Sporting Kansas City have enjoyed a rollercoaster of a MLS campaign off-late. Two wins and two losses in their previous four have pushed them down to the 11th spot in the table.
A win against Houston Dynamo could see them challenge for the Final Series play-off spot as they would be level on points with Portland with only goal difference separating them. With just a handful of games left before the closure of the regular season, Sporting Kansas would want to accumulate maximum points from their remaining fixtures to sneak into the Final Series.
Houston Dynamo, on the other hand, are marching towards the Final Series as they occupy the fourth spot in the Western Conference.
Boasting of a staggering record of five wins and two draws in their previous seven games in all competitions, the Dynamos would be confident of making it to the Final Series while also adding another victory on Saturday.
With Houston scheduled to play a Lionel Messi led Inter Miami later in the month in the US Open Cup final, Ben Olsen's side would be looking to consolidate their spot in the top half of their conference in the five fixtures there are left to play.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Sporting KC vs Houston kick-off time
| Date: | September 23, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT |
| Venue: | Children's Mercy Park |
The two sides will face each other at the with kick-off scheduled for 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT.
How to watch Sporting KC vs Houston online - TV channels & live streams
The match between Sporting KC and Houston Dynamo will be available to stream on Apple TV.
Team news & squads
Sporting KC team news
Sporting Kansas City have some defensive struggles heading into the fixture against Houston Dynamo. Young defender Kayden Pierre has been sidelined for the major of the year playing for Saturday's host just once in the MLS.
Dependable right-back Graham Zusi is also touted to sit out as the right-back has a hamstring issue to recover from while American defender Kortne Ford is another name on the injury table as he's healing from an Achilles tendon injury.
Sporting KC Predicted XI: Melia; Davis, Rosero, Fontas, Ndenbe; Walter, Radoja, Thommy; Russell, Pulido, Salloi
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Pulskamp, McIntosh, Melia |
| Defenders: | Voloder, Rosero, Fontas, Castellanos, Rondov, Ndenbe, Leibold, Davis |
| Midfielders: | Radoja, Walter, Hernandez, Duke, Gutierrez, Espinoza, Flores, Kinda, Thommy, Cisneros |
| Forwards: | Saloi, Russell, Tzionis, Pulido, Agada, Shelton |
Houston team news
Mexican veteran Hector Herrera had a scintillating outing in Houston's previous game and is tipped to produce the goods once again in the hosts' engine room.
Talking about injuries, Tate Schmitt is unavailable for selection because of a cruciate ligament rupture while Nigerian forward Ifunanyachi Achara who joined from Toronto in 2022 awaits his Houston debut as he's nursing a knee injury.
Houston Dynamo Predicted XI: Clark; Sviatchenko, Hadebe, Micael; Dorsey, Artur, Caicedo, Quinones, Herrera; Kowalczyk, Baird
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Clark, Nelson, Tarbell, Valdez |
| Defenders: | Hadebe, Steres, Dorsey, Bartlow, Murana, Micael, Sviatchenko |
| Midfielders: | Herrera, Bassi, Carrasquilla, Franco, Castilla, Artur, Caicedo, Baird, Auguste, Quinones |
| Forwards: | Ferreira, Ulfarsson, Avila |
Head-to-Head Record
Sporting Kansas City have won two games against Houston Dynamo with the latter only winning once against Saturday's host.
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 9 July 2023 | Houston 2-2 Sporting KC | MLS |
| 11 May 2023 | Houston 1-0 Sporting KC | US Open Cup |
| 11 September 2022 | Houston 0-0 Sporting KC | MLS |
| 26 May 2022 | Sporting KC 2-1 Houston | US Open Cup |
| 6 March 2022 | Sporting KC 1-0 Houston | MLS |