Sporting Kansas City vs. San Diego FC preview: Can the Wizards slow down MLS’s hottest team?

Sporting Kansas City picked up one point from six in their opening two matches of the 2026 MLS season. Now, the Wizards welcome arguably the best team in the league right now, San Diego FC, on Saturday night at Sporting Park.

San Diego arrive in Kansas City with six points from six. Sporting KC, on the other hand, are still searching for their first win of the campaign and their first-ever goal against the Great Danes. If there were ever a moment to score a goal and get a result, this is it.

San Diego’s perfect start with a small asterisk

San Diego are one of four Western Conference teams to win both of their opening matches. Even more impressively, they have done so without conceding a goal. The Great Danes have back-to-back clean sheets while scoring seven goals.

However, San Diego opened the season against what can only be described as the league’s most accommodating opponent. They defeated MLS’s worst team, Montreal, 5–0 on opening day.

On matchday No. 2, San Diego defeated St. Louis City. St. Louis currently look like another side that could spend a large portion of the season near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

If San Diego take all three points in Kansas City and move to nine points from nine, it would be fair to point out that their opening schedule featured three teams that—at least early in the season—have not exactly set MLS alight. Not too many, if any, other MLS teams have enjoyed such an easy start to the season.

That is not to say Sporting KC are a bad team. There is genuine promise in this squad, 

something I have written about repeatedly since the start of the year. However, promise and production are two very different things, and at the moment the overall talent level across the pitch does not quite match San Diego’s.

The home-field factor in MLS

San Diego’s strong start has also been helped by playing both of their opening matches at Snapdragon Stadium. Home-field advantage remains one of the most consistent trends in MLS, and the opening two matchdays of the season reinforced that reality.

Across the league’s first 30 matches, 87% of games ended in either a home win or a draw. Away victories remain comparatively rare in MLS due to travel demands, climate differences, and some very lively stadium atmospheres.

That statistic should provide at least some encouragement for Sporting KC supporters heading into Saturday night. Sporting Park has not been one of the tougher places to visit in the Western Conference in recent seasons. If the Wizards are going to get their season moving in the right direction, the home fans must back the team.

Defensive question marks for Sporting KC

Of course, statistics and atmospheres only go so far if there are issues on the pitch. San Diego head coach Mickey Varas will almost certainly look to exploit a few areas where Sporting KC have struggled defensively through two matches.

The right side of Sporting’s defense is one obvious target. With Justin Reynolds sidelined by a hamstring injury, head coach Raphael Wicky must decide who starts at right-back. Jake Davis filled in during matchday No. 1 against the San Jose Earthquakes, a match that ended in a 3–0 defeat. Davis endured a difficult evening and never quite looked comfortable in the role.

Center-back Ian James was deployed at right-back for most of the match against the Columbus Crew. That experiment produced mixed results. James conceded a penalty after a rash challenge in the box before Davis returned to the position later in the match when Wicky switched to a 5-4-1 formation in the final ten minutes.

Sporting did manage a 2–2 draw against Columbus, but the Crew finished the match far stronger and looked the more likely team to grab a late winner.

Wicky has shown a willingness to stick with Wyatt Meyer at center-back, although Meyer has struggled with positioning and decision-making in key moments. Those errors have directly contributed to goals conceded.

Jacob Bartlett has also found life in defensive midfield challenging. His role is to shield the back four and protect the center-backs, yet opposing teams have repeatedly found space between Sporting’s midfield and defensive lines. 

The positive sign for Sporting supporters is that the team did show improvement from matchday No. 1 to matchday No. 2. Wicky’s adjustments were noticeable, and the performance against Columbus suggested a group that could find its rhythm.

A rivalry that has not gone Sporting’s way

Sporting Kansas City and San Diego have only met twice previously, but those meetings have not exactly been kind to the Wizards. Last season, the two Western Conference sides played to a nil-nil draw at Snapdragon Stadium before San Diego secured a 2–0 win in Kansas City.

Sporting are not only searching for their first victory against San Diego. They are still searching for their first goal. Hirving Lozano and Anders Dreyer scored the goals in San Diego’s win in Kansas City during the 2025 season. That statistical quirk adds another layer of pressure to Saturday’s match.

Anders Dreyer: MLS’s early standout

While Lionel Messi and Son Heung-min remain the league’s biggest marketing names, the early on-field star of the 2026 season might actually be San Diego forward Anders Dreyer.

The Danish international has been exceptional since arriving in Southern California. San Diego recruited Dreyer in his prime years, and at 27 he appears to be hitting the perfect balance between experience and physical peak.

Dreyer’s club resume includes spells with Brighton, Midtjylland, and Anderlecht. He has also earned eight caps for the Danish national team, giving San Diego a player with legitimate European pedigree. 

However, more importantly, he produces results. Since joining San Diego, Dreyer has registered 24 goals and 22 assists in 45 appearances. That is 46 goal contributions in 45 matches, an output that places him among the most productive attacking players in MLS.

He already has a goal and three assists through the first two matches of the season, and the San Diego attack tends to revolve around his creativity on the right wing. Stopping Dreyer will be one of Sporting KC’s top priorities on Saturday night.

The Reid vs. Dreyer matchup

Although Zohran Bassong has returned to fitness and is likely to make the matchday squad, Jayden Reid should start again at left-back. Reid delivered a solid performance against Columbus and showed encouraging defensive discipline. He will need every bit of that discipline against Dreyer.

San Diego have lined up in a 4-3-3 formation this season, with Dreyer operating from the right wing. Amahl Pellegrino plays on the left, while Marcus Ingvartsen leads the line as the No. 9.

Dreyer frequently drifts inside onto his stronger left foot, allowing San Diego’s full-backs to push high up the pitch. If Reid can limit that movement and force Dreyer into wider areas, Sporting may reduce San Diego’s most dangerous attacking player. That is easier said than done.

Team news and likely lineups

Sporting KC’s injury list is beginning to clear up. Bassong has returned to training and could play a significant role on Saturday. Stephen Afrifa also returned last weekend and appeared as a second-half substitute.

Justin Reynolds remains unlikely to feature, with his hamstring injury expected to keep him sidelined until April. However, the severity of the injury may not be as bad as feared. Sporting are also without third- and fourth-choice goalkeepers Jack Kortkamp, who is dealing with an ankle injury, and Ryan Schewe, who is recovering from a hand injury.

New signing Lasse Berg Johnsen has yet to appear for the club, and there has been no official confirmation that his P-1 visa has been approved. San Diego will travel without Lewis Morgan, Andres Reyes, and Alejandro Alvarado due to injuries.

In their most recent match against the Columbus Crew, Sporting lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. James, Ethan Bartlow, Meyer, and Reid formed the back line. Magomed-Shapi Suleymanov, Manu Garcia, and Bartlett played in midfield. Jake Davis and Calvin Harris operated on the wings, with Dejan Joveljic leading the attack.

Wicky could stick with the same starting lineup. It is unlikely that after two games, Wicky knows his best XI. However, there is a tactical wrinkle worth considering. Suleymanov is naturally a right-winger, which comontuld allow Davis to slide into a No. 8 role and provide more athletic energy in midfield. Against a San Diego side that moves the ball quickly through midfield, that additional mobility might be valuable.

A difficult test for Sporting KC

So, can Sporting Kansas City finally defeat San Diego FC? Early-season MLS trends suggest home teams have a clear advantage, but trends mean little against the best team in MLS. San Diego arrive in Kansas City playing confident, aggressive soccer and boasting one of the most productive attackers in the league.

Sporting are still a team searching for balance. The improvements from week to week are real, but defensive consistency remains a work in progress. If the Wizards can control Dreyer, tighten the midfield spaces, and find attacking support for Joveljic, a first win of the season is possible.

If not, San Diego may very well leave Kansas City with nine points from nine matches played. It will also make San Diego the team to beat in the regular season.