SEATTLE, WASH. – Sounders FC’s three-match week comes to a close on Sunday evening with a matchup of the top two teams in the Western Conference, with Seattle hosting Sporting Kansas City at Lumen Field (6:00 p.m. PT / JOEtv, Prime Video, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM). This marks the first meeting between the two sides since August of 2019.
Tacoma Defiance players Obed Vargas and Alex Villanueva are available for the club's match tonight vs. Sporting Kansas City via Short-Term Agreements. International callups and injuries to players on Seattle's roster have made the club eligible for Extreme Hardship. As a result, the Rave Green have the two players from the club's USL Championship affiliate available on short-term loans, making them eligible tonight.
After suffering its first loss of the season last Sunday at Minnesota, Sounders FC rallied for a 1-0 road win on Thursday evening at Austin FC, with Raúl RuidÃaz scoring his league-leading 11th goal of the season (earning MLS Player of the Week honors) in the Rave Green’s first-ever trip to Q2 Stadium. Brian Schmetzer’s squad on Thursday set a league record with five players aged 19 years or younger in the starting XI.Â
Last weekend’s loss to Minnesota snapped a league-record 13-match unbeaten streak (8-0-5) to start a season. The run also tied the longest in club history at any point in a single season, matching the franchise record set in 2017. Sounders FC’s current 14-match home unbeaten streak (10-0-4) is tied for the club record set in 2013.
Sounders FC is 9-7-4 all-time against Sporting Kansas City in MLS regular-season play, including a 5-2-3 record in Seattle. The two sides have not met since the 2019 season, when SKC defeated Seattle twice. The visitors currently sit second in the Western Conference with 27 points, five points behind first-place Seattle.
Sunday’s match is being broadcast locally on JOEtv and streamed regionally on Prime Video, with Keith Costigan, Kasey Keller and current Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei on the call. Frei, who is currently recovering from injury, makes his second appearance on the broadcast after debuting earlier this month. Michelle Ludtka, Brad Evans and James Riley are providing pre-match, halftime and post-match TV coverage. Sports Radio 950 KJR is airing a simulcast of today’s match, with pre-match, halftime and post-match coverage from Jackson Felts, Wade Webber and Danny Jackson. El Rey 1360 AM is broadcasting the match in Spanish, featuring Zuper Mario Rodriguez, Felipe Maqueda, Carlos Tapia and Marlo Vilela on the call.
