Major League Soccer
Sporting Kansas City survive weather delay, but not slow start in Orlando
With four starters out and sitting nine points out of the playoffs, Sporting Kansas City’s (6-13-6) 2025 MLS season is becoming more like a reimagine than a rebuild.
After a 3-hour plus weather delay in Orlando, Florida, Sporting Kansas City fell behind early to Orlando City in their Saturday night MLS contest. Sporting was able to draw level, but the attacking quality of Orlando ruled the match in an eventual 3-1 Sporting Kansas City loss.
With four starters out and sitting nine points out of the playoffs, Sporting Kansas City’s (6-13-6) 2025 MLS season is becoming more like a reimagine than a rebuild. Four likely starters in center back Joaquin Fernandez, midfielder/winger Erik Thommy, left back Logan Ndenbe, and attacking midfielder Manu Garcia are being kept out of their Saturday night match at Orlando City (12-6-8) due to injury. Interim manager Kerry Zavagnin has some lineup reimagining to do.
The visit to the vacation hotspot is the first in six years for Sporting Kansas City, but it is the third in a series of four matches against teams near the top of their respective conference standings. So far, Sporting is winless – as they are in their last four overall – while Orlando has won their last five in all competitions. However, Sporting has earned 11 points in the club’s last nine away matches (3-4-2).
Zavagnin’s starting eleven shaped up this way:
How we take shape 👇#ORLvSKC | @BlueKC pic.twitter.com/aQOfQOG2HH
— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) August 16, 2025
The 4-4-2 sees Zorhan Bassong and Jake Davis playing in a double-pivot for the second match in a row, similar for Robert Voloder and Jansen Miller manning the center backs as Voloder returns from a long-term injury.
The match, once it began, began poorly for Sporting Kansas City. Forward Tyrese Spicer played inside Sporting’s box for #10 Martin Ojeda. Ojeda touched towards Kansas City’s near post where he was met by goalkeeper John Pulskamp. Ojeda’s effort bounded back to Spicer at the top left of Kansas City’s box. Spicer laced a driven ball into the open net for the 1-0 lead within the 2nd minute.
Kansas City striker Dejan Joveljic struck from distance five minutes later in search of an equalizer and his first goal in four matches, but the effort went wide left.
The best chance in the half thus far for Kansas City came from Jake Davis in the 20th minute, The midfielder spied forward Mason Toye between Orlando backs and played a crafted through ball to his feet. Toye attracted Orlando’s goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, but Toye could not put his attempt on goal as the ball rolled beyond the far post.
The 23rd minute saw Bassong drive into the box and play for a diagonal running Toye. Toye’s first time shot was found the waiting arms of Gallese in the middle of Orlando’s goal.
Toye would remain critical for Sporting’s fortunes. Joveljic saw Toye running again diagonally into Orlando’s box two minutes later. Toye touched past the coming ‘keeper and shot for the open net. Although the ball was going in, Joveljic made sure to finish off the chance and level the match.
Dejan and Toye working great together! Dejan with the poachers goal and we're level! 1-1 #SportingKC #ORLvSKC pic.twitter.com/4urPtZgNPr
— KC Soccer Journal (@KCSoccerJournal) August 17, 2025
Davis provided much of the attacking impetus from midfield, playing balls through or over the top with accuracy to either Toye or left back Tim Liebold running at Orlando’s back four.
In stoppage time, Kansas City was chasing shadows as attacker Luis Muriel broke free on the left of Sporting’s box only to put his shot high.
In the half, Sporting’s compact defensive structure that dulled Orlando’s attack and meant winning 2nd balls allowed Kansas City to attack directly for Toye or Joveljic. The result was a strong half that could be built upon.
Orlando should have jumped back on top in the 50th minute. A scrum in front of the box where Orlando players sent Sporting defenders the other way repeatedly ended with a misfired shot from Ojeda. The next five minutes would see Orlando keep the attacking pressure on as the entry at halftime of US International right back Alex Freeman was changing the match.
Zavagnin inserted Daniel Salloi for Toye in the 58th minute to perhaps aid Kansas City’s presence in the midfield.
Pulskamp played spoiler in the 64th minute. Muriel cut back on a sliding Liebold deep into the right side of Sporting’s box. The striker then played back for Marco Pasalic who struck low as Pulskamp shifted right and split low to make a save on a ball labeled Kansas City’s net.
Jacob Bartlett and Nemanja Radoja came on for Liebold and Munoz in the 68th minute. The moves pushed Bassong to left back as Bartlett and Radoja completed the midfield.
Just after, Sporting was inches from grabbing the lead themselves as Bassong played in a wonderful pass for Salloi from the left wing. Salloi, seeking his 67th goal to jump into a tie for second on Sporting’s al-time list, hit for goal only to be stymied by Gallese.
But the lead was stolen away after a Sporting loss of possession in the 75th minute. Ivan Angulo drove towards the middle of Kansas City’s box after coming away with the ball. He played for Ojeda who squared well for Enrigue near the spot. With Jansen Miller and Davis defending, Enrique banged home after turning right and striking past an onrushing Pulskamp.
Stephen Afrifa and newly acquired Alan Montes stepped on for Suleymanov and Miller in the 81st minute. Yet, Orlando would shut the door on a probable comeback two minutes later.
Freeman struck from the right and saw his shot deflected past befuddled Sporting defenders to Nico Rodriguez. The 21-year-old Colombian hit easily past a stranded Pulskamp to make it a 3-1 Orlando lead.
Sporting refuted more Orlando rushes in the closing five minutes plus stoppage time yet were unable to generate any danger themselves. What was an early deficit turned into a gaining of the momentum ended like too many matches for Sporting Kansas City this season.
Sporting Kansas City will travel to the Pacific Northwest to face Seattle Sounders next Sunday night only three days after the driving Sounders face Puebla in a Leagues Cup Quarterfinal.
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This looks to be the end of the road for KZ as interim coach. This winless streak proves we are not capable of continuing on with him. Hopefully Mr. Burns has been out scouting new coaches to hire soon. Because it does not seem they will be making any new permanent signings until a new manager is at the helm.
Not wooden spoon bad but not good enough to make a very forgiving playoff, pure pain
We are essentially done and are finishing the season so that we can get a good start on next year. If I understand correctly, we have 16 player contracts up over the off season and that gives us room to build.
I think KZ should play everyone possible so he and we can see who should be here and who needs to move on. Over the off season I hope the ownership kills every sacred cow possible. While I would like to see KZ get a real chance, even he must defend himself to the ownership and fans. We are all tied of mediocracy and failed seasons.
We have not had real glory since 2013 and we are due. We must remember that it was Jimmy that gave us the cup that year, not PV. When the whole enchilada comes down to goal kicks, success is due to the keeper.
I’m tired of watching the usual SKC tactic of running down field losing the ball and then running back to fetch it again. We need to play a much more beautiful game with much better passing and emphasis on the fundamentals. We need to play with patience and work the ball into good shots. We don’t need to pepper the goal area with dozens of shit shots. We need only the ones that count. Good passing destroys a good defense.
The passing and creativity has been a lot better under KZ. The attacking players have been much more aggressive in tight spaces and the constant recycling of the ball we saw the last 4 or 5 years with no attacking intent has decreased. SKC just doesn’t have quite the talent to make it work. I wouldn’t be disappointed if the club gave KZ a shot, but they have to buy more quality players to give any manager a real chance. This isn’t 2013 MLS.
Do we really think KZ wont be back? I dont have much faith in this ownership group.
He should not be brought back but the side is miserable. Fortunately, the club owes him and about 70% of the players nothing next season so something bold could not be more plausible. Whether the FO embraces their opportunity or fluffs it is fully under their control.
Back-to-back stinkers after two weeks off. 4-4-2 was a bust. We don’t need more strikers…we need to stop conceding!
I agree but also wanted to see two strikers so Munoz could play with Jovi up top. Shapi and Dan don’t excel at the mid positions required. Both are really wingers only for better or worse. It just didn’t work. Kudos for trying something different to the coach.
It’s not the formation that is the issue. I would argue the 4-4-2 was fine when Davis/Bassong were in the double pivot together.
They dominated against San Diego and just didn’t finish. They were the better team in the first half against Orlando outside of the first 10 minutes or so.
It all falls apart when that duo comes out of the midfield. I don’t need to see Radoja anymore this year. And I didn’t have it on my bingo card this team’s best chance of winning is a Davis/Bassong midfield, but it’s true. I went way deeper on this idea on my podcast this week.