Columbus Crew SC vs. Sporting Kansas City | MLS Match Preview

COLUMBUS CREW SC vs. SPORTING KANSAS CITY
MAPFRE STADIUM, Columbus, Ohio
August 22, 2015 (Week 25, MLS Game #250)
7:30 p.m. ET (MLS LIVE)

Win big with MLS daily fantasy games from DraftKings

Sign up today and start making money playing fantasy soccer. Every day is a new game. Try it now

Long-time Midwestern rivals from the earliest days of Major League Soccer, Columbus Crew SC and Sporting Kansas City face off for the only time in league play this season when the clubs meet at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday evening. Crew SC extended their home undefeated run at midweek, coming back for a 2-2 draw with New York City FC. Sporting lost for the first time at home this year ñ the last team in MLS to suffer a home loss ñ with a 5-0 defeat by the San Jose Earthquakes at Sporting Park, also at midweek.

When Paulo Nagamura scored the game-winning goal from a header in Sporting’s stunning 4-3 come-from-behind win vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, it marked just the second headed goal in his entire professional career – both coming this season. It was the second two-goal game of his 11-year MLS career, his first coming in 2009 while with Chivas USA.
Sporting have won each of the last five meetings between the teams, including both encounters a season ago. SKC has a six-game undefeated streak alive vs. Crew SC; the Columbus victory came July 28, 2012, a 2-1 win at Sporting Park.
Crew SC have not defeated KC at home since a 1-0 win April 16, 2011. Sporting have won three times in their last four visits to Columbus, with one draw.

DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF)

REFEREE: Chris Penso. AR1 (bench): Jeff Muschik; AR2 (opposite): Andrew Bigelow; 4th: Kevin Terry Jr.
MLS Career: 71 games; FC/gm: 23.7; Y/gm: 3.3; R: 20; pens: 26

SUSPENDED: KC: Benny Feilhaber (through Aug. 23)

WARNINGS
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CLB: Federico Higuain, Jack McInerney
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CLB: Kevan George, Hector Jimenez, Kei Kamara, Emanuel Pogatetz, Justin Meram, Tony Tchani • KC: Roger Espinoza, Benny Feilhaber, Soni Mustivar, Matt Besler, Paulo Nagamura, Kevin Ellis
DISABLED LIST: CLB: Sagi Lev-Ari • KC: Ike Opara
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (51 meetings): Crew SC 21 wins (0 shootout), 78 goals • Sporting 24 wins (2 shootout), 79 goals • Ties 6
AT COLUMBUS (27 meetings): Crew SC 12 wins (0 shootout), 40 goals • Sporting 11 wins (1 shootout), 38 goals • Ties 4