Home draw ends Sporting Kansas City’s 2025 MLS season

A 0-0 draw ended Sporting Kansas City’s MLS season Saturday night at home versus Houston Dynamo. The match featured more fouls, 35, than shots, 20, as the two sides played their last match before an extended offseason for the Western Conference clubs.

Sporting Kansas City (7-20-6, 14^th in West, 27/30 MLS overall coming in) hosts Houston Dynamo (9-15-9, 12^th and 22^nd) Saturday night at Children’s Mercy Park on Decision Day in Major League Soccer. While the majority of clubs battle for playoff positioning or playoff spots, these two clubs battle to not sink any lower. And for 17 of Sporting Kansas City’s players, it is a battle to keep a contract with the club before a possibly large post-season letting commences.

With Sporting having won once in their last twelve and new President of Soccer Operations David Lee with the club, Interim Manager Kerry Zavagnin presented possibly his last starting eleven in Kansas City:

Eight of those 17 – Pulskamp, Shelton, Miller, Ndenbe, Montes, Radoja, Bassong, and Thommy – will learn their fate with Kansas City possibly very soon after the final whistle tonight.

Sporting absorbs early fouls from the Dynamo as they look to build a forward rhythm. The 7th minute brings Kansas City’s first foray as Manu Garcia turns and finds space. Garcia drives forward, dishes to Salloi, who, after a deft touch inside, hits a limp strike for net, which Houston’s Jonathan Bond scoops up.

Minutes later as Salloi chests down deep in his own end, the longtime KC man plays long for striker Dejan Joveljic. Joveljic gains position and turns on his mark, only to falter due to a foul. Referee Nabil Bensalah quickly blew his whistle for a yellow card and a dangerous free kick some 25 yards out. Erik Thommy, however, blasts his shot into the wall and the danger fades.

The 17th minute brings more from Sporting Kansas City. Salloi, released by Garcia, has a two-on-three with Joveljic. The Hungarian homegrown waits for the overlapping Zorhan Bassong to play him wide and deep into the Dynamo’s box. Bassong’s cutback is for Salloi who curls his shot – one that he may have needed to cement a new contract – a foot over the bar. Painstakingly high for both player and crowd.

For their part, Houston has created little and taken advantage of nothing, even Sporting errors, on the night while accumulating nine fouls.

Another foul and another dangerous free kick for Sporting in the 31st minute. This time Thommy is felled just outside and left middle of Houston’s box. Joveljic and Thommy approach. Thommy steps over, and Joveljic skims his shot off the head of someone in Houston’s wall. The subsequent corner results in another. Mexican loanee Alan Montes gets his head on the cross and claims handball to no avail.

Goalkeeper John Pulskamp stretches left in the 35th minute to save a mild attempt by Houston for his second save of the match. Will the story be played out again for Sporting: Chances not taken. Only takes one to fall behind?

Pulskamp stimies in the 40th minute. Houston winger Lawrence Ennali raced in from an underlap, pulling Pulskamp out of net. However, the Big Bear goes big and stops the rush to keep Kansas City level before halftime. If only now Sporting Kansas City can push ahead for the home crowd.

Pulskamp puts his hands into another Houston shot to keep the score at nil-nil before half, leaving the match open to second half drama and likely a look at a full complement of subs for Sporting.

On cue, Zavagnin inserts Santiago Munoz for Garcia at the half as the only change for the home side.

A mistouch by Pulskamp from a pass back by left back Logan Ndenbe sends both players and crowd into confusion in the 59th minute. Pulskamp lunges to clear the ball away as it rolls towards his far post and sends Duane Holmes to the pitch. Pulskamp is shown yellow, for clearly impacting the ball. Then, as discussions progress, it is determined that Holmes is somehow offside on the play.

To keep the match weird, Munoz rather violently whiffs on a bicycle attempt at the other end moments later.

Zavagnin brings on Jake Davis for Nemanja Radoja during minute sixty-eight, just before Houston brings the attacking pressure for the next spell as Ennali curls a 23-yard attempt off Pulskamp’s fingertips and beyond the far post to begin a series of corners. No damage is inflicted.

Jacob Bartlett and Mason Toye both step on the pitch for Bassong and Thommy respectively in the 78th minute.

By the 85th minute it seems Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo are bound to end their seasons with a whimper. However, seven minutes of stoppage time after Pulskamp is looked at after taking a non-intentional knee to the head are on the clock.

A miscall on a Sporting corner cleared out by Houston, a strike by Houston just wide, and a Joveljic header he sends high were the last actions of the 0-0 match.

So ends a season not of definition, but a season of confirmation for Sporting Kansas City and its fans, not that anyone but the oblivious needed it.

Major League Soccer’s first roster decision date is November 26^th: All clubs not still in the MLS playoffs will have to submit all Bona Fide offers and which players will and will not have their options triggered.