You’ve been checking mnufc.com every day for weeks on end, just waiting for the next installation of Storylines to grace your screen. Counting down the days until your beloved Loons launched back into MLS play. Wait no longer, friends: We are SO back.
Ahead of Matchday 17, let’s take a little deep dive into Minnesota’s upcoming opponents and see just what we’ll be dealing with this Wednesday.
Before the Break
Sporting Kansas City had a rough go of it in 2025, finishing last in the Western Conference and buckling under the weight of a minus 24 goal differential. It was time for a change, and Raphaël Wicky was appointed as the club’s new head coach in January 2026, hopefully heralding a new era for a struggling SKC.
The offseason brought a handful of new signings — most notably defenders Justin Reynolds and Ethan Bartlow, midfielder Lasse Berg Johnsen, and forwards Capita Capemba and Calvin Harris. The new talent built on the previous season’s additions of Manu García, Shapi Suleymanov, and star scorer Dejan Joveljić, but a 180-degree shift in performance still can’t happen overnight (or over a single offseason). By the time the league broke for the World Cup in May, Wicky’s side was still dead last in the West with only three wins in 14 matches, a goal differential of -23, and a whole lot of questions.
As far as a rebuilding project goes, Sporting Kansas City was still in the trenches before the break, especially in the defensive area. The club had logged 94 shots against (fifth in the league), 36 goals against (third in the league), and not a single clean sheet. So the next step in the rebuild seemed fairly clear. That’s where the new guys come in.
Now What?
SKC has signed three defenders so far this summer: Or Blorian, Emir Karić, and Moises Mosquera. Blorian’s presence has been long-awaited; the former Hapoel Be’er Sheva player signed a pre-contract way back in February. He made his first start Thursday night against St. Louis CITY SC, the only one of this trio of new defenders to start so far, and he put in a good performance.
Still, the back line addition didn’t stop St. Louis from bagging two goals in the first half (including one by former Loons forward Sang Bin Jeong). For most of the first half, SKC didn’t look all that different from the squad we saw before the break.
Then Capita Capemba got the visitors on the board in the 42nd minute, and the tides turned. Sporting Kansas City looked rejuvenated in the second half, tying it up with a stunning Joveljić goal in the 76th. From my seat, the second half of this rivalry matchup looked pretty darn good on both sides. St. Louis still pulled off the win with an 86th-minute PK after a Bartlow foul, but these guys put up more of a fight than their previous performances had projected.
SKC is not done rebuilding. They still have the worst GD in the league, and it would take a whole lot of effort for them to get to a playoff-making place on the table this season. It’s hard to make any definitive proclamations after a single game back, but this looks like progress for Sporting, and a clear indication that Wicky is taking this roster rebuild seriously. They need more time, maybe another offseason, but the forward movement is there. Minnesota shouldn’t entirely write off their “nicest rivals” ahead of this Wednesday’s match.
More than anything, this is the proof we needed that no club is coming out of the break the same way they started it. If SKC isn’t proof enough for you, look at St. Louis, who climbed two slots on the table in the midst of their own rebuilding project. Look at the Timbers, who slammed their Cascadia Cup rivals with a four-point deficit on the road Thursday night. The summer window is open, MLS is back, and nobody knows what’s coming.
