Our prediction for this MLS match:
San Jose Earthquakes
Match Time & Date:
23/05/2022
01:30
Prediction: 1-1
Sporting Kansas City
Buoyed by a 3-2 win over Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes will be aiming to give fans yet another reason for celebration when they welcome Sporting Kansas City to their Earthquakes Stadium. San Jose have been scoring goals for fun of late, and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play. A man to keep an eye on in the home team will be Cape Verde international Jamiro Monteiro, who scored a brace in the midweek triumph, while both Gilbert Fuentes and George Asomani are out of contention with injuries.
The Wizards, on the other hand, quickly bounced back from a heavy 7-2 loss to Portland Timbers, with the team beating Colorado Rapids 2-1 on Thursday. Anyhow, San Jose and Sporting seem to be evenly matched at the moment, meaning that the share of spoils is on the cards. Defender Robert Voloder is back from suspension, while both Fontas and important attacker Salloi are banned for the match.
Highlighted Player (Johnny Russell):
After spending the greatest part of his career at Derby County, Johnny Russell joined Sporting Kansas City in 2018. Russell was born in Glasgow, the capital of Scotland, on April 8, 1990 and he started his youth career at Dundee United.
The 178-cm tall attacker was producing fine performances for the Scottish side from 2007 to 2013 when he moved to Derby County. The Rams booked their place in the Championship on several occassions, but they eventually failed to secure promotion to the Premier League. As a result, Johnny Russell decided to move to MLS, signing a three-year deal with Sporting Kansas city on January 31, 2018.
The Scotland international made his debut for the Wizards in the opening match of the 2019 season against New York City. Speaking of his debut for the national team, he played his first game for Scotland in November 2014 in a 3-1 loss to England. His main position is left winger, but he is capable of playing as both centre-forward and right winger as well.
Highlighted Team (Sporting Kansas City):
Sporting Kansas City have been competing in Major League Soccer since 1996 and they won their first MLS Cup trophy in 2000. The club faced Chicago Fire at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington in the play-offs final and Miklos Jon Molnar scored the winner for Bob Gansler’s team. 13 years later Sporting Kansas City met with Solt Lake in the title game and they were fortunate to defeat the Royals on penalties.
The Wizards welcome their rivals at Children’s Mercy Park, but they used to play some games at Blue Valley Sports Complex, Julian Field, Hermann Stadium and Durwood Soccer Stadium in the past as well. Sporting Kansas City were founded in 1995 and the club’s original name was Kansas City Wiz.
The Wizards wear navy blue shirts and dark blue shorts when playing at home, while the colour of their away kit is blue. Former Wigan Athletic man Roger Espinosa is regarded as one of the club’s most notable players and he has been playing for the Children’s Mercy Park outfit since 2015.
