Sporting Kansas City and Austin FC face off on Saturday at Children's Mercy Park with a two-point gap separating them in the MLS Western Conference standings.
SKC has gained seven of the previous nine points available to move up the standings, and if they defeat the visitors for the first time since 2021, they will leapfrog them in the standings.
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Sporting Kansas City's most recent match ended in a 1-1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps, continuing their recent improvement, three days after defeating Dallas at home.
With at least a point earned in six of their previous seven MLS games, head coach Peter Vermes has helped his team move up the standings and off the bottom of the Western Conference.
KC has recorded a Conference-leading 14 points since the beginning of May, and as a result, they are currently only two points away from a playoff spot, despite having played at least one more game than the other clubs in contention.
Austin won 2-0 in their most recent trip to Children's Mercy Park in July of last year, in addition to a 4-3 victory when they previously faced Kansas at home in Texas.
Los Verdes have lost twice in MLS since losing to Chicago Fire in the US Open Cup last month, dropping them to ninth place in the Western Conference standings.
That would still be sufficient for a playoff spot at the end of the regular season, but because of the intense competition in a crowded portion of the table, they cannot afford to let Sporting overtake them this weekend.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Sporting Kansas City vs Austin kick-off time
| Date: | Jun 10, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT |
| Venue: | Children's Mercy Park |
Sporting Kansas City and Austin face off on Jun 10 at Children's Mercy Park. Kickoff is set for 8:30 pm Eastern Time (ET), or 5:30 Pacific Time (PT).
How to watch Sporting Kansas City vs Austin online - TV channels & live streams
 | Apple TV | Watch here |
The game will not be broadcast live on TV but will be available to stream live online through Apple TV MLS Season Pass.
Team news & squads
Sporting KC team news
Logan Ndenbe, Tim Melia, Kortne Ford and Gadi Kinda are out with injuries. Alan Pulido returned from injury last week and is expected to start the game. John Pulskamp has been called into action after Tim Melia's injury.
Sporting Kansas City possible XI: Pulskamp; Davis, Castellanos, Voloder, Ndenbe; Radoja, Walter, Thommy; Russell, Pulido, Salloi.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Pulskamp, Mcintosh |
| Defenders | Fontas, Liebold, Zusi, Pierre, Valencia, Voloder, Sweat, Castellanos, Rindov |
| Midfielders | Tzonis, Rodoja, Espinoza, Thommy, Walter, Hernandez, Duke, Cisneros, Davis, Flores |
| Forwards | Salloi, Pulido |
Austin team news
Austin has Sebastian Driussi, Ethan Finlay and Zan Kolmanic unavailable for selection. Diego Fagundez will miss out yet again due to a relapse of his injury. Left-back Jon Gallagher has been Austin's top scorer.
Austin FC possible XI: Stuver; Ring, Jimenez, Cascante; Lima, Djeffal, Pereira, Gallagher; Finlay, Zardes, Rigoni.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Stuver, Bersano |
| Defenders | Lima, Vaisanen, Kolmanic, Keller, Jimenez, Tarek, Gallagher, Lundqvist |
| Midfielders | Valencia, Ring, Wolff, Djeffal, Asensio |
| Forwards | Rigoni, Zardes, Urruti, Bruin, Ocampo-Chavez |
Head-to-Head Record
Over their last five games, SKC has won twice while Austin has managed only one win. The last game between these two saw Austin win 4-3.