Sporting Kansas City v Seattle Sounders: Thomas wary of Joveljic threat

Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Andrew Thomas said his side will need to prepare well to stop Dejan Joveljic when they face Sporting Kansas City.

Joveljic has scored 12 goals in MLS this season, with only Sam Surridge (16), Lionel Messi (14) and Tai Baribo (13) finding the net more often.

The Serbian scored the winning goal to lead the LA Galaxy to a 1-0 victory over Seattle in the 2024 Western Conference Final last November.

Joveljic has two goals in six MLS appearances against Seattle, including playoffs.

Thomas, who is set to start for the Sounders while Stefan Frei recovers from a concussion, believes Joveljic could pose a big threat for the visitors.

"He's a pretty good goalscorer," said Thomas. "We know what he can do. He's very much the [No.] 9 for them.

"We've played him a bunch, we know what he's about. He's got that quality. He's a strong, physical player as well and all those are things we need to prepare for going into the weekend."

A win for Sporting KC could see them close the gap to fifth-place Seattle to just four points.

Sounders' forward Jordan Morris emphasised the importance of taking this match seriously.

"It's always tough to go there, in the summer especially," said Morris. "It's going to be hot, it's going to be humid. It's always tough to go there and play.

"They started off the season a little bit rough, but they've turned things around. They have a lot of really good players.

"We can't take this game lightly because we know the challenge it's going to bring.

"They're a very good team, they're kind of climbing the table, so we have to be ready to match their intensity and withstand the first 10-15 minutes.

"We've found some ways to exploit them, so we feel like we can do that well if we play up to our potential."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sporting Kansas City – Dejan Joveljic

Joveljic has been crucial for Sporting KC this season. He leads the club with 12 goals, three of which were the crucial first of the match.

The striker also has a goal contribution in seven straight games. That is the longest such streak by an SKC player in the regular season since Johnny Russell did so in 10 straight in 2021.

Seattle Sounders – Albert Rusnak

Rusnak has scored seven goals from midfield this season, more than any other Sounders player.

He provided an assist for Seattle in their MLS return against Austin FC and scored in their Club World Cup match against Atletico Madrid.

MATCH PREDICTION – SEATTLE SOUNDERS WIN

Since 2016, there has been just one draw between Sporting KC and the Sounders across all competitions (SKC – W10, SEA – W7). The two teams have played 12 straight matches without a draw, with their last stalemate coming in April 2018 at Kansas City.

Both the Sounders and Sporting KC have won three, lost two and drawn once in their last six matches.

However, Seattle are one of four teams this MLS season to score multiple goals on the road on no more than one occasion, scoring seven total goals in their first 10 road games of 2025.

Starting with a 1-0 win over the LA Galaxy at the beginning of May, Kansas City have picked up 16 points in their last 11 games, including nine points from losing positions – tied for most in MLS with San Diego in that time.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Sporting Kansas City – 27.9%

Draw – 24.2%

Seattle Sounders – 47.9%