Sporting Kansas City vs. Columbus Crew SC | 2016 MLS Match Preview

A pair of long-time MLS Original rivals in real need of points meet for the only time in league play this season, when Sporting Kansas City play host to Columbus Crew SC on Sunday evening at Children’s Mercy Park before an FS1 audience. Sporting return home on a three-game undefeated run following their 2-2 draw at the Montréal Impact last weekend, now sitting just a point below the red line in the Western Conference, though they saw their defense of the U.S. Open Cup come to an end at midweek. Crew SC find themselves in ninth place in the East, their winless run now at three games after a second consecutive home draw in a late 1-1 result with the New York Red Bulls last weekend.

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• Dom Dwyer scored two goals in a game for the second time this season and seventh time in his MLS career, but Sporting saw their road winless streak extended to seven games in a 2-2 draw at the Montréal Impact on Saturday evening.
• Ola Kamara scored his fifth goal over the last four games, netting a late, late equalizer as Crew SC gained a second consecutive draw in a 1-1 result with the New York Red Bulls on Saturday evening at MAPFRE Stadium.
• Crew SC won the only meeting between the teams a year ago, a 3-2 win Aug. 22 in Columbus, snapping a five-game Sporting winning streak in the all-time series. It was Crew SC’s first home win in the series since a 1-0 win April 16, 2011.
• Sporting had a six-game undefeated streak vs. Crew SC until last year’s win; the last Columbus victory had come July 28, 2012, a 2-1 win in Kansas City.
• This is the only league meeting between the teams this season.

REFEREE: Ted Unkel. AR1 (bench): Corey Parker; AR2 (opposite): Jeremy Hanson; 4th: Alex Chilowicz
MLS Career: 39 games; FC/gm: 25.6; Y/gm: 4.3; R: 14; pens: 26

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: KC: Dom Dwyer
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: KC: Roger Espinoza … CLB: Wil Trapp
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (52 meetings): Sporting 24 wins (2 shootout), 81 goals … Crew SC 22 wins (2 shootout), 81 goals … Ties 6
AT KC (24 meetings): Sporting 13 wins (1 shootout), 41 goals … Crew SC 9 wins (2 shootout), 38 goals … Ties 2

LAST YEAR [MLS]
8/22: CLB 3, KC 2 (Finlay 35; Tchani 80; McInerney 88 – de Jong 14; Zusi 62)
• Coaches record: Gregg Berhalter vs. KC: P3 W1 L2 D0 … Peter Vermes vs. CLB: P13 W8 L4 D1

MLS Injury Report
MLS Disciplinary Report