Austin FC, Sporting Kansas City begin quest to return to playoffs

A pair of teams that finished outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference last season meet in a 2025 opener Saturday when Sporting Kansas City hit the road to face Austin FC.

Austin FC finished one spot out of the playoffs but were five points under the playoff line and last in the conference with 39 goals scored.

The club parted ways with forwards Sebastian Driussi and Gyasi Zardes, while bringing aboard a pair of high-dollar transfers in Brandon Vazquez from Mexico's CF Monterrey and Myrto Uzuni from second-division club Granada CF in Spain.

Vazquez, who has four goals in 11 appearances with the United States men's national team, scored eight goals with four assists for FC Cincinnati in 2023. The numbers were well below his 2022 production of 18 goals and eight assists.

Uzuni, who was acquired on a club-record $12.3 million transfer late last month, and new midfielder Besard Sabovic might not be at full fitness to contribute Saturday.

"We have mixed a lot of the team and every player has played with every player in mixed partnerships in center-back positions, midfield positions, forward positions," new head coach Nico Estevez said. "... Even the first games are still finishing preparation of the preseason and putting the team into what it will look like."

While forwards like Alan Pulido and Johnny Russell have departed, Sporting KC have fortified the offense with the addition of forward Dejan Joveljic, who helped the Los Angeles Galaxy to the 2024 title. William Agada had 10 goals and three assists for SKC last season.

Goalkeeper Tim Melia also has departed, with the changes signaling the end of an era in Kansas City. Only two MLS teams were worse than SKC's 31 points in 2024.

Joveljic was acquired for $4 million in what essentially amounted to the first intra-league MLS player transfer, although it was technically labeled as a trade. The 25-year-old scored 21 goals across the regular season and playoffs last season, including the deciding goal in the MLS Cup Final.

SKC absorbed a 1-0 defeat to Inter Miami on Wednesday in a CONCACAF Champions Cup game played at home in frigid conditions. Lionel Messi scored the game's lone goal.

"I actually thought that we played very well, and we were very organized defensively," SKC head coach Peter Vermes said. "We didn't give anything away. There is one guy (Messi) that can turn the game over and he did. ... We had some good opportunities. I can't say enough about our first performance."

--Field Level Media