Sporting KC v LAFC: Preview, Predictions, and How to Watch

Sporting KC vs LAFC

When: Saturday June 17, 2023 at 7:30 CT

Where: Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kansas

How to watch: Apple MLS season pass 

Sporting Kansas City are at home for the second time out of a four home game stretch. This time they welcome 2022 MLS Cup Champions LAFC. Sporting KC are coming off a 4-1 win against Austin FC and are looking to add on to their amazing form since the start of May. They currently are 5-1-2 since the start of May and are now sitting in the last playoff spot after going ten games winless to open the season. Alan Pulido was the star against Austin FC last week scoring twice and picking up an assist as well which earned him a spot on MLS’ TOTW and MLS player of the match day as well. Pulido has three goals and an assist in his last two games and Vermes says he hasn’t even reached his full potential just yet!

LAFC

LAFC on the other hand are winless in their last six games! Coming off of a pair of losses to the Houston Dynamo getting thrashed 4-0 at Houston and lost at home 1-0. The CCL finalists have really let themselves down as of late and are heading into a rough patch in the schedule where they play six times in seventeen days which started on the 4th of June with the second leg of the CCL final. They haven’t won a league game since May 20th and the current MLS champs are most likely getting desperate for points now, but with fitness now an issue.

Injury Report

Sporting KC

Good news! Russell and Pierre are upgraded to questionable for the big match! Bad news is that they’re questionable and most likely won’t see any game time. Rosero and Fontas are still questionable which isn’t great for the backline. Also Tzionis is out for international duty with Cyprus.

Russell & Pierre Upgraded for Sporting KC Ahead of LAFC Match

LAFC

According to the player availability report from LAFC, they are going to be missing a lot of names. Crepeau is still recovering from the broken leg he suffered in MLS Cup. Jose Cifuentes and Denis Bouanga are out on international duty. Sergi Palencia is also out with a lower extremity. Kellyn Acosta and Timothy Tillman are also questionable with lower extremity injuries. LAFC will also be without Opoku who was sent off in the mid week clash against Houston.

Stats

Sporting KC

Goals- Pulido and Salloi (4), Kinda, Russell, Thommy (2), Castellanos, Hernandez, Shelton, Rosero, and Agada (1)

Assists- Thommy (4), Pulido and Salloi (3), Kinda, Leibold, Walter (2), Espinoza, Tzionis, Russell, Voloder, and  Zusi (1)

LAFC

Goals- Bouanga (10), Vela (4), Biuk, Opoku, Tillman (2), Bogusz, Chiellini, and Hollingshead (1)

Assists- Vela (5), Cifuentes (3), Bouanga and Palencia (2), Biuk, Hollingshead, Opoku, and Sanchez (1)

Predictions

With Sporting going on a five game unbeaten run and LAFC going on a six game winless run this game could be a great back and forth game between the two sides. However, with LAFC missing a few of their star players, especially with league leading scorer Denis Bouanga his current ten goals (who scored his last goal against SKC), they may struggle. This will be a really tight match and with both sides not at full strength I think it’ll end as the same result that it was back on May 17. This is also the last time the two sides will see each other until, if they meet in the MLS playoffs.

Prediction 1-1 draw