2026 vs 2025: Have Sporting KC actually improved?

Six games into the 2026 MLS season, Sporting Kansas City sit in a familiar position. Four points from a possible 18, bottom of the Western Conference, and searching for answers.

On the surface, there has been change. Raphael Wicky is now in charge, replacing Peter Vermes after a 15-year tenure that defined the club. A new voice, a new tactical approach, and a promise of evolution.

But scratch beneath the surface, and the question becomes unavoidable: how different is this team, really?

A slightly better start — on paper

Sporting KC have taken four points from their opening six games in 2026. That alone represents progress compared to 2025, when the team picked up just one point from the same stretch. 

That lone point came in a chaotic 3-3 draw with Minnesota United, where Sporting salvaged something late. Down 3-0, Sporting KC scored three times in the final 22 minutes. 

This season, there is at least one win on the board. It took seven games to get a win a season ago. There are three additional points. That could be massive later in the season if Sporting KC can get closer to the playoff positions.

Sporting KC remain last in the Western Conference. Yes, three Eastern Conference teams have fewer points, but that offers little comfort. This is still a team struggling to impose itself, struggling to control matches, and struggling to convince anyone that a second win is just around the corner.

Goals haven’t changed but the dependence has

The attack has produced six goals through six games. That is identical to 2025. On its own, that stat is underwhelming. In a league where attacking output continues to rise, six goals in six games is below average. After 89 matches in MLS this season, the league averages 3.12 goals per game.

What has changed in 2026 is where those goals are coming from. Dejan Joveljic has scored four of the team’s six goals. That level of dependence is striking. A year ago, goals were spread more evenly across the squad in the opening six matches, even if the overall output was the same. Of course, Joveljic went on to lead Sporting in scoring with 18.

This version of Sporting KC is more reliant on one player to produce moments of quality. When Joveljic scores, Sporting have a chance. When he doesn’t, the attack often disappears entirely.

This isn’t necessarily a new trend. Sporting KC became reliant on Joveljic as the 2025 campaign wore on. 

Defensive issues are getting worse

If there is one area where Sporting KC needed clear improvement, it was defense–especially in central defense. The 2025 team conceded 70 goals, the worst record in MLS, averaging 2.06 goals allowed per game.

Six games into 2026, that number has somehow gotten worse. Sporting KC have conceded 14 goals, an average of 2.33 per game. 

It is remarkable that this is not the worst defensive record in MLS. The Portland Timbers have conceded 15 goals, while Orlando City have shipped 23. Being slightly less poor than other struggling defenses is not progress. however.

The underlying issue remains the same. Defensive structure and discipline are  inconsistent. Midfield protection is unreliable. Individual errors continue to turn manageable situations into goals conceded. Goalkeeping is downright bad. Nothing about the numbers suggests that the problem has been solved or is being worked on.

Identity: Different, but not defined

Perhaps the most noticeable change under Wicky is tactical intent. The team is trying to play a more modern, fluid style. There is an effort to build differently, to press differently, and to move away from the rigid structure that defined the latter years under Vermes where there was no Plan B. Sometimes it felt like no Plan A.

At times, it has looked more exciting. But back-to-back losses, conceding seven goals and scoring just twice, suggest that whatever identity is being built is fragile. Injuries continue to be a problem in a low-quality, poorly constructed squad. When pressure is applied, Sporting KC’s defense collapses.

So, are they better?

The honest answer is yes and no.

Yes, Sporting KC have more points. Yes, they have a win. Yes, there are glimpses of a more progressive style. But the core issues remain. The defense is still unreliable. The attack is overly dependent on one player. 

And perhaps most concerning of all, the trajectory feels familiar. The final months under Vermes were defined by inconsistency, defensive mistakes, and a team that looked like it had run out of ideas years before. Six games into 2026, there are signs that this version of Sporting KC may be drifting back toward that same reality.

A lot has changed in the last 365 days, but as the old saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.