Preview: Sporting KC heads north to Minnesota

Sporting Kansas City at Minnesota United FC
2024 MLS Regular Season | Match 16
Saturday, June 1 | 7:30 p.m. CT (7:40 kickoff)
Allianz Field | St. Paul, Minnesota

Broadcast Schedule:
Apple TV | MLS Season Pass
English Radio | Sports Radio 810 WHB
Spanish Radio | La Grande 1340 AM

Sporting Kansas City wraps up their stretch of five matches in 15 days Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT. when they face Minnesota United FC at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota. Sporting Kansas City (2-8-5, 11 pts) will look to break a six-game losing streak. Minnesota United FC (7-3-4, 25 pts) will hope to take advantage of a struggling Sporting KC after both sides suffered a loss midweek.

Historically

Sporting KC is 11-5-4 in MLS play against Minnesota United FC. Sporting KC won all three meetings in 2023.

2024

Sporting Kansas City is clearly not in form. Injuries, lapses in defending, mistakes, and a dropping confidence has led to the bottom of the table for SKC. A poor start similar to 2023 for Kansas City has not ended yet. SKC is currently on a six-game losing streak and nine games without a win.

Minnesota’s rookie head coach Eric Ramsay has the Loons playing well. He has navigated the Emanuel Reynoso drama and has Minnesota near the top of the table with a game in hand. Tani Oluwaseyi leads the Loons with six goals and Finnish star Robin Lod with four goals and ten assists provides service and scoring.

What will this match look like?

Both teams are playing on short rest and may rotate players. SKC lost Wednesday at home to Vancouver that saw Manager Peter Vermes change the starting lineup. Short on midfielders Vermes pulled Jake Davis back to the midfield and started Khiry Shelton at right back.

With Memo Rodriguez back from yellow card accumulation he will likely start in midfield but the question will be how many other players will rotate.

Vermes praised the group that started Wednesday and said that some of them are options to start

Availability

Sporting Kansas City

Danny Flores – Head (Out)

Logan Ndenbe – Knee (Out)

Kayden Pierre – Ankle (Out)

Erik Thommy – Hamstring (Out)

Remi Walter – Knee (Out)

Minnesota United FC

Hugo Bacharach – Knee (Out)

Franco Fragapane – Leg (Out)

Officials

Referee: Joe Dickerson

Assistant ref: Adam Garner

Assistant ref:  Mike Nickerson

4th official: Eric Tattersall

VAR: Greg Dopka