Sporting Kansas City vs Philadelphia Union Predictions

Both Sporting KC and Philadelphia Union will have been very disappointed to lose their opening games of the new season, but with the hosts having one eye on the must win 2nd leg of the Champions League tie against Independiente, their guests will be hoping to take full advantage and claim their first points of the campaign. Sporting KC had a great 2018 and are one of the sides expected to challenge for the for the MLS Cup this time around, but many teams do find it difficult to stay competitive when they are competing in multiple competitions.

A strike from Németh in the sixteenth minute handed Sporting KC a halftime lead away at LAFC, but the hosts struck back early in the second half through Rossi and following Espinoza’s sending-off for the visitors in the eighty-fourth minute, Diomande scored an injury time winner for LAFC to pinch all three points at the death. Sporting KC gave a good account of themselves and matched their hosts in most areas, but that late sending-off certainly effected the game, handing the hosts the initiative and lead to the winning goal. Philadelphia controlled of their home game against Toronto, but their were warning shots fired by their guests in the first half such as Osorio’s missed penalty that should have concerned the hosts. Philadelphia failed to capitalise on any of their chances during the first forty-five and just when the teams looked to be going in at the break goalless, Toronto opened the scoring in stoppage time. That goal clearly had a negative effect on the hosts in the second half as Bradley scored his second goal of the game shortly after the hour mark to put the visitors 2-0 up. Fabián converted a penalty to bring Philadelphia back into the match, but deep into stoppage time the visitors wrapped up the points with another goal to make the final scoreline 3-1.

The recent head to head record between these two clubs and their performance during pre-season and last weekend suggests that both teams will score on Sunday, and that perhaps the most likely result will be a draw. Both teams have scored in five of the last seven encounters between these two clubs, and three of the last seven meetings between the pair have ended in 1-1 draws. Both teams have scored in Sporting KC’s last two and five of Philadelphia Union’s last six matches. The form of both teams has been good of late with each picking up four wins and two defeats from their last six matches. The visitors haven’t won any of their last three trip to Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas, and we don’t believe Philadelphia Union will end that run this season either.

Hungarian striker Németh is off and running for the season after netting last weekend, but he will be hoping to contribute a lot more goals this season after only scoring once in ten starts for Sporting KC in 2018. Fabián scored on his Philadelphia Union debut and will be hoping to chip in with more goals from midfield as his side look to qualify for the Play-Offs. We’re confident that both teams will score on Sunday, and have backed the game to end in a 1-1 draw. Both teams have been scoring and conceding on a regular basis of late and this fixture has produced a number of 1-1 draws over the last few seasons. Both teams lost on the opening day and will be relieved to get their first points on the board, if indeed they do play out a stalemate as we have predicted.