The Seattle Sounders and Sporting Kansas City arrive at Lumen Field on Thursday night with very different records but a surprisingly similar objective: prove that their recent improvement is real.
Seattle Must Prove Slump is Past Them
Seattle’s post-World Cup collapse has been one of the strangest stories of the MLS season. After sitting comfortably in the Western Conference before the 53-day tournament break, the Sounders lost eight consecutive MLS matches after returning to league play — a club-record losing streak. That run was eventually followed by five straight league draws before Seattle finally beat Real Salt Lake 2-0 on September 23. Injuries played a significant role, with Cristian Roldan, Jackson Ragen, Jordan Morris and Yeimar Gómez Andrade among players who spent substantial time unavailable.
The slump was not confined to MLS. Seattle entered the summer as defending Leagues Cup champions but went 1-2 in the 2026 tournament and failed to reach the knockout stage, losing 3-0 at Toluca and 2-1 to Chivas. The Sounders had also been eliminated from the Concacaf Champions Cup by Tigres despite winning the second leg 3-1 at home. The broader picture therefore suggests something more complicated than simple bad luck.
There are, however, signs of recovery. Jordan Morris has returned to the scoresheet after an injury-disrupted season, while Jesús Ferreira remains an important attacking outlet. Dejan Joveljić was perhaps the most consequential addition of the summer. Seattle paid Sporting $6 million for the Serbian striker, acquiring him from… Kansas City. At Sporting, Joveljić was the club’s leading scorer through 20 games this season, bagging 8 of their 20 goals. In total, he scored 26 times in 52 appearances. Joveljić would normally be a big story behind this match-up, but he will miss Thursday’s match while on international duty with Serbia. His absence will no doubt be a boon to Kansas, who could use all the help they can get.
Sporting Trying to Beat Their Malaise
Sporting Kansas City’s season has been unabashedly awful, with a 6-17-3 record entering Thursday. They’re dead last in the standings, and have conceded a conference high 63 goals. You’d think selling Joveljić was akin to throwing in the towel, but it’s not that simple. Kansas City has been aggressively rebuilding, not standing still and wallowing in their misery. The club made seven additions during the summer window, including defenders Emir Karic and Moisés Mosquera, midfielder Owen Wolff and Brazilian winger André Luiz. Sporting paid a club-record $18M fee for Luiz, who arrived from Olympiacos after producing seven goals and six assists in 19 appearances for Rio Ave earlier in the 2025-26 season.
That spending is beginning to produce results, at least on the attack. Luiz has scored four goals and added an assist in just over 300 MLS minutes, including a spectacular first goal against LAFC. Emir Karic has generated two assists. SKC have recorded two wins in their last three fixtures, including wins over LAFC and the red-hot Houston Dynamo. In those wins goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland (who came from Seattle) was outstanding, recording seven saves against LAFC and getting the clean sheet against Houston. But they continue to be plagued by inconsistency and defensive frailty. Despite scoring three goals in the first 17 minutes against Philadelphia, they ultimately lost 4-3 two weeks ago. That’s got to stop.
Calvin Harris has also been a major contributor, with four goals and six assists this season.
Match History & Prediction
The Sounders won both meetings in 2025, including a 5-2 demolition at Lumen Field. But their first meeting of 2026 ended 1-1 in Kansas City. Historically, Seattle leads the series 16-12-5, according to FBref’s match database.
Thursday therefore offers an intriguing contrast: Seattle trying to demonstrate that its dramatic post-World Cup slump is finally behind it, and Sporting attempting to show that its expensive summer rebuild can accelerate a turnaround. Both have reasons for optimism, and plenty still to prove.
Match Details
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2026
Kickoff: 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT
Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington
Broadcast: Apple TV
