Sporting Kansas City vs San Jose Earthquakes, MLS 2026 CONFERENCE QUARTER FINALS
Overview
Match Preview
Sporting Kansas City vs San Jose Earthquakes — MLS at Children's Mercy Park.
- Sporting Kansas City 14 games · 11 pts (2026/26)
- San Jose Earthquakes 15 games · 32 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Andrew Bigelow
- Referee Nima Saghafi
- Referee Jeremy Kieso
- Referee Ramy Touchan
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 14 | 33 |
| 2 | Internacional CF Miami | 15 | 31 |
| 3 | Chicago Fire FC | 14 | 26 |
| 4 | New England Revolution | 14 | 25 |
| 5 | New York Red Bulls | 15 | 22 |
| 6 | Charlotte FC | 15 | 21 |
| 7 | FC Cincinnati | 15 | 20 |
| 8 | New York City FC | 15 | 19 |
| 9 | D.C. United SC | 15 | 18 |
| 10 | Columbus Crew SC | 15 | 16 |
| 11 | Toronto FC | 14 | 14 |
| 12 | Montreal Impact FC | 14 | 14 |
| 13 | Orlando City SC | 15 | 14 |
| 14 | Atlanta United FC | 14 | 11 |
| 15 | Philadelphia Union | 15 | 7 |
| 16 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 14 | 32 |
| 17 | San Jose Earthquakes | 15 | 32 |
| 18 | Real Salt Lake | 14 | 26 |
| 19 | FC Dallas | 15 | 25 |
| 20 | Los Angeles FC | 15 | 24 |
| 21 | Seattle Sounders FC | 13 | 24 |
| 22 | Houston Dynamo | 14 | 22 |
| 23 | Minnesota United FC | 15 | 22 |
| 24 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 15 | 20 |
| 25 | San Diego FC | 15 | 17 |
| 26 | Colorado Rapids SC | 15 | 16 |
| 27 | St. Louis City | 14 | 16 |
| 28 | Portland Timbers | 14 | 14 |
| 29 | Austin FC | 15 | 14 |
| 30 | Sporting Kansas City | 14 | 11 |
Head-to-Head
Last 5 meetings
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Nov | San Jose Earthquakes | H | 3–3 | D |
| 08 Nov | Real Salt Lake | A | 2–0 | W |
| 28 Oct | FC Cincinnati | A | 1–0 | W |
| 25 Oct | Colorado Rapids SC | H | 4–0 | W |
| 17 Oct | Chicago Fire FC | A | 2–2 | D |
| 15 Oct | FC Dallas | A | 0–1 | L |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Nov | Sporting Kansas City | A | 3–3 | D |
| 08 Nov | Seattle Sounders FC | A | 1–4 | L |
| 05 Nov | Los Angeles FC | H | 3–2 | W |
| 29 Oct | Real Salt Lake | H | 2–0 | W |
| 25 Oct | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | A | 1–2 | L |
| 19 Oct | Seattle Sounders FC | H | 0–0 | D |
Season Stats
| Sporting Kansas City | San Jose Earthquakes | |
|---|---|---|
| #30 | Position | #17 |
| 11 | Points | 32 |
| 14 | Played | 15 |
| 3 / 2 / 9 | W / D / L | 10 / 2 / 3 |
| 14 | Scored | 34 |
| 36 | Conceded | 15 |
| -22 | GD | +19 |
| 0.79 | PPG | 2.13 |
| 21% | Win % | 67% |
Key Stats
76%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (17 games)
H2H (17 games)
82%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
0%
Clean Sheets
Sporting Kansas City this season
Sporting Kansas City this season
33%
Clean Sheets
San Jose Earthquakes this season
San Jose Earthquakes this season
Sporting Kansas City are 30th (11 pts). San Jose Earthquakes are 17th (32 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Sporting Kansas City
0-15
–/6
16-30
2/3
31-45
2/3
46-60
1/3
61-75
2/5
76+
2/4
■ Scored ■ Conceded
San Jose Earthquakes
0-15
7/3
16-30
2/2
31-45
3/1
46-60
4/4
61-75
3/–
76+
7/3
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Events
Match Events
- 0' Welcome to Children's Mercy Park that hosts another battle between Sporting Kansas City and San Jose Earthquakes.
- 4' Sporting Kansas City is taking the lead after the goal scored by Roger Espinoza on 4.
- 9' San Jose Earthquakes looks like a favorite considering 2 games won in last 2 matches with its main striker Jack Skahan scoring 2 goals.
- 14' The home supporters are growing impatient. Sporting Kansas City must find a spark to ignite this game.
- 19' While there is no rush on the pitch, let’s have a look at some stats. Shea Salinas made 279 appearances and scored 10 goals. He is very likely to score a goal today.
- 22' GOAL! Carlos Fierro fires home to make it 1-1!
- 27' Spectators are craving for more action. Both teams play very cautiously. They need to put some more energy.
- 28' It’s a booking for San Jose Earthquakes player. Nick Lima gets a Yellow card.
- 33' Spectators do not have much to choose from both teams. The sides had several scoring chances but they still need a bit more than just a sight of a goal.
- 34' The deadlock is broken! Shea Salinas gets on the scoresheet on 34 minutes.
- 39' Poor challenge from Winston Reid. The referee spots it immediately and shows the Yellow card.
- 44' The 35-year-old Ilie Sanchez has been sensational this season — 0 goals and 0 assists is a remarkable return.
- 47' What an equalizer from Winston Reid!
- 52' A moment of individual brilliance could settle this. Both teams are waiting for that decisive action.
- 56' A meaty challenge results in booking for Marcos Lopez on 56.
- 61' Chris Wondolowski, a United States , has 7 bookings this season and will need to keep his discipline tonight.
- 66' Sporting Kansas City currently sit in the Array table. A result here could be decisive in the race for the top positions.
- 71' Sporting Kansas City started playing very sharply right from the kick off. However, it slowed down the tempo rapidly by 71.
- 76' Both keepers have barely been tested. Sporting Kansas City and San Jose Earthquakes are cancelling each other out in the centre of the park.
- 78' A meaty challenge results in booking for Amadou Dia on 78.
- 79' The referee reaches into his pocket. Out comes the Yellow card for Roger Espinoza.
- 84' 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.
- 85' San Jose Earthquakes player sees a Yellow card in front of him.
- 86' A moment of madness from Johnny Russell on 86 minutes earns him a Yellow card. Sporting Kansas City will be frustrated.
- 87' Time for substitution for San Jose Earthquakes. Carlos Fierro is replaced by Andres Rios.
- 90' It is a substitution in Sporting Kansas City team. Gerso Fernandes is replaced by Erik Hurtado on 90 minute.
- The final whistle. It looks like we are having a draw.
Lineups
Sporting Kansas City Lineups
Starting XI
- 22
- 7
- 29
- 6
- 12
-
27
Gianluca Busio ↓ Gadi Kinda 97'
- 26
-
15
Roger Espinoza ↓ Erik Hurtado 90'
- 11
- 4
- 13
Bench
- 36
- 3
- 20
- 16
-
21
Felipe Hernandez ↑ 90'
-
19
Erik Hurtado ↑ 90'
-
17
Gadi Kinda ↑ 97'
- 28
- 24
Coach
Peter Vermes
San Jose Earthquakes Lineups
Starting XI
-
93
Judson ↓ Eric Calvillo 115'
- 4
-
6
Shea Salinas ↓ Cade Cowell 87'
- 24
- 8
- 23
- 14
- 18
-
27
Marcos Lopez ↓ Tommy Thompson 102'
- 10
-
21
Carlos Fierro ↓ Andres Rios 87'
Bench
-
25
Andres Rios ↑ 87'
- 96
-
22
Tommy Thompson ↑ 102'
-
26
Eric Calvillo ↑ 115'
- 17
- 33
-
44
Cade Cowell ↑ 87'
- 19
- 15
Coach
Matias Almeyda
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Daniel Salloi | 6 |
| Alan Pulido | 5 |
| Erik Thommy | 3 |
| Danny Hoesen | 3 |
| Cristian Arango | 3 |
| Chris Wondolowski | 3 |
| Felipe Gutierrez | 3 |
| Felipe Gutierrez | 2 |
Head to Head
Sporting Kansas City Form
2020-11-22
Sporting Kansas City
3–3
San Jose Earthquakes
D
2020-11-08
Real Salt Lake
0–2
Sporting Kansas City
W
2020-10-28
FC Cincinnati
0–1
Sporting Kansas City
W
2020-10-25
Sporting Kansas City
4–0
Colorado Rapids SC
W
2020-10-17
Chicago Fire FC
2–2
Sporting Kansas City
D
2020-10-15
FC Dallas
1–0
Sporting Kansas City
L
San Jose Earthquakes Form
2020-11-22
Sporting Kansas City
3–3
San Jose Earthquakes
D
2020-11-08
Seattle Sounders FC
4–1
San Jose Earthquakes
L
2020-11-05
San Jose Earthquakes
3–2
Los Angeles FC
W
2020-10-29
San Jose Earthquakes
2–0
Real Salt Lake
W
2020-10-25
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2–1
San Jose Earthquakes
L
2020-10-19
San Jose Earthquakes
0–0
Seattle Sounders FC
D
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
3 / 4
1.95
Sporting Kansas City xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
2.72
San Jose Earthquakes xG
I would bet for:
Over 2.5 goals 83% + Sporting Kansas City or San Jose Earthquakes 80%
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: Draw
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 4.67
Actual: Yes — both scored
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 98% |
|
2% |
| ± 1.5 | 94% |
|
6% |
| ± 2.5 | 83% |
|
17% |
| ± 3.5 | 67% |
|
33% |
| ± 4.5 | 49% |
|
51% |
Double Chance
Sporting Kansas City or Draw
56%
Draw or San Jose Earthquakes
65%
Sporting Kansas City or San Jose Earthquakes
80%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: San Jose Earthquakes win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 2
6.7%
2 – 2
6.4%
1 – 3
5.9%
2 – 3
5.7%
1 – 1
5.7%
2 – 1
4.9%
3 – 2
4.1%
1 – 4
4%
2 – 4
3.9%
3 – 3
Actual
0 – 2
3.6%
0 – 3
3.2%
Asian Handicap — Sporting Kansas City
| Handicap | Sporting Kansas City covers | Push | San Jose Earthquakes covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 6% | — | 94% |
| -2 | 6% | 8% | 86% |
| -1.5 | 14% | — | 86% |
| -1 | 14% | 13% | 73% |
| -0.5 | 27% | — | 73% |
| +0.5 | 47% | — | 53% |
| +1 | 47% | 18% | 35% |
| +1.5 | 65% | — | 35% |
| +2 | 65% | 15% | 20% |
| +2.5 | 80% | — | 20% |
Clean Sheet
Sporting Kansas City keeps clean sheet
7%
✓
San Jose Earthquakes keeps clean sheet
15%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.