Austin FC makes a short trip north this Saturday to take on a red-hot Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park. Victory would keep the Verde & Black above the Western Conference playoff line and could lift them as high as sixth place in the standings. The match is set for a 7:30 p.m. CT kickoff.
Voting for the 2023 MLS All-Star Game remains open through Wednesday, June 14. Click here to vote for your favorite Austin FC players.
Tune-In
Fans can watch the match in English or Spanish in over 100 countries via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
- Stream: Click here to watch the match, or access it through any device compatible with the Apple TV app. An MLS Season Pass subscription is required to watch the match.
- Radio: The match will be broadcast live locally in English on iHeart Radio’s Alt 97.5, and in Spanish on Univision’s TUDN Radio Austin (104.3-HD2, KLQB-FM).
Austin FC Outlook
Austin FC wrapped up what is likely to be its busiest stretch of the schedule in 2023 last week, defeating Minnesota United 2-1 and falling to Real Salt Lake by the same scoreline in a pair of matches at Q2 Stadium.
The team’s June fixture list is much less congested, with only three matches during the remainder of the month. The first of those is the trip to face Sporting KC on Saturday, and Head Coach Josh Wolff’s side is getting close to full strength once again.
Diego Fagundez, Julio Cascante, and Sebastián Driussi are all back in the fold after extended injury-caused spells on the sideline. Owen Wolff is back from the FIFA U-20 World Cup and could return to MLS action as early as this Saturday.
Austin picked up two solid results in its last three road contests, earning a comeback draw in Portland and an impressive victory in Seattle during May. If the Verde & Black are to claim three points in Kansas, they’ll need another strong team performance and further individual contributions from players like Jon Gallagher (who leads all MLS defenders in goals), Brad Stuver (third in MLS in saves), and Dani Pereira (who just earned his first call-up to the Venezuelan men’s national team).
Sporting KC Outlook
Sporting KC were the worst team in MLS through the opening 10 matches of the season, with only three points gained during that stretch. Their turnaround last month was remarkable though, as no team in the West picked up more points in May (13).
Peter Vermes’ side has now lost only once in its last seven league games, and has won three straight home games with a combined nine goals scored and two allowed in those matches. Daniel Sallói has been the driving force offensively, leading the team in goals (4) and tied for the team lead in assists (3).
Gadi Kinda, Alan Pulido, and Erik Thommy have all been key performers recently as well. Midfielder Rémi Walter and defender Andreu Fontàs do well to create resistance to opposing creative players.
Children’s Mercy Park is traditionally one of MLS' toughest places to play as an away side, but Austin’s results there in its short history have been decent, with one win, one draw, and one loss in three prior visits.
Possible Sporting KC Lineup
(4-3-3, R-L) - GK: Kendall McIntosh; Jacob Davis, Daniel Rosero, Andreu Fontà s, Logan Ndenbe; Erik Thommy, Nemanja Radoja, Gadi Kinda; Marinos Tzionis, Alan Pulido, Daniel Sallói
