DC United and Sporting Kansas City will both be seeking their first win of the 2025 MLS campaign when they face off at Audi Field on Sunday.
While the hosts have had to settle for draws in their opening two matches, the visitors have endured back-to-back defeats.
Match preview
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DC United have opened their season with consecutive 2-2 draws – in their opener against Toronto FC, they surrendered a second-half equaliser, while in their most recent outing against Chicago Fire, they had to rescue a point with a late goal.
For the second game running, the Black-and-Red took the lead, with Christian Benteke scoring in successive matches – however, a brace from Hugo Cuypers turned the game in Chicago's favour before Jacob Murrell struck in stoppage time to salvage a draw for DC.
Troy Lesesne's side continues to struggle defensively, a lingering issue from last season when they conceded 70 league goals—the third-most of all 29 teams—behind only New England Revolution (74) and San Jose Earthquakes (78).
Having narrowly missed out on the playoffs last year due to an inferior goal difference, DC United will be keen to avoid a repeat scenario, but their start to the season has been far from ideal, and they will be hoping to turn things around against a Sporting Kansas City side they have not lost to in their last six meetings at Audi Field.
That said, DC United have not been entirely convincing in this fixture, with four of those six encounters ending in draws and the two victories coming via narrow 1-0 scorelines.
Additionally, DC's struggles at home date back to last season, as they have failed to win any of their last six competitive matches at Audi Field, recording three draws and three defeats in that period.
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Sporting Kansas City, meanwhile, will be hoping that their first inter-conference clash of the season brings a change in fortunes, having suffered a 1-0 defeat to Austin FC before losing 2-1 against 10-man San Jose Earthquakes in their opening two games.
However, things are looking bleak for Peter Vermes's side, who have yet to recover from their poor form last year when they finished second-bottom of the Western Conference standings.
The Wizards' last competitive victory came back in September when they thrashed Colorado Rapids 4-1 – since then, they have played nine competitive fixtures and lost all of them, with their only victory in that stretch—including friendlies—being a 1-0 win against FIU Panthers in pre-season.
Having lost all four matches this season, including both legs of their CONCACAF Champions Cup tie against Inter Miami, Sporting Kansas City have endured a dreadful start to the campaign, and given their 10-match winless streak on the road, securing a result this weekend looks like a daunting task.
Team News
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DC United will be without Jackson Hopkins (ankle), Hakim Karamoko (abdomen) and Randall Leal (thigh), who are all sidelined through injury, while Peglow (thigh) remains doubtful for the match.
American defender Conner Antley continues his long-term absence, having been out of action since May 2024 due to a knee injury.
Last season's Golden Boot winner, Benteke, who netted 23 goals in 30 games, has started the new campaign in fine form with two goals in as many matches and will be looking to add to his tally.
For Sporting Kansas City, Khiry Shelton is expected to remain sidelined with a torn hamstring, which has already ruled him out of the opening two fixtures.
Jansen Miller, recovering from a back injury, is edging closer to a return, but his availability for this match remains uncertain.
DC United possible starting lineup:
Kim; Herrera, Bartlett, Rowles, Schnegg; Enow, Servania; Pirani, Kijima, Stroud; Benteke
Sporting Kansas City possible starting lineup:
Pulskamp; Leibold, Voloder, Fernandez, Davis; Garcia, Bartlett, Bassong; Thommy, Joveljic, Suleymanov
We say: DC United 1-0 Sporting Kansas City
The last three installments of this fixture has often favoured the teams playing at home, with DC United winning one in that period, an outcome we believe will be the same after the final whistle on Sunday.
The away side's results on the road have been abysmal, and while the hosts have also struggled for wins at home, their potency in attack could prove to be the difference here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
