Sporting KC v Austin FC: Preview, Predictions & How to Watch

Sporting KC @ Austin FC

When: Saturday, August 13th, 2022 at 8:00 PM CT (Kickoff 8:08)

Where: Q2 Stadium

How to Watch/Stream: 38 the Spot | ESPN+ (out of market) | SportingKC.com & SKC App (in market) | Sporting One App on Roku, Apple TV and Fire TV

This feels familiar.

It’ll only be two weeks, and one game, since Sporting Kansas City faced Austin FC. In the first meeting KC lost 2-0, but a red card helped undo a promising start where they didn’t look like an inferior side. Even the first goal they gave up is a 1 in a 1,000 situation and the second was in the dying moments of the game as Sporting pushed for a win. Austin are very good, but Sporting should be riding high after the performance they put on against the LA Galaxy.

The question becomes, can they repeat that performance and keep building, or will it be more of the poor team that showed up earlier in the year?

Sporting’s playoff chances are in the ‘extremely thin to none’ territory, but Austin are battling hard for the top spot in the West. LAFC are now six points clear with a game in hand but Austin have a nine point lead on third place FC Dallas. The top teams are just running away with things.

Sporting are still in last on points per game and only one point clear on total points of D.C. United for the wooden spoon, but D.C. have two games in hand. As a point of pride, they’ll keep playing hard down the stretch.

Austin’s Recent Form

• July 12th vs. Houston Dynamo — 3-1 Win
• July 16th @ FC Dallas — 1-1 Draw
• July 24th vs. New York Red Bulls — 3-4 Loss
• July 30 @ Sporting KC — 2-0 Win
• August 6th vs. San Jose Earthquakes — 3-3 Draw

Austin are slightly down on their luck compared to their full season performance. With just one win in their last four. Before those games, they had won five straight.

What’s new for Austin FC since the last meeting?

Most of the moves were covered in our last preview, but Austin did go for a big move before the transfer window closed.

IN: Austin added a Designated Player (DP). They added 29-year-old attacking player Emiliano Rigoni from Brazilian club Sao Paulo FC. However, Austin isn’t LA, so they probably won’t get their guy in time, though you never know as the last update is a week old at this point.

OUT: None

Injuries/Availability*

Sporting KC

OUT - Alan Pulido (knee surgery), Gadi Kinda (SEI - knee surgery), Ozzie Cisneros (hamstring), Kortne Ford (suspension), Tim Melia (hamstring)

QUESTIONABLE - Khiry Shelton (calf), Logan Ndenbe (hamstring)

*This has been updated based on the official injury report.

Austin FC

OUT - Frederik Kleemann (left knee), Hector Jimenez (left groin)

QUESTIONABLE - None

Discipline Watch for Sporting KC

Suspended Next Yellow Card: Kortne Ford, Roger Espinoza

Stats

Sporting KC

Goals: Johnny Russell (6), Daniel Salloi (5), Remi Walter (3), Roger Espinoza, Willy Agada (2), Marinos Tzionis, Felipe Hernandez, Graham Zusi, Erik Thommy (1)

Assists: Felipe Hernandez, Cam Duke, Daniel Salloi (3), Roger Espinoza (2), Ben Sweat, Uri Rosell, Remi Walter, Khiry Shelton, Kayden Pierre (1)

Austin FC

Goals: Sebastian Driussi (16), Maxi Urruti (7), Diego Fagundez, Ethan Finlay (5), Alex Ring (4), Cecillio Dominguez, Ruben Gabrielsen, Danny Hoesen, Daniel Pereira, Julio Cascante (2), two with one (1)

Assists: Fagundez (10), Driussi (7), Finlay (6), Ring (5), Nick Lima, Jon Gallagher (4), Hector Jimenez, Pereira, Cascante (3), Zan Kolmanic, Urruti (2), seven with one (1)

Starting XI Predictions

This will get it’s own story. Look for it closer to game day. (Update: Here it is!)

Predictions

Austin are one of the best teams in the league. They did however just drop points to the San Jose Earthquakes this past weekend (and kept the Quakes one point ahead of KC for last in the West). Additionally, they have to contend with a midweek all-star game trip to Minnesota for their superstar Sebastian Driussi (and stunningly no other players). But losing a guy who has 16g/7a isn’t nothing. His 23 goal actions is the same as the number of goals Sporting KC have scored as a team all season.

It could be the perfect storm of Sporting getting right just as Austin is slipping a bit. I’m still not to the point where I can pick Kansas City to win, but I won’t be as stunned as it would have seemed a few weeks ago.

2-1 Austin FC Win

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