Boasting a 6-3-3 record in the last dozen MLS matches, Sporting Kansas City will look to continue their climb up the Western Conference table on Saturday by visiting rivals Houston Dynamo FC. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT at Shell Energy Stadium with free broadcasts on Apple TV.
The 2023 campaign has been a tale of two seasons for both teams. Sporting struggled out of the gates before taking significant strides forward since the start of May. Houston, meanwhile, is one of the league’s best home teams and worst away teams. It all makes for a fascinating new chapter of a longtime rivalry that has seen both clubs collect 13 wins and 14 draws apiece across 40 regular season meetings.
Sporting are 4-1-1 in their last five meetings against Houston across all competitions, with the lone loss coming in the most recent meeting as Houston claimed a 1-0 home win in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 on May 10. Houston’s Open Cup win over Sporting in May saw Thor Ulfarsson score the decisive goal in the 12th minute. The Dynamo held on for a 1-0 victory despite being outshot 17-2 and playing down a man for 55 minutes following Chase Gasper’s red card. Sporting have failed to score in each of their last three trips to Shell Energy Stadium in all competitions, taking a 0-0 draw and two 1-0 losses since 2021.
Other MLS games on Saturday, July 8th:
Cincinnati at Charlotte – 6:30 PM
NYCFC at Columbus – 6:30 PM
Miami at D.C. United – 6:30 PM
Atlanta at Montreal – 6:30 PM
New England at NY Red Bulls – 6:30 PM
St. Louis at Toronto – 6:30 PM
Nashville at Chicago – 7:30 PM
Kansas City at Houston – 7:30 PM
Austin at Minnesota – 7:30 PM
Dallas at Colorado – 8:30 PM
Orlando at Salt Lake – 8:30 PM
Philadelphia at LA Galaxy – 9:30 PM
San Jose at LAFC – 9:30 PM
Seattle at Vancouver – 9:30 PM