Preview:Sporting Kansas City vs Houston Dynamo - prediction, team news, lineups

Sporting Kansas City will wrap up their disappointing 2025 Major League Soccer campaign by hosting Houston Dynamo FC at Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday in the Western Conference.

Both sides are out of playoff contention, but each will look to finish the season on a positive note after enduring difficult seasons.

Match preview

For Sporting Kansas City, the 2025 season has been one to forget, as they sit second from bottom in the Western Conference with just 27 points from 33 matches, recording seven wins, six draws and 20 defeats.

Their defensive struggles have been glaring, with a league-high 70 goals conceded - a statistic that perfectly captures their frailties at the back.

Sporting have also been plagued by inconsistency, using 34 different starting lineups in 35 matches across all competitions, reflecting their instability throughout the campaign.

Kerry Zavagnin’s men have shown glimpses of attacking threat, however, with 22 of their 46 goals coming after the 60th minute, nearly half of their total.

Yet, that has not been enough to salvage their season, as they remain 27th overall in MLS with a -24 goal differential.

Their latest outing saw them suffer a 3-0 defeat away to Minnesota United, extending their losing streak to five matches.

Already eliminated from playoff contention, Sporting’s final objective is to avoid finishing bottom of the Western Conference, where they are battling LA Galaxy for 14th place.

Houston Dynamo’s season has been only marginally better, with Ben Olsen’s side sitting 12th in the Western Conference on 36 points from nine wins, nine draws and 15 defeats.

They, too, have been eliminated from playoff contention and can finish no higher than 11th.

The Dynamo were beaten 4-2 by San Diego FC in their last match, continuing an inconsistent run of one win from their previous five games.

Across that stretch, they have scored six goals and conceded 10, underlining their defensive vulnerabilities.

While both clubs have struggled, recent history between them has been closely contested - each side claiming two wins apiece and one draw from their last five meetings.

Sporting Kansas City, however, took the most recent encounter 3-1 back in June.

Sporting Kansas City Major League Soccer form:

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Houston Dynamo Major League Soccer form:

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Team News

Sporting forward Shapi Suleymanov returns from suspension after missing the Minnesota defeat due to a red card.

Forward Dejan Joveljic, who has been a rare bright spot this season, is expected to lead the line once again.

The Serbian striker’s 18 goals in 2025 place him fourth in MLS, and his tally ties the second-highest single-season mark in club history, level with Preki’s 1996 total and behind Dom Dwyer’s 22 in 2014.

Andrew Broady and Manu Garcia remain sidelined with injuries and will not feature in the season finale.

For Houston, defender Erik Sviatchenko returns from suspension after receiving a red card against Nashville earlier this month.

Forward Ezequiel Ponce, who has contributed 10 goals and one assist, will once again lead the attack alongside Ondrej Lingr.

Ben Olsen is expected to keep Artur de Lima Junior and Junior Urso in midfield, while Griffin Dorsey and Pablo Ortiz should continue in the defensive line.

Sporting Kansas City possible starting lineup:

Pulskamp; Davis, James, Montes Castro, Voloder, Ndenbe; Rodriguez, Radoja, Bassong; Toye, Joveljic

Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:

Bond; Andrade, Ortiz, Sviatchenko, Dorsey; Ennali, Urso, Artur, Holmes; Ponce, Lingr

We say: Sporting Kansas City 2-2 Houston Dynamo

With both teams already out of contention, pride will be the main motivation heading into this clash.

Sporting Kansas City have struggled badly in defence but could take advantage of Houston’s equally leaky backline at home. Still, the Dynamo’s attacking pair of Ponce and Lingr could ensure this ends evenly.

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