San Diego vs Kansas – News and Probable Lineups

Desperately needing a victory to avoid finishing at the bottom of the MLS table this season, Sporting Kansas City concludes the regular season on Saturday with a matchup against San Diego at Snapdragon Stadium.

Both teams are already out of the playoff race, with San Diego positioned 13th in the Western Conference following a 1-0 success against St. Louis City, while KC is languishing at the bottom despite securing a home draw against Dallas, finishing 1-1.

Match overview

San Diego was just 90 minutes from the MLS Cup final last season but has struggled to replicate that form in their second year in the league.

Mikey Varas’ squad can finish as high as 12th in the West this season, but they need to win and rely on a Minnesota United defeat on Decision Day to leapfrog them.

A win this Saturday would elevate their points total above 40, though San Diego would still fall short of the impressive 63 points they earned in their inaugural MLS season of 2025.

Should they secure a victory this weekend, it would equal the seven home wins they registered in 2025 during the regular season.

This year, while San Diego has not failed to score in all but one of their home fixtures, they have conceded multiple goals in 10 of their home games at Snapdragon Stadium.

In their last three encounters against SKC, San Diego remains unbeaten and has not conceded a single goal against them.

Fortunately for Sporting Kansas City, the 2026 season will come to a close this Saturday in San Diego.

Having previously claimed the MLS Cup twice, the club is set to finish this campaign with a record low points total. A win on Saturday would bring them to 26 points overall.

For Kansas City to avoid ending up at the bottom of the league for the first time, they would need to win while CF Montreal also loses, along with a significant swing in goal difference in favor of SKC.

Raphael Wicky’s team has already remarkably set a new league record for goals conceded in a single season (81), with them allowing goals in all but one MLS match this year.

Though it may not offer much consolation, Kansas City could surpass their away wins from last season with a success on Decision Day, as they managed just three last year.

So far, Sporting has lost two out of three regular-season fixtures in California this year, conceding a total of eight goals across these games.

Team News

Elias Achouri’s involvement for San Diego is doubtful due to a lower body injury, leaving him likely out for this inconsequential fixture.

Anders Dreyer found the back of the net in the latter part of the first half last week, while Pablo Sisniega achieved a clean sheet after making seven saves.

At SKC, several players are questionable, including Lasse Berg Johnsen, Seymour Reid, Moises Mosquera, and Zorhan Bassong, all grappling with hamstring issues. Justin Reynolds is facing a sore quadriceps, Diego Borges has an adductor problem, and Kwaku Agyabeng is doubtful due to an ankle injury.

Jansen Miller scored the equalizer for Kansas City on matchday 33, marking his first goal in this league for the eighth overall pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft.

San Diego probable starting XI:

Sisniega; Thorhallsson, McVey, Murphy, Sargent; Tverskov, Pirani, Valakari; Dreyer, Ingvartsen, Zamble

Sporting Kansas City probable starting XI:

Cleveland; Davis, Miller, Meyer, Karic; Luiz, Bartlett, Wolff, Harris; Calheira, Afrifa

Kansas City has allowed far too many quality chances to their opponents, and it seems unlikely they can contain a team like San Diego, even in this match that has little significance.