Surging Union test Sporting Kansas City

The Philadelphia Union will look to continue a blistering run of form on Saturday evening against Sporting Kansas City in Kansas City, Kan.

The Union (9-10-6, 33 points) enter Saturday's action on a four-match winning streak, with an 8-0-2 record in their last 10, outscoring opponents 15-1 in their last four outings and recording three consecutive shutouts.

That attacking output has been aided by 16-year-old phenom Cavan Sullivan, who has five goals and seven assists in his last seven matches. Sullivan, along with teammates Neil Pierre and Frankie Westfield, received their first senior call-ups to the United States men's national team for four friendlies in September and October.

"That's going to be the challenging thing for that, is that you have this exciting new thing that's coming, but there's a job to do (Saturday) that they have to be fully focused on and put together a good performance for the team and keep their mind there and present as much as possible," Union interim head coach Ryan Richter said.

Sporting KC (5-16-3, 18 points) are languishing at the bottom of the MLS table, but snapped a three-match losing streak and 0-6-1 slump with a 3-1 win over Los Angeles FC on Sept. 12. SKC winger Andre Luiz scored his first MLS goal while Taylor Calheira added his third goals in two matches.

"They're very consistent with what they do ... It's a very direct game, it's a very physical game. They're really good at that. So we have to be prepared for that. Not everything is always going to be pretty," Kansas City head coach Raphael Wicky said of the Union.

Though Sporting Kansas City have struggled in 2026, Wicky has seen signs of life from his club over the past few weeks, including during a 4-3 loss to FC Dallas on Sept. 5.

"There are moments in other games where we see (confidence), but I think Dallas is a good example where I feel like, with the ball, we had a very good game, and the confirmation was LAFC ... where the guys felt comfortable," Wicky said. "So yes, confidence is a lot. Confidence and consistency is obviously helping a lot."