LAFC @ Sporting KC
Saturday, Oct. 5 at 5:30 p.m. PT
🏟: Children's Mercy Park - Kansas City, KS
Following a 1-0 home win over St. Louis CITY SC at BMO Stadium on Wednesday, LAFC visits Kansas City to take on Sporting KC this Saturday. The Western Conference rivals faced one another just a week-and-a-half ago in the U.S. Open Cup Final, which LAFC won 3-1, in extra time, at BMO Stadium.
LAFC’s midweek victory over St. Louis kept the club in second place in the Western Conference standings, with just three games remaining. LAFC trails current conference leaders, the Galaxy, by just six points, and has an additional game in hand with which it can close that gap. Already assured of a playoff spot, the Black & Gold can clinch a top-four finish with a win over Sporting KC, which would provide LAFC with home-field advantage in its Round One Best-of-3 Playoff Series.
“Training was intense today,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said Friday, “so we'll look for more of the same tomorrow against SKC, who we fully expect, at home, in their final home game of the season, to have maybe a little chip on their shoulder to try to get some revenge [following last week’s Open Cup Final]. We’re ready. We would like to finish where we are in the table right now, so we need points as well.”
Denis Bouanga’s goal against St. Louis, his 19th of the year, kept him just three goals behind the leader in the 2024 MLS Golden Boot race, Christian Benteke of D.C. United (22 goals). Each has three regular-season games remaining.
Saturday marks the third and final meeting between LAFC and SKC this season. The clubs played to a scoreless draw back in March. Following its loss to LAFC in last week’s Open Cup trophy match, Sporting fell to St. Louis last weekend, 3-1, and has enjoyed a full week off prior to Saturday’s home finale at Children’s Mercy Park.
SKC In Depth:
Despite its thrilling run to the Open Cup Final, Sporting KC, under longtime head coach Peter Vermes, has fallen short of expectations in league play in 2024. The club got off to a 2W-9L-5D start, including seven straight losses, and never recovered.
Currently in 13th place in the 14-team Western Conference, Vermes’ side has been ousted from MLS Cup Playoff contention, but against LAFC last week, SKC showed a grit and quality that belies its league record (8W-17L-7D). German midfielder Erik Thommy buried the Kansans’ best chance against LAFC in the Cup Final from a difficult angle, and has quietly had a stellar season. Thommy leads SKC in minutes played and key passes. His seven MLS goals are tied with Alan Pulido for second on the team behind William Agada’s nine.
The Black & Gold Can Win If:
It takes the field with the same grit it showed over 90 minutes in Cincinnati last weekend. That rainy, road win spilled over into this week’s 1-0 home victory against St. Louis, but according to defender Sergi Palencia these scorelines have been secondary. “What I like from these wins is not the result,” said Palencia, who this week was named LAFC’s Player of the Month for September, “it’s the passion. We are playing with passion. We are playing with emotion. That, for us, is very important. We are a team that that needs this to be our best version.
“When we play at home, of course we have this because our fans give us this, but away, we are also finding passion, we are winning duels, we are enjoying defending. That's the key.”
SKC Can Win If:
It draws enough energy from its home supporters in The Cauldron – the most raucous stand in Children’s Mercy Park – to provide them with a positive result at the end of a long and difficult season. One bright light for Sporting this season has been its 6W-6L-4D record at home. To add a seventh home win, Vermes will need his men to play with pride and to provide attackers Thommy, Pulido, Agada, and Johnny Russell with proper service in the attacking third.
