Sporting KC
Sporting KC are Getting Too Close to the Worst Record in MLS
The Wooden Spoon, the “award” for the worst team in the league, is closer to KC than it should be. An update on that “race.”
The 2025 Major League Soccer season, much like all too many seasons in recent memory, hasn’t gone the way anyone around Sporting Kansas City would want. Peter Vermes was fired just six games into the regular season. Interim coach Kerry Zavagnin replaced him and won three of his first five games but has only won four more times in the subsequent 21 games.
Four wins in 21 tries.
And only five of those 21 games are draws.
That has left Sporting KC with only 27 points through 30 games played. An abysmal 0.9 points per game.
There are four games to go in the MLS regular season and SKC find themselves only six points clear of the Wooden Spoon. That’s the “award” for the worst record in MLS. (If you missed our explainer of the Wooden Spoon and how it ties to St. Louis City’s even worse season, check that out.)
The issue is, St. Louis is gaining on Kansas City. They won this past weekend with a 2-0 result over an even more abysmal CF Montreal. Sporting KC are just two points ahead of their rivals. If there is anything most SKC fans can agree on, it’s that they have to beat St. Louis. They beat them in the season series (a tie and a win), but a loss to them in the standings would be tough to stomach for the third straight season (though, they’ll always have that 2023 playoff elimination).
Where Do Things Stand?
As mentioned above, Sporting KC have 27 points. The LA Galaxy has the worst record in the league with 21 points, though they have a game in hand. Next up, Montreal has 24, D.C. United and St. Louis have 25 each and then Toronto FC and Atlanta United have 26.
There are plenty of contenders for the worst record in MLS and a very shameful trophy.
In the 30-year history of the Kansas City Wiz/Wizards/Sporting KC, the team has never finished with the worst record. That’s a claim no other original MLS team can make.
The Road Ahead
Sporting KC have four games remaining. Two on the road and two at home.
- Sept. 20th vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
- Sept. 27th @ LA Galaxy
- October 4th @ Minnesota United
- October 18th vs. Houston Dynamo
Minnesota and Vancouver have locked up playoff spots. The Whitecaps put a 7-0 shellacking on the best team in the league, the Philadelphia Union, over the weekend. That feels like a tough result. Minnesota play a counter attacking style that has given KC fits for years, though they did fight back to earn a 3-3 draw with them earlier this season.
The Galaxy seems like the easiest game, but they only lost to Kansas City in the weirdest fashion possible. SKC won 1-0 without taking a shot, instead relying on an own goal to get all three points.
And then there are the Dynamo on Decision Day. Houston is currently just one spot above KC in the standings, but they are six points ahead of them and very much in contention for that final playoff spot. That game will mean a lot more to Houston than KC, most likely.
Avoiding the Spoon
While Kansas City are technically not eliminated yet from the playoffs (wild!), they’d likely need to win out and get help to get there. The math hasn’t been in their favor for weeks and they’ve done themselves no favors by continuing to lose.
They’ve picked up just three of the last 21 points that have been available to them going 1-6-0. No one wants to settle for draws, but any points to keep them above St. Louis and out of Wooden Spoon contention would be a positive.
Sporting KC are trending towards one of the worst seasons in franchise history. The team hasn’t shown any quit, even when things have gone very wrong. They need a little more fight to stay out of the basement. Or at least the right teams to also lose.
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The experience of our side this year is not a one off. We have been getting progressively more dismal. Personally, I believe the prospects for having the worst record in the league are quite good and would probably be very beneficial.
This season should be a wake up call for the ownership. They have been very hands off. With no justification, they renewed PV.’s contract for five additional years. Significant change has to be made.
I’m glad all the fuss over getting to the playoffs is over. We have no business in the playoffs nor do we have any business being anywhere close to the overly generous playoff system until serious structural problems are fixed.
PV was the manager way too long. I believe they hung onto him as he was a legacy and the ownership didn’t want to admit the times have moved on. You can either trade on your legacy or you can continue trying to build a better one.. We have chosen to live off of our legacy.
Our club needs a serious overhaul. This off-season is the year to do it. We have a huge number of contracts that are up making it easy to go an entirely different direction. I believe it is unfair to Judge KZ over part of the season with a team that he had little hand in choosing. This was PV’s team. We got PV results.
My biggest help is that SKC does not squander this opportunity to fix our problems. When you could look at the sidelines and begin to see the pattern of the empty seats then you have a significant problem. The ownership owes the fans, especially season ticket holders some serious compensation. They have taken their money and provided nothing, except a progressively worse team.
I still believe the only reason Peter got the extension was timing. Peter had some sort of interest in the USMNT in berhalters initial run, before sporting offered him an extension to stay put. The last extension came around the time berhalter finished his contract. I’m sure Peter reminded the team he could call up usmnt or was called to interview and the team offered him a contract to forgo. Thats why I have a hard time having too much sympathy when those who defend him, point to the “lack of budget” or “not a destination” tags as to why peter was set up to fail. Peter knew that and chose to stay here and collect a check, he’s just as guilty for his demise as the team for not supporting him like he claims he wanted.
“Haven’t shown no quit” What language is that?
Bad grammar. Fixed.
Clearly, I shouldn’t write at night and schedule for it to publish before I’ve read it with fresh eyes.
Last chance off-season. I can’t support the club anymore if they continue to show they don’t care about the fans. They have had an entire year to identify and hire a coach. Giving Kerry any more time, you might as well give PV that 5 year contract back. He’s getting the same or worse results with a roster he’s very familiar with.
It’s really the time to be just brutally honest. We’re not a premier destination really ignores the MLS rules. Mueller to Vancouver? We’re not even trying to get a real dp. Some teams have 3. I’d argue Jovi is legit, so we have 1. How are we supposed to compete?
This has been going on for 5 plus years. The people who defended the roster and PV those years are why we’re still in this position. Same with people who say Salloi is good or worth his salary. You need to watch some euro ball. The worst players in a euro game are head and shoulders better than MLS talent.
When we’re this bad, how can you not improve the team if you know anything about the sport? Entire league plays by the same strict salary cap rules. Our team wants to put a cheap team out like we’re the Oakland A’s playing money ball. I’m not seeing the genius that requires. Overpaying bad players doesn’t qualify as opening the coffers.
Do better or prepare to woo new fans.
Salloi wasn’t signed by Burns, I think you’ve gotta give Burns a chance. I think he’s gotten most of his signings right, there was just a lot of dead weight from the Vermes/Bliss days. Shapi is the only clear miss in the Burns era for me. Anyone else you’d call as a miss is on the fringe.
And I think Manu Garcia is a legit DP. Him being hurt has really shown recently. And the utter lack of talent around those guys.
And no coaching decision has come because they haven’t hired a CSO (which they are on the verge of doing). It’s also not uncommon to let the interim coach finish out a season and let a new coach start fresh. It’s rare (in America at least) to see the interim coach also fired in the same season. No permanent coach wants to step into this late season mess.
I like your comment. Where are all the PV lovers who used to beat up on anyone disparaging the great man?
Our team needs a serious overhaul in every aspect. The stands were really empty tonight against Vancouver. Next year isn’t looking better.
Even the Cauldron needs an overhaul. Their singing is tiresome.
A lot of people need to go in all departments.