Sporting Kansas City vs Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo stun Sporting Kansas City
A solid second-half display secures a 2-0 win away from home.
Houston Dynamo overturned expectations with a 2-0 victory at Sporting Kansas City, thanks to goals from Guilherme and A. Bouzat after the break. Despite Fipster's high-confidence prediction favouring a 3-1 home win, the Dynamo's disciplined performance defied the forecast and claimed all three points on the road.
Analysis
Sporting Kansas City face Houston Dynamo in what promises to be an engaging MLS regular season clash. Despite Houston's stronger league position, the home side's recent form and attacking prowess suggest they will come out on top.
Sporting Kansas City sit 15th in the league with 14 points from 16 games, while Houston Dynamo are 7th with 23 points from 15 games. Houston boasts a superior goal difference and points-per-game ratio, but key absences and home advantage could tilt the scales.
Sporting Kansas City's captain and forward Dejan Joveljić leads the home attack with a strong scoring record, particularly at home. Midfield creativity from Calvin Harris and Manu García is expected to exploit Houston's defensive vulnerabilities, especially with key defender Antônio Carlos sidelined. Houston's Guilherme and Jack McGlynn provide attacking threats, but defensive frailties may prove costly.
Prediction
The prediction favours a Sporting Kansas City win with a halftime lead of 1-0 and a fulltime score of 3-1. The match is expected to be competitive but ultimately controlled by the home side, with an anticipated four cards reflecting a lively contest.
Outcome probability
Key Insights
Houston Dynamo missing key defender Antônio Carlos
Antônio Carlos is confirmed out with a knee injury, weakening Houston's defense against Sporting Kansas City's attack.
Dejan Joveljić's strong home scoring form
Joveljić has multiple goals in recent home matches, making him a primary scoring threat for Sporting Kansas City.
Sporting Kansas City's midfield creativity vs Houston's defense
Home midfielders like Calvin Harris and Manu García provide high assist potential to exploit Houston's defensive vulnerabilities.
Houston Dynamo's Guilherme in excellent recent form
Guilherme leads Houston's attack with strong goal and assist numbers, posing a threat despite defensive absences.
Jack McGlynn's playmaking edge for Houston
McGlynn's high assist count and passing accuracy make him a key creative outlet to support Houston's attack.
Key Takeaways
In summary, Sporting Kansas City's attacking strengths and Houston's defensive challenges set the stage for a home victory. Expect Joveljić to shine and the home midfield to orchestrate a performance that secures all three points.
- Sporting Kansas City are 15th in the league with 14 points from 16 games (W4 D2 L10).
- Houston Dynamo are 7th with 23 points from 15 games (W7 D2 L6).
- Houston Dynamo have a significantly better goal difference than Sporting Kansas City this season.
- Houston Dynamo average 1.53 points per game compared to Sporting Kansas City's 0.88.
- Dejan Joveljić has scored 7 goals in his last 10 appearances, showing strong home form.
- Antônio Carlos is out with a knee injury, weakening Houston's defense.
- Calvin Harris has provided 4 assists in the last 10 games, key to Sporting Kansas City's creativity.
- The predicted fulltime scoreline of 3-1 is the most probable outcome with a 22% chance.
Player Insights
Standout players Fipster expects to impact the match — curated highlights, not full squad lists
Home — Sporting Kansas City
Away — Houston Dynamo
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Home vs Away comparison
Goal difference in each of the last few fixtures — above the line is a net win, below is a net loss
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Johnsen
Yellow Card
Johnsen
Yellow Card
Johnsen
Red Card
Guilherme
Assist: McGlynn
Ponce
Agyabeng
Davis
Mosquera
Bouzat
Capita
Bouzat
Andrade
Bassong
Halter
Yellow Card
Herrera
Guilherme
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Vancouver Whitecaps | 17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | +21 | 34 |
| 3 |  San Jose Earthquakes | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | +13 | 33 |
| 4 |  Houston Dynamo | 17 | 9 | 2 | 6 | +1 | 29 |
| 5 |  Real Salt Lake | 17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | +4 | 27 |
| 14 |  Austin | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | -14 | 17 |
| 15 |  Sporting Kansas City | 18 | 4 | 2 | 12 | -28 | 14 |
Match Statistics
Sporting Kansas City
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 3M. MosqueraD
- 4L. JohnsenM
- 5O. BlorianD
- 7CapitaM
- 8J. DavisD
- 9D. JoveljićF
- 11C. HarrisM
- 18E. KarićD
- 20K. AgyabengM
- 22Z. BassongM
- 30S. ClevelandG
Substitutes
- 1J. PulskampG
- 2I. JamesD
- 6Manu GarcíaM
- 15Jansen MillerD
- 16J. BartlettD
- 17S. AfrifaF
- 28Wyatt MeyerD
- 93M. SuleymanovF
- 99J. ReidD
Houston Dynamo
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 5Lucas HalterD
- 6ArturM
- 8J. McGlynnM
- 10E. PonceF
- 11L. EnnaliD
- 16H. HerreraM
- 20GuilhermeM
- 30A. BouzatM
- 31J. BondG
- 34A. ReschD
- 36Felipe AndradeD
Substitutes
- 9O. LingrM
- 14D. HolmesM
- 18D. SamassékouM
- 21F. NegriD
- 22M. AranaM
- 23D. McGuireF
- 24A. IbrahimF
- 26B. GillinghamG
- 28E. SviatchenkoD
Sporting Kansas City
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Davis | D | 65 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kwaku Agyabeng | M | 65 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Zorhan Bassong | M | 85 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Capita | M | 82 | 6.5 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1/3 |
| Emir Karić | D | 91 | 6.3 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| Moises Mosquera | D | 65 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dejan Joveljić(C) | F | 91 | 6.3 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0/1 |
| Calvin Harris | M | 91 | 6.3 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2/5 |
| Or Blorian | D | 91 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Lasse Berg Johnsen | M | 45 | 5.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stefan Cleveland | G | 91 | 5.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Jansen Miller | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ian James | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stephen Afrifa | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jacob Bartlett | D | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| John Pulskamp | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wyatt Meyer | D | 26 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Manu García | M | 26 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jayden Reid | D | 26 | 6.5 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1/1 |
| Shapi Suleymanov | F | 9 | 6.3 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
Houston Dynamo
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guilherme | M | 90 | 8.3 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3/6 |
| Héctor Herrera | M | 90 | 7.9 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Jack McGlynn | M | 91 | 7.7 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 4 | — |
| Jonathan Bond | G | 91 | 7.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lucas Halter | D | 91 | 7.5 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Artur(C) | M | 91 | 7.3 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Agustin Resch | D | 91 | 7.3 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
| Agustín Bouzat | M | 82 | 7.0 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1/1 |
| Felipe Andrade | D | 82 | 6.9 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 1/1 |
| Lawrence Ennali | D | 91 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0/1 |
| Ezequiel Ponce | F | 65 | 6.2 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Diadié Samassékou | M | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Erik Sviatchenko | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ondrej Lingr | M | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ibrahim Aliyu | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Blake Gillingham | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Matthew Arana | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Duane Holmes | M | 9 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Duncan McGuire | F | 26 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Franco Negri | D | 9 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |