Sporting Kansas City have earned an Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs berth on Decision Day, securing one of the Western Conference's last spots via a 3-1 victory over Minnesota United FC.
SKC (No. 8) will now host No. 9-seed San Jose Earthquakes in Wednesday's single-elimination Wild Card game (9:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass) for the right to face top-seeded St. Louis CITY SC in a Round One Best-of-3 series.
Key pieces
Winless in their first 10 matches of the season (0W-7L-3D), Sporting rebounded with 44 points to reach the postseason after missing out last year.
The main catalyst behind this turnaround was DP striker Alan Pulido, the club-record signing from Chivas who's put together his best season in MLS (14g/3a) since missing the entire the entire 2022 campaign with a knee injury. Pulido, who was recently rewarded with a contract extension, leads a Sporting attack that also includes Johnny Russell, Erik Thommy, Dániel Sallói, Gadi Kinda and Willy Agada.
Sporting's defensive unit is highlighted by longtime goalkeeper Tim Melia and fellow club mainstay Andreu Fontàs, along with newcomer Dany Rosero. Homegrown right back Jake Davis and veteran midfielders Rémi Walter and Nemanja Radoja add to the foundation.
Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs
MLS Cup presented by Audi is set for Dec. 9, while the playoffs begin Oct. 25 with Wild Card matches. All games can be watched on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
- Seeds 1-7 in each conference qualify for the Round One Best-of-3 series.
- Seeds 8-9 in each conference qualify for the Wild Card matches.
