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 18 games · 14 pts (2026/26)
- San Jose Earthquakes 18 games · 33 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Andrew Bigelow
- Referee Nima Saghafi
- Referee Jeremy Kieso
- Referee Ramy Touchan
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 18 | 40 |
| 2 | Internacional CF Miami | 18 | 38 |
| 3 | New England Revolution | 18 | 30 |
| 4 | Chicago Fire FC | 17 | 29 |
| 5 | New York City FC | 18 | 26 |
| 6 | FC Cincinnati | 18 | 26 |
| 7 | Charlotte FC | 18 | 25 |
| 8 | New York Red Bulls | 18 | 25 |
| 9 | D.C. United SC | 18 | 23 |
| 10 | Columbus Crew SC | 18 | 20 |
| 11 | Orlando City SC | 18 | 20 |
| 12 | Toronto FC | 18 | 17 |
| 13 | Philadelphia Union | 18 | 16 |
| 14 | Montreal Impact FC | 18 | 16 |
| 15 | Atlanta United FC | 18 | 12 |
| 16 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 17 | 34 |
| 17 | Los Angeles FC | 19 | 34 |
| 18 | San Jose Earthquakes | 18 | 33 |
| 19 | Houston Dynamo | 18 | 32 |
| 20 | FC Dallas | 18 | 27 |
| 21 | Real Salt Lake | 17 | 27 |
| 22 | St. Louis City | 18 | 26 |
| 23 | Portland Timbers | 18 | 24 |
| 24 | Seattle Sounders FC | 17 | 24 |
| 25 | Minnesota United FC | 18 | 24 |
| 26 | Colorado Rapids SC | 18 | 22 |
| 27 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 19 | 22 |
| 28 | San Diego FC | 18 | 21 |
| 29 | Austin FC | 18 | 17 |
| 30 | Sporting Kansas City | 18 | 14 |
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 | #18 |
| 14 | Points | 33 |
| 18 | Played | 18 |
| 4 / 2 / 12 | W / D / L | 10 / 3 / 5 |
| 18 | Scored | 37 |
| 46 | Conceded | 24 |
| -28 | GD | +13 |
| 0.78 | PPG | 1.83 |
| 22% | Win % | 56% |
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
26%
Clean Sheets
San Jose Earthquakes this season
San Jose Earthquakes this season
Sporting Kansas City are 30th (14 pts). San Jose Earthquakes are 18th (33 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Sporting Kansas City
0-15
–/7
16-30
3/4
31-45
3/6
46-60
2/4
61-75
2/8
76+
3/7
■ Scored ■ Conceded
San Jose Earthquakes
0-15
7/6
16-30
3/4
31-45
3/2
46-60
6/6
61-75
4/1
76+
7/6
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Sporting Kansas City
| Dejan Joveljic | 8 G | 1 A |
San Jose Earthquakes
| Preston Judd | 11 G | 2 A |
| Ousseni Bouda | 5 G | 1 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' Welcome to Children's Mercy Park that hosts another battle between Sporting Kansas City and San Jose Earthquakes.
- 4' Roger Espinoza puts Sporting Kansas City on the lead.
- 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' will be watching from the dugout nervously. His Sporting Kansas City side need to improve if they are to claim all three points.
- 19' Supporters expect more eagerness from Gerso Fernandes, as he is very good at scoring at Children's Mercy Park with 2 goals in the last 2 games.
- 22' Magnificent from Carlos Fierro! That is 6 goals in 282 appearances — and it could not have come at a better time.
- 27' While there is no rush on the pitch, let’s have a look at some stats. Andres Rios made 289 appearances and scored 22 goals. He is very likely to score a goal today.
- 28' San Jose Earthquakes player sees a Yellow card in front of him.
- 33' Sporting Kansas City are enjoying more possession but struggling to find a way through a disciplined San Jose Earthquakes backline.
- 34' What a moment for Shea Salinas! That strike on 34 puts his side firmly in control.
- 39' Winston Reid was booked on 39.
- 44' The teams are not in a rush to score plenty of goals. It might look strange considering San Jose Earthquakes that had 282 games and scored 427 goals.
- 47' The deadlock is broken! Winston Reid gets on the scoresheet on 47 minutes.
- 52' We miss some good tackles and strikes. Is there anyone on the field to put the game back to action?
- 56' That is a Yellow card for San Jose Earthquakes. Marcos Lopez will be fuming at that decision.
- 61' A tactical chess match is unfolding here. The question is which manager blinks first.
- 66' The Array continues to deliver drama. Both Sporting Kansas City and San Jose Earthquakes are desperate not to drop points on matchday .
- 71' Both keepers have barely been tested. Sporting Kansas City and San Jose Earthquakes are cancelling each other out in the centre of the park.
- 76' The referee has had an easy afternoon — neither side has been overly physical in the tackle.
- 78' The referee shows Sporting Kansas City player a Yellow card on 78.
- 79' Sporting Kansas City player sees a Yellow card in front of him.
- 84' A moment of individual brilliance could settle this. Both teams are waiting for that decisive action.
- 85' That is a Yellow card for San Jose Earthquakes. Cristian Espinoza will be fuming at that decision.
- 86' Sporting Kansas City receives a Yellow card for a hard tackle on 86.
- 87' Andres Rios gets the nod from San Jose Earthquakes. He replaces Carlos Fierro and will look to change the dynamic.
- 90' Another substitution for Sporting Kansas City to replace Gerso Fernandes by Erik Hurtado on 90 minute.
- What a match! Full time at {STADIUM} — Sporting Kansas City 3-3 San Jose Earthquakes.
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 |
| Johnny Russell | 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
2.08
Sporting Kansas City xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
2.59
San Jose Earthquakes xG
I would bet for:
Over 2.5 goals 83% + Both teams to score 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
59%
Draw or San Jose Earthquakes
62%
Sporting Kansas City or San Jose Earthquakes
79%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: San Jose Earthquakes win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
2 – 2
6.5%
1 – 2
6.5%
1 – 1
5.8%
2 – 3
5.6%
1 – 3
5.5%
2 – 1
5.2%
3 – 2
4.5%
3 – 3
Actual
2 – 4
3.6%
3 – 1
3.6%
1 – 4
3.5%
0 – 2
3.3%
Asian Handicap — Sporting Kansas City
| Handicap | Sporting Kansas City covers | Push | San Jose Earthquakes covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 8% | — | 92% |
| -2 | 8% | 9% | 83% |
| -1.5 | 17% | — | 83% |
| -1 | 17% | 14% | 69% |
| -0.5 | 31% | — | 69% |
| +0.5 | 51% | — | 49% |
| +1 | 51% | 18% | 31% |
| +1.5 | 69% | — | 31% |
| +2 | 69% | 14% | 17% |
| +2.5 | 83% | — | 17% |
Clean Sheet
Sporting Kansas City keeps clean sheet
8%
✓
San Jose Earthquakes keeps clean sheet
13%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.

