SPORTING KANSAS CITY vs. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
Children's Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas
Sunday, Oct. 23 | Week #34 | MLS Game #336
4 pm ET (MLS LIVE, CSN-CA, KMCI-38)
Sporting KC need a win to book their place in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs as San Jose visit on the final day of the regular season. A tepid stretch marked by just one win in their last six league matches has left SKC hanging on for dear life in the Western Conference's sixth and final postseason slot. But a home win over a Quakes side already eliminated from playoff contention could see Sporting rise as high as fourth place in the Western bracket, amid a topsy-turvy tangle of scenarios that could unfold on Decision Day.
- Sporting return home following a three-game road swing where they went 1-1-1, concluding the stretch with a goalless draw at Real Salt Lake on Sunday afternoon.
- The Quakes concluded the home portion of their 2016 MLS campaign with a scoreless draw with Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Sunday afternoon at Avaya Stadium.
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, having split the first two, both contests in San Jose. Chris Wondolowski scored the game’s lone goal from a penalty kick in the 59th minute as the Quakes claimed the victory April 24 at Avaya Stadium; on Sept. 24, Kevin Ellis scored late from a corner kick to give Sporting a 2-1 triumph.
- The Sporting win in the last meeting snapped a three-game Quakes winning streak in the series. It was also SKC’s first win in San Jose since Aug. 16, 2000. The Quakes had won 10 of the 15 meetings following in northern California, with five draws.
- The Quakes won the last meeting between the teams in Kansas City, a 5-0 victory Aug. 19, 2015. It was the first win for the road team in the series since 2004, when San Jose won at Arrowhead Stadium. The result also snapped an eight-game home winning streak for Sporting vs. the Quakes.
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REFEREE: Drew Fischer. AR1 (bench): Philippe Briere; AR2 (opposite): Eduardo Mariscal; 4th: Robert Sibiga
MLS Career: 64 games; FC/gm: 26.6; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 8; pens: 16
SUSPENDED: SJ: Anibal Godoy (caution accumulation; through Oct. 23)
WARNINGS:
FINED NEXT YELLOW CARD: KC: Matt Besler • SJ: Jordan Stewart
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (53 meetings): Sporting 22 wins (4 shootout), 61 goals • Earthquakes 24 wins (3 shootout), 66 goals • Ties 7
AT KC (26 meetings): Sporting 17 wins (2 shootout), 40 goals • Earthquakes 8 wins (2 shootout), 28 goals • Ties 1
2016 (MLS):
4/24: SJ 1, KC 0 (Wondolowski 59)
9/24: SJ 1, KC 2 (Dawkins 42 • Dwyer 7; Ellis 81)
Coaches record: Peter Vermes vs. SJ: P12 W5 L6 D1 • Dominic Kinnear vs. KC: P30 W12 L8 D10
