskan on February 18th. However, the club was still without likely starters Zorhan Bassong, Justin Reynolds, and Ian James due to injury.

Similarly, Los Angeles Galaxy (1-1-1) would be without the injured Joseph Paintsil and the suspended Gabriel Pec, both dynamic, explosive wingers. A second question for LA Galaxy would be how their midweek 3-0 win over Mt. Pleasant in the CONCACAF Champions Cup will impact their play and their tactics.

Kansas City manager Raphael Wicky sent out this Starting Eleven:

Los Angeles Manager Greg Vanney sat a few starters and gave Kansas City an old friend alert in starting former SKC winger Erik Thommy, as well as an old foe alert in former rival striker from St. Louis City, Joao Klauss. Of course, the old friend reaches to LA, too, as Sporting striker Dejan Joveljic began his MLS career with the Galaxy and won MLS Cup with them in 2024. Who would haunt whom?

Sporting survived a harrowing few moments from kickoff as they gifted a series of half-chances. Poor passing out of the back from goalkeeper John Pulskamp and Berg Johnsen nearly rewarded the Galaxy’s pressure.

Joveljic threatened LA’s box in the 7th minute to play square for midfielder Jacob Bartlett. Bartlett, however, knew little about it, seeming surprised by the pass.

Jake Davis was a right back, as his utility-man services continued, and Shapi Suleymanov and Calvin Harris switched wings early with Harris on the right, Suleymanov mirroring on the left.

Play was delayed near the 16th minute as Klauss, as he is wont to do, knocked his noggin into Kansas City’s left center back Wyatt Meyer while battling for a flighted ball. Meyer’s cut above his left eye was bandaged and play resumed.

German international Marco Reus flicked a header off a clever Thommy move and cross in the 22nd minute. The attempt centrally from seven yards was put over the bar to the relief of Sporting Kansas City. Two minutes later, Harbor Miller struck from outside the box, forcing Pulskamp into a bobble and grab for the save.

By the 34th minute, Kansas City’s playmaker Manu Garcia had seen little of the ball, thus the match had seen little of Sporting’s attack. Subsequently, the Galaxy’s backline had repelled long balls with ease.

Garcia drew a foul 12 yards outside the top of LA’s box in the 38th minute. His entry ball from the free kick was rejected. The Galaxy went to the other end where Klauss latched onto a loose ball off a Davis give away. Pulskamp lunged broad for the save with his left boot.

The 44th minute saw Kansas City’s most dangerous and artful approach. Suleymanov began the move with a rush down the left wing, before playing for Joveljic ahead of him. Joveljic pushed forward; then, cut back and fed an onrushing Garcia. An insightful ball returned, yet Joveljic’s attempt was snuffed at the near post by LA’s goalkeeper Novac Micovic.

The move was a premonition. Garcia played a long ball to Joveljic out on the left wing two minutes later into stoppage time. The Serb cut in, turning his defender. Instinct took flight, then, as the striker stroked the ball inside the far post for a 1-0 lead for Kansas City. The goal marked Joveljic’s seventh straight match scoring a goal at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Even though LA led in nearly every attacking category at half, the scoreboard showed Kansas City on top.

This time, Sporting opened the half with a vigor. Speeding up the left wing, Jayden Reid scooted a low ball across LA’s box. However, Harris was fractionally behind it, and the chance vanished.

Reid gave a scare of another sort a few minutes on as he raced onto a ball on the left wing. Battling a defender, Reid stepped awkwardly on his right leg, his knee taking the brunt of the step. Reid was able to limp to the sideline on his own power and returned shortly thereafter.

Thommy threatened in the 55th minute, a chance that ended with an LA corner that was brushed away by the Kansas City defense. Whether the Kansas City defense would hold, and whether or not the attack could add to the lead were obvious, yet real questions.

The Galaxy sent on three subs in the 63rd minute. Klauss and Thommy were removed for two of the three.

Matheus Nascimento came on for Klauss, and Sporting’s Wyatt Meyer caught the forward in the 69th minute with a trailing boot. The ensuing free kick saw Meyer flick away the dangerous front post serve, but the returned ball meant another important intervention in Kansas City’s box.

Winger Stephen Afrifa stepped on for Harris on the right wing in the 71st minute. Two minutes later, Joveljic had another chance. A ball from Davis fell to Garcia at the back post. The Spainard played Joveljic eight yards from the center of the goal. The striker hit, but the save was made.

Joveljic played dummy soon after. After playing Afrifa on the wing wide right of LA’s box, Joveljic dummied the return pass, leaving for Berg Johnsen. Johnsen put his right foot through the ball, bounding a low ball inside the far post for the 2-0 lead. The goal came on only the fourth shot on goal of the night for the visitors. Sporting Kansas City was starting to answer the important questions in 2026.

Garcia was waylaid in a coming together as Garcia turned to the open field. Edwin Cerrillo was giving a yellow for the infraction in the 78th minute.

A three-man give-and-go involving Cerrillo and Reus in the 82nd minute saw a shot by Nascimento from 12 yards saved by a right-stretching Pulskamp. A recycle found Cerrillo who banged his shot off the right post. The danger was far from over. Nascimento hit from outside the box on the rebound, rattling the crossbar after a Pulskamp paw deflected the shot. But Pulskamp could not recover in time to stop a follow header by Reus. 2-1 Kansas City.

Kansas City had to continue repelling attacks and corner after corner – the Galaxy had ten by matches end – to earn the win.

Jansen Miller took over for Davis in the 88th minute to strengthen the box. But it was Bartlett who stopped a Reus penetration in the 89th minute, and the requisite Galaxy corner was denied.

Seven minutes of stoppage time were posted. And seven minutes of agony ensued. Afrifa, Miller, Meyer, denied Galaxy’s rushes and Afrifa kept LA’s defense honest to gain the Kansas City’s first win of the season.

Sporting Kansas City will come home to host Colorado Rapids next Saturday evening to keep the hum rolling.