Sporting Kansas City vs Minnesota United FC, MLS 2026 MLS IS BACK GROUP STAGE
Overview
Match Preview
Sporting Kansas City vs Minnesota United FC — MLS at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
- Sporting Kansas City 26 games · 21 pts (2026/26)
- Minnesota United FC 27 games · 29 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Jeremy Hanson
- Referee Armando Villarreal
- Referee David Gantar
- Referee Joe Dickerson
- Referee Micheal Barwegen
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 | 26 | 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 | FC Dallas | 27 | 47 |
| 18 | San Jose Earthquakes | 27 | 45 |
| 19 | St. Louis City | 26 | 44 |
| 20 | Houston Dynamo | 27 | 44 |
| 21 | Los Angeles FC | 28 | 41 |
| 22 | Colorado Rapids SC | 27 | 36 |
| 23 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 28 | 36 |
| 24 | Seattle Sounders FC | 26 | 35 |
| 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 | 26 | 21 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul | Minnesota United FC | H | 1–2 | L |
| 08 Mar | Houston Dynamo | H | 4–0 | W |
| 01 Mar | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | A | 3–1 | W |
| 06 Oct | FC Dallas | A | 0–6 | L |
| 29 Sep | Portland Timbers | H | 2–2 | D |
| 26 Sep | Minnesota United FC | A | 1–2 | L |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul | Sporting Kansas City | A | 2–1 | W |
| 08 Mar | San Jose Earthquakes | A | 5–2 | W |
| 02 Mar | Portland Timbers | A | 3–1 | W |
| 21 Oct | Los Angeles Galaxy | H | 1–2 | L |
| 06 Oct | Seattle Sounders FC | A | 0–1 | L |
| 29 Sep | Los Angeles FC | H | 1–1 | D |
Season Stats
| Sporting Kansas City | Minnesota United FC | |
|---|---|---|
| #30 | Position | #29 |
| 21 | Points | 29 |
| 26 | Played | 27 |
| 6 / 3 / 17 | W / D / L | 7 / 8 / 12 |
| 31 | Scored | 40 |
| 63 | Conceded | 49 |
| -32 | GD | -9 |
| 0.81 | PPG | 1.07 |
| 23% | Win % | 26% |
Key Stats
57%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (23 games)
H2H (23 games)
65%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
4%
Clean Sheets
Sporting Kansas City this season
Sporting Kansas City this season
22%
Clean Sheets
Minnesota United FC this season
Minnesota United FC this season
Sporting Kansas City are 30th (21 pts). Minnesota United FC are 29th (29 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Sporting Kansas City
0-15
3/8
16-30
7/7
31-45
5/8
46-60
2/6
61-75
4/11
76+
4/9
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Minnesota United FC
0-15
4/7
16-30
4/9
31-45
6/2
46-60
4/5
61-75
7/4
76+
5/6
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Minnesota United FC
| Kelvin Yeboah | 14 G | 2 A |
| Anthony Markanich | 8 G | 2 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' Three points are at stake. Sporting Kansas City host Minnesota United FC — let the battle begin!
- 5' New Zealand international James Musa has been a key figure this campaign — 0 goals and 0 assists in the Array this season.
- 10' Both keepers have barely been tested. Sporting Kansas City and Minnesota United FC are cancelling each other out in the centre of the park.
- 15' The 39-year-old Matt Besler has been sensational this season — 0 goals and 0 assists is a remarkable return.
- 20' The tempo has dropped considerably in the last few minutes. Peter Vermes will be considering his options from the bench.
- 25' Sporting Kansas City is showing some good football. However, Sporting Kansas City are ready to play back every minute. It might result in some problems for the home side. The game will hardly remain goalless.
- 30' While there is no rush on the pitch, let’s have a look at some stats. Tyler Miller made 294 appearances and scored 2 goals. He is very likely to score a goal today.
- 34' Chase Gasper picks up a Yellow card and will need to be extremely careful for the remainder of this match.
- 39' Although teams showed high tempo form the start, they seem to slow down a bit. Both sides really need to catch a fire. Otherwise, we have another goalless match.
- 43' Khiry Shelton does the damage! The net is bulging and Sporting Kansas City surge ahead!
- 48' We are waiting for someone to take the initiative. Who will be the first to commit to attack?
- 53' The clock is ticking and both teams know a goal could change everything at this point.
- 58' Minnesota United FC seems to be on a short break. The game is mainly concentrated in the center. It’s high time they got back to action. Otherwise, it looks like a goalless game.
- 59' Another substitution for Minnesota United FC to replace Mason Toye by Aaron Schoenfeld on 59 minute.
- 60' A meaty challenge results in booking for Jose Aja on 60.
- 65' It looks like no one’s ball. Minnesota United FC is used to counterattacking playing. None of the sides are ready to take the lead.
- 70' It’s gonna be a Yellow card for Jan Gregus.
- 73' A tactical swap from Sporting Kansas City — Johnny Russell on, Gerso Fernandes off on 73 minutes.
- 74' A meaty challenge results in booking for Tim Melia on 74.
- 76' Richard Sanchez has so much to prove this time. He replaces Gadi Kinda on 76 minute.
- 77' Raheem Edwards is ready to make an impact after coming on for Robin Lod at the 77 minute mark.
- 82' A moment of individual brilliance could settle this. Both teams are waiting for that decisive action.
- 83' A moment of madness from Roger Espinoza on 83 minutes earns him a Yellow card. Sporting Kansas City will be frustrated.
- 88' Roberto Puncec needs to be pretty careful with his discipline considering 0 Red cards this season.
- 90' Ilie Sanchez was booked on 90.
- 90' The Sporting Kansas City manager makes a substitution. Alan Pulido departs to be replaced by Erik Hurtado.
- Hope, you loved the show. Another epic battle is over with the score 1-2.
Lineups
Sporting Kansas City Lineups
Starting XI
- 36
-
9
Alan Pulido ↓ Erik Hurtado 90'
- 5
- 8
- 29
-
6
Ilie Sanchez ↓ Gianluca Busio 90'
- 12
- 15
-
11
Khiry Shelton ↓ Daniel Salloi 90'
- 4
-
17
Gadi Kinda ↓ Richard Sanchez 76'
Bench
- 22
-
7
Johnny Russell ↑ 73'
-
20
Daniel Salloi ↑ 90'
-
27
Gianluca Busio ↑ 90'
- 75
- 26
- 16
- 21
-
1
Richard Sanchez ↑ 76'
-
19
Erik Hurtado ↑ 90'
- 28
- 13
Coach
Peter Vermes
Minnesota United FC Lineups
Starting XI
- 19
-
17
Robin Lod ↓ Raheem Edwards 77'
- 1
- 15
- 13
-
7
Kevin Molino ↓ James Musa 90'
-
23
Mason Toye ↓ Aaron Schoenfeld 59'
- 4
- 8
- 31
- 77
Bench
- 5
-
44
Raheem Edwards ↑ 77'
- 6
- 94
-
12
Aaron Schoenfeld ↑ 59'
- 18
- 11
- 99
-
41
James Musa ↑ 90'
Coach
Adrian Heath
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Johnny Russell | 6 |
| Khiry Shelton | 5 |
| Daniel Salloi | 4 |
| Tani Oluwaseyi | 4 |
| Kevin Molino | 3 |
| Michael Boxall | 3 |
| Gadi Kinda | 3 |
| William Agada | 3 |
Head to Head
Sporting Kansas City Form
2020-07-13
Sporting Kansas City
1–2
Minnesota United FC
L
2020-03-08
Sporting Kansas City
4–0
Houston Dynamo
W
2020-03-01
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1–3
Sporting Kansas City
W
2019-10-06
FC Dallas
6–0
Sporting Kansas City
L
2019-09-29
Sporting Kansas City
2–2
Portland Timbers
D
2019-09-26
Minnesota United FC
2–1
Sporting Kansas City
L
Minnesota United FC Form
2020-07-13
Sporting Kansas City
1–2
Minnesota United FC
W
2020-03-08
San Jose Earthquakes
2–5
Minnesota United FC
W
2020-03-02
Portland Timbers
1–3
Minnesota United FC
W
2019-10-21
Minnesota United FC
1–2
Los Angeles Galaxy
L
2019-10-06
Seattle Sounders FC
1–0
Minnesota United FC
L
2019-09-29
Minnesota United FC
1–1
Los Angeles FC
D
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
3 / 4
1.7
Sporting Kansas City xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.91
Minnesota United FC xG
I would bet for:
Sporting Kansas City or Minnesota United FC 74% + Both teams to score 69%
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Minnesota United FC win
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 3.61
Actual: Yes — both scored
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 96% |
|
4% |
| ± 1.5 | 87% |
|
13% |
| ± 2.5 | 69% |
|
31% |
| ± 3.5 | 48% |
|
52% |
| ± 4.5 | 30% |
|
70% |
Double Chance
Sporting Kansas City or Draw
60%
Draw or Minnesota United FC
66%
Sporting Kansas City or Minnesota United FC
74%
Half-Time Result
✗ WrongActual: Sporting Kansas City win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
9.6%
1 – 2
Actual
2 – 1
7.2%
2 – 2
6.8%
1 – 3
5.1%
0 – 2
5%
0 – 1
4.6%
2 – 3
4.4%
3 – 1
4.1%
0 – 0
4%
1 – 0
4%
2 – 0
4%
Asian Handicap — Sporting Kansas City
| Handicap | Sporting Kansas City covers | Push | Minnesota United FC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 7% | — | 93% |
| -2 | 7% | 10% | 82% |
| -1.5 | 18% | — | 82% |
| -1 | 18% | 17% | 66% |
| -0.5 | 34% | — | 66% |
| +0.5 | 58% | — | 42% |
| +1 | 58% | 19% | 24% |
| +1.5 | 76% | — | 24% |
| +2 | 76% | 13% | 11% |
| +2.5 | 89% | — | 11% |
Clean Sheet
Sporting Kansas City keeps clean sheet
16%
✓
Minnesota United FC keeps clean sheet
19%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.