The Seattle Sounders are hosting Sporting Kansas City on Thursday in their second and final meeting in the regular season. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. PT at Lumen Field (TICKETS).
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available to watch on Apple TV.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on iHeartMedia Seattle and in Spanish on El Rey 1360AM.
2026 MLS STANDINGS: Sounders: 9-9-8 (35 points, 9th West), SKC: 6-17-3 (21 points, 15th West)
FORM GUIDE (all competitions, most recent first): Seattle: WWDDD, Sporting KC: WLWLL
PREVIOUS MEETING: The Sounders and SKC played to a 1-1 draw at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., on May 2. Paul Rothrock opened the scoring inside two minutes for Seattle before former SKC forward Dejan Joveljić equalized against his new team to split the points.
Bring the Noise
Enjoy the Rave Pack —a two-match offering filled with high-energy, high-stakes matches at Lumen Field. Open with our Sept. 9 battle against Sporting Kansas City, and finish with a Saturday-night showdown vs. Eastern Conference foe CF Montrêal.
2 TICKETS AND 2 CIDERS BUNDLE: Sponsored by Schilling Cider, the Sounders are offering a two tickets and two ciders bundle for fans aged 21 and older for just $50 plus taxes and fees.
JOVELJIĆ OUT VS. FORMER CLUB: Joveljić will miss his third straight match on Thursday while on international duty with the Serbian national team. The Sounders acquired the 27-year-old Designated Player from SKC last month in a blockbuster $6M cash-for-player trade.
SCHMETZER 150: Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer earned his 150th MLS victory last weekend becoming just the ninth manager in league history to hit the milestone.
RUSNÁK HEATING UP: With Joveljić out, attacking midfielder Albert Rusnák has been instrumental in attack, recording a goal and four assists in his last three contests.
YEIMAR RETURNS: The Sounders got a huge lift on Saturday when two-time MLS Best XI center back Yeimar returned for a cameo substitute appearance, his first since early March after battling multiple injuries in 2026.
Ticket + Bobblehead Bundle #3 (10.1)
Get the third and final Sounders FC player bobblehead with this Ticket + Bobblehead Bundle on Thursday, October 1 vs. Sporting KC. This limited-edition bobblehead series celebrates some of the most electric players in club history.
ATTACKING OUTBURST: Both the Sounders and SKC have found their attacking form over the last few matches. SKC (31 goals) and Seattle (33) are still the lowest and third-lowest scoring teams in the league, respectively, but each has come alive in September. SKC has racked up 11 of its 31 goals in the last four games, while Seattle has tallied nine goals in its last four contests.
DEFENSIVE WOES: Sporting KC’s newfound life in attack hasn’t been enough to staunch the bleeding defensively, though. They’ve given up three-plus goals in three of their last five outings, including blowing a 3-0 lead to the Philadelphia Union to fall 4-3. SKC’s 63 goals allowed are the third-most in the league, and their -32 Goal Differential is nearing the MLS all-time record of -37.
PLAYER TO WATCH: André Luiz, F
It’s no coincidence that SKC’s recent rise in form and goalscoring prowess aligns with the arrival of this man. SKC acquired the 24-year-old Brazilian winger from Greek powerhouse Olympiacos in August for a whopping $18M plus add-ons. A product of Rio de Janeiro talent factory Flamengo, Luiz has hit the ground running in MLS with four goals and an assist in just over 300 minutes.
