A pair of MLS sides can end their lengthy winless runs on Wednesday as Sporting Kansas City host the Vancouver Whitecaps at Children's Mercy Park.
On Saturday, Sporting suffered a fifth successive league defeat when the Portland Timbers beat them 2-1, while the Caps have just a single point from their last four domestic encounters after narrowly losing 2-1 to Inter Miami.
Match preview
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For a second successive campaign, Kansas City have begun the regular season poorly, winning two of their opening 14 MLS affairs, just as they did in 2023.
Without a point in their last five league fixtures, it equals their longest losing run under Peter Vermes in this competition from 2011, while they have not suffered six or more consecutive defeats in the regular season since 2006 (seven).
Although they currently find themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference table with 11 points, SKC are actually in a better position than they were at this stage a season ago (10 points after 14 league games).
Around this same stage last year, they began to turn things around, losing just six league contests after matchday 14, one fewer than they had incurred before that.
Over half of their domestic points in 2024 have occurred at Children's Mercy Park (6/11), though if they fail to earn maximum points on Wednesday, it will set a new club record for their longest home winless run in a single MLS regular season (six).
SKC have won three of their previous four regular-season home contests against the Whitecaps, scoring three goals in each of those triumphs.
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Vancouver have been disappointing throughout the month, without a domestic victory in May and suffering a third successive defeat in MLS this year by a single goal on Saturday.
Their current six-match MLS winless run is the longest stretch without a domestic triumph for the Whitecaps in the regular season since Vanni Sartini took charge in 2021.
After beginning the domestic campaign near the top of the Western Conference table, this team are now only just hanging onto a playoff berth, a mere three points above the Portland Timbers in the post-season battle.
Vancouver are winless in their last four regular-season contests away from home after winning three successive league matches as the visitors to begin the 2024 campaign.
They have not won a domestic encounter when trailing at the half since August 2022, when they erased a 1-0 deficit and defeated the Houston Dynamo 2-1.
The Whitecaps have claimed at least a point in three of their previous four meetings versus KC, with their last triumph at Children's Mercy Park occurring in May 2022 (1-0).
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Team News
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Remi Walter sat out of the previous SKC match due to a sore knee, Logan Ndenbe was unavailable for that same reason and Kayden Pierre remained sidelined with an ankle injury.
Memo Rodriguez will be forced out of this mid-week fixture, with the 28-year-old midfielder receiving another booking last weekend after scoring their only goal versus the Timbers.
Alan Pulido has more goals against the Caps than any SKC player past or present (five), while Daniel Salloi has appeared in 66 consecutive regular season games and can match Davy Arnaud for the third-longest such streak in club history on Wednesday.
On Saturday, the Caps were once again missing Sam Adekugbe because of a calf strain, Andres Cubas played 88 minutes of that match despite being questionable with a knock, while Damir Kreilach was forced out once again due to an ankle injury.
Giuseppe Bovalina made his first MLS appearance over the weekend, replacing Pedro Vite in the second half, while Bjorn Inge Utvik was an unused substitute and has not featured in this competition since being red-carded in their defeat to the Colorado Rapids (1-0).
A second-half penalty converted by Vancouver captain Ryan Gauld was all the home side could manage against the Herons, as the Scotsman is now tied for the team lead in goals alongside Brian White, each with five in MLS this year.
Sporting Kansas City possible starting lineup:
Melia; Davis, Rosero, Fontas, Bassong; Hernandez, Radoja, Thommy; Russell, Pulido, Salloi
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Takaoka; Inge Utvik, Veselinovic, Blackmon; Ahmed, Vite, Cubas, Johnson; Gauld, White, Picault
We say: Sporting Kansas City 1-1 Vancouver Whitecaps
Neither side are in great form at the moment, while three of the previous four meetings between these two have resulted in either a draw or a one-goal victory.
They are both low on confidence and struggling to create much going forward, which is why we are projecting a stalemate in this midweek clash.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
