Atlanta United FC vs Sporting Kansas City, MLS 2026 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
Atlanta United FC vs Sporting Kansas City — MLS at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
- Atlanta United FC 27 games · 27 pts (2026/26)
- Sporting Kansas City 27 games · 21 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Tori Penso (USA)
20 games this season
🟨 3.0/game
⚽ 9.0 goals/game
🟥 1 total
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 27 | 60 |
| 2 | Internacional CF Miami | 27 | 46 |
| 3 | New England Revolution | 27 | 46 |
| 4 | Charlotte FC | 27 | 43 |
| 5 | Chicago Fire FC | 26 | 42 |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union | 27 | 39 |
| 7 | Orlando City SC | 27 | 34 |
| 8 | New York City FC | 27 | 33 |
| 9 | FC Cincinnati | 26 | 33 |
| 10 | New York Red Bulls | 27 | 33 |
| 11 | D.C. United SC | 26 | 30 |
| 12 | Columbus Crew SC | 27 | 29 |
| 13 | Toronto FC | 27 | 29 |
| 14 | Atlanta United FC | 27 | 27 |
| 15 | Montreal Impact FC | 27 | 24 |
| 16 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 26 | 50 |
| 17 | St. Louis City | 27 | 47 |
| 18 | FC Dallas | 27 | 47 |
| 19 | San Jose Earthquakes | 27 | 45 |
| 20 | Houston Dynamo | 27 | 44 |
| 21 | Los Angeles FC | 28 | 41 |
| 22 | Seattle Sounders FC | 27 | 38 |
| 23 | Colorado Rapids SC | 27 | 36 |
| 24 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 28 | 36 |
| 25 | San Diego FC | 27 | 32 |
| 26 | Portland Timbers | 27 | 32 |
| 27 | Real Salt Lake | 27 | 32 |
| 28 | Austin FC | 27 | 31 |
| 29 | Minnesota United FC | 27 | 29 |
| 30 | Sporting Kansas City | 27 | 21 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Aug | Sporting Kansas City | H | 2–1 | W |
| 19 Aug | Minnesota United FC | A | 2–1 | W |
| 15 Aug | New York Red Bulls | H | 2–1 | W |
| 01 Aug | Philadelphia Union | A | 2–3 | L |
| 25 Jul | New England Revolution | A | 1–4 | L |
| 23 Jul | Charlotte FC | A | 2–2 | D |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Aug | Atlanta United FC | A | 1–2 | L |
| 19 Aug | St. Louis City | H | 1–1 | D |
| 16 Aug | Colorado Rapids SC | A | 0–2 | L |
| 02 Aug | Houston Dynamo | H | 0–2 | L |
| 26 Jul | Los Angeles FC | A | 0–4 | L |
| 23 Jul | Minnesota United FC | H | 2–1 | W |
Season Stats
| Atlanta United FC | Sporting Kansas City | |
|---|---|---|
| #14 | Position | #30 |
| 27 | Points | 21 |
| 27 | Played | 27 |
| 7 / 6 / 14 | W / D / L | 6 / 3 / 18 |
| 32 | Scored | 32 |
| 45 | Conceded | 65 |
| -13 | GD | -33 |
| 1.00 | PPG | 0.78 |
| 26% | Win % | 22% |
Key Stats
50%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (4 games)
H2H (4 games)
75%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
15%
Clean Sheets
Atlanta United FC this season
Atlanta United FC this season
4%
Clean Sheets
Sporting Kansas City this season
Sporting Kansas City this season
Atlanta United FC are 14th (27 pts). Sporting Kansas City are 30th (21 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Atlanta United FC
0-15
2/4
16-30
3/5
31-45
2/5
46-60
3/6
61-75
4/7
76+
5/6
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Sporting Kansas City
0-15
3/8
16-30
7/7
31-45
6/8
46-60
2/7
61-75
4/11
76+
4/10
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Atlanta United FC
| Aleksei Miranchuk | 6 G | 6 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' Welcome to Mercedes-Benz Stadium that hosts another battle between Atlanta United FC and Sporting Kansas City.
- 5' Atlanta United FC have won 440 goals from 295 games. They will be desperate to add to that tally today.
- 10' Atlanta United FC looks like a favorite considering 1 games won in last 1 matches with its main striker Fafa Picault scoring 1 goals.
- 13' Tomas Jacob doubles the advantage! 1-0 and this game is slipping away from the opposition.
- 18' With 0 assists to his name this season, Stephen Afrira is clearly more than just a goal scorer for Sporting Kansas City.
- 22' The referee calls foul for Emir Karic. He receives a card.
- 24' The deadlock is broken! Fafa Picault gets on the scoresheet on 24 minutes.
- 29' We miss some good tackles and strikes. Is there anyone on the field to put the game back to action?
- 34' Moises Mosquera is putting in a real shift tonight. He has covered more ground than anyone else for Sporting Kansas City so far.
- 39' Taylor Calheira is a natural and has been asked to do a very specific job for Sporting Kansas City tonight.
- 44' Atlanta United FC are happy to let the opposition have the ball in their own half. The trap is set.
- 45' A change in the Sporting Kansas City ranks — Jake Davis exits the field as Justin Reynolds enters on 45.
- 50' Both teams are passing the ball around with high level of urgency. Sporting Kansas City needs to do something about it to get closer to the goal.
- 55' It is a cagey affair so far. Atlanta United FC in their trying to find a way past Sporting Kansas City's compact .
- 60' Sporting Kansas City is defending very well tonight not leaving a chance for their rivals to get through for a goal.
- 62' Will Reilly is ready to make an impact after coming on for Fafa Picault at the 62 minute mark.
- 67' The Array continues to deliver drama. Both Atlanta United FC and Sporting Kansas City are desperate not to drop points on matchday .
- 70' Brilliant from the ! Stephen Afrira makes it 2-1 with a superb finish on 70.
- 72' That looks like a foul for a card for Luke Brennan.
- 73' Stian Gregersen is replacing Paulo Diaz for the Atlanta United FC side.
- 76' The referee reaches into his pocket. Out comes the card for Elias Baez.
- 77' A change in the Atlanta United FC ranks — Cooper Wyatt Sanchez exits the field as Steven Alzate enters on 77.
- 78' Luke Brennan makes way for Matthew Edwards at the 78 minute mark. A tactical switch from Atlanta United FC.
- 83' The travelling Sporting Kansas City supporters hardly appreciate their team being pressed down to the backline.
- 87' Jacob Bartlett has so much to prove this time. He replaces Capita on 87 minute.
- With this win, Atlanta United FC is likely to improve its situation in the overall team standings.
Lineups
Atlanta United FC Lineups
Starting XI
- 6
-
22
Fafa Picault ↓ Will Reilly 62'
- 59
- 10
- 1
-
27
Paulo Diaz ↓ Stian Gregersen 73'
- 8
- 55
- 3
- 48
-
16
Adrian Gill ↓ Luke Brennan 62'
Bench
-
7
Steven Alzate ↑ 77'
-
5
Stian Gregersen ↑ 73'
- 2
- 19
- 4
-
20
Luke Brennan ↑ 62'
- 42
- 47
-
28
Will Reilly ↑ 62'
Coach
Gerardo Martino
Sporting Kansas City Lineups
Starting XI
- 30
- 93
- 22
-
7
Capita ↓ Jacob Bartlett 87'
- 11
- 3
-
18
Emir Karic ↓ Jayden Reid 62'
- 4
-
8
Jake Davis ↓ Justin Reynolds 45'
- 19
- 28
Bench
- 1
-
99
Jayden Reid ↑ 62'
-
13
Justin Reynolds ↑ 45'
-
17
Stephen Afrira ↑ 62'
-
16
Jacob Bartlett ↑ 87'
- 2
- 15
- 20
- 57
Coach
Raphaël Wicky
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Daniel Salloi | 2 |
| Josef Martinez | 2 |
| Dominic Dwyer | 1 |
| Fafa Picault | 1 |
| Tomas Jacob | 1 |
| Stephen Afrira | 1 |
| Gerso Fernandes | 1 |
| Gerso Fernandes | 1 |
Head to Head
Atlanta United FC Form
2026-08-23
Atlanta United FC
2–1
Sporting Kansas City
W
2026-08-19
Minnesota United FC
1–2
Atlanta United FC
W
2026-08-15
Atlanta United FC
2–1
New York Red Bulls
W
2026-08-01
Philadelphia Union
3–2
Atlanta United FC
L
2026-07-25
New England Revolution
4–1
Atlanta United FC
L
2026-07-23
Charlotte FC
2–2
Atlanta United FC
D
Sporting Kansas City Form
2026-08-23
Atlanta United FC
2–1
Sporting Kansas City
L
2026-08-19
Sporting Kansas City
1–1
St. Louis City
D
2026-08-16
Colorado Rapids SC
2–0
Sporting Kansas City
L
2026-08-02
Sporting Kansas City
0–2
Houston Dynamo
L
2026-07-26
Los Angeles FC
4–0
Sporting Kansas City
L
2026-07-23
Sporting Kansas City
2–1
Minnesota United FC
W
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
4 / 4
2.14
Atlanta United FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.02
Sporting Kansas City xG
I would bet for:
Atlanta United FC to win 62% + Over 2.5 goals 60%
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Atlanta United FC win
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 3.16
Actual: Yes — both scored
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 94% |
|
6% |
| ± 1.5 | 82% |
|
18% |
| ± 2.5 | 60% |
|
40% |
| ± 3.5 | 38% |
|
62% |
| ± 4.5 | 21% |
|
79% |
Double Chance
Atlanta United FC or Draw
83%
Draw or Sporting Kansas City
38%
Atlanta United FC or Sporting Kansas City
78%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Atlanta United FC win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
10.1%
2 – 0
9.6%
2 – 1
Actual
1 – 0
8.6%
3 – 1
6.8%
3 – 0
6.7%
0 – 0
5.8%
2 – 2
4.8%
1 – 2
4.6%
4 – 1
3.7%
0 – 1
3.7%
4 – 0
3.6%
Asian Handicap — Atlanta United FC
| Handicap | Atlanta United FC covers | Push | Sporting Kansas City covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 20% | — | 80% |
| -2 | 20% | 19% | 61% |
| -1.5 | 39% | — | 61% |
| -1 | 39% | 22% | 38% |
| -0.5 | 62% | — | 38% |
| +0.5 | 84% | — | 16% |
| +1 | 84% | 10% | 6% |
| +1.5 | 94% | — | 6% |
| +2 | 94% | 4% | 2% |
| +2.5 | 98% | — | 2% |
Clean Sheet
Atlanta United FC keeps clean sheet
37%
✓
Sporting Kansas City keeps clean sheet
13%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.

