Preview: SKC at Columbus Crew

Sporting Kansas City at Columbus Crew
2024 MLS Regular Season | Match 20
Saturday, June 22 | 6:30 p.m. CT (6:40 kickoff)
Lower.com Field | Columbus, Ohio

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

Sporting Kansas City heads to Columbus as the two Original ’96 clubs face off for the first time since 2022. Both teams are wrapping up a stretch of three matches in quick succession when they meet Saturday evening. Sporting KC (3-11-5, 14 points) are looking for any result to regain form. The defending MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew (7-3-6, 27 points) sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Crew have played fewer matches than the teams above them since they have been participating in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup where they finished as runner-up to Pachuca.

Historically

Sporting KC leads 26-22-9 in regular season play versus their fellow charter MLS club. They last met in 2022 when they played to a scoreless draw.

2024

Sporting Kansas City is clearly not in form. Injuries, lapses in defending, mistakes, and a dropping confidence has led SKC to the second fewest points in MLS. Sporting KC have a single win and only two draws in their last thirteen matches.

A positive for SKC this week has been a couple players starting to get into form. Second year forward Stephen Afrifa has a goal in each of the past two matches and Wily scored two goals of his own in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss against Real Salt Lake.

Offensively SKC has not been bad overall with a total of 31 goals, tied with Minnesota for sixth most in the Western Conference. Giving up 40 goals, second most in the conference, gives SKC the second worst goal differential.

The Crew have been one of the best teams under manager Wilfried Nancy since he took over last season. Winning the MLS Cup and going all the way to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final under his leadership. Managing the challenge of the Champions Cup and MLS play pushed the Crew to their worst run of form from late March through early May where they were winless across seven games with five draws bookended by a pair of defeats.

Since then, the Crew strung together four straight wins but did drop their last match on the road at Miami.

What will this match look like?

Both teams are playing on short rest and may rotate players.

Availability

Sporting KC is not only struggling to find form, the availability list makes it more complicated for manager Peter Vermes. The depth at midfield and outside back may force Vermes to not rotate players.

Sporting Kansas City

Questionable

Defender Tim Leibold (Quad)

Forward Alan Pulido (Knee)

Out

Midfielder Danny Flores (Concussion Protocol)

Midfielder Felipe Hernandez (Administrative Leave)

Defender Logan Ndenbe (ACL)

Forward Daniel Salloi (Ankle)

Midfielder Remi Walter (Knee)

Columbus Crew

Questionable

None

Out

Goalkeeper Evan Bush (Arm)

Forward Jacen Russell-Rowe (Not Due to Injury)

Officials

Referee: Marcos DeOliveira

Assistant ref: Ian McKay

Assistant ref: Chantal Boudreau

4th official: Nabil Bensalah

VAR: Kevin Stott