Knowles refuses to write off Minnesota United playoff hopes ahead of Sporting KC clash
Knowles refuses to write off Minnesota United
Minnesota United still have an outside chance of reaching the MLS playoffs, but their fate is out of their own hands with three games left. Head coach Cameron Knowles refused to rule his side out of the race and warned there are "no easy games" ahead of hosting Sporting Kansas City.
Minnesota have gone unbeaten in their last four outings (W1 D3), but they sit 13th in the Western Conference and are six points behind ninth-place LA Galaxy. A loss could see them eliminated completely, depending on results elsewhere on Wednesday.
"We have to wait and see," Knowles said. "We see what the other results are, and we look at the games ahead of us, and maybe we win out.
"We don't know. There's still games to be played. So, we just have to look at the one that's in front of us and really attack it and go for the three points.
"There are no easy games, and it would be naive of us to say there is one coming up at any point."
Sporting KC searching for answers
Sporting KC sit bottom of the West with 22 points and are winless in their last five matches (D1 L4), including losing each of the last three. They threw away a lead to lose 2-1 to Austin FC in their last outing, and head coach Raphael Wicky felt they did not deserve to leave empty-handed.
"The creation of chances is obviously the positive thing, but at the end of the day, you have to kill these games," Wicky said after the loss. "You have to become a team who doesn't need five or six chances to win a game. I think that was a game we should have won with the chances we've created.
"In the end, we did not, and that's disappointing."
Players to watch
Minnesota United – Drake Callendar: In his side's last match, Callendar kept the first clean sheet in 14 games as Minnesota drew 0-0 with Houston Dynamo. He made only one save, as Houston managed just 0.8 expected goals (xG) from 10 attempts. Minnesota had shipped 31 goals in the 13 games before that.
Sporting Kansas City – Stephen Afrifa: Afrifa scored Sporting's goal in the defeat to Austin, his fourth of the season. He was a constant threat with nine shots, the most by a Sporting player in a single MLS game this season, and also led the side in shots on target (four) and touches in the opposition box (12).
Match prediction
Minnesota were unbeaten in five straight MLS meetings with Sporting KC (W4 D1) before losing the most recent encounter 2-1 in July. The Loons' home form has been a problem in 2026, winning just 16 of the 45 points available at Allianz Field, although they beat St. Louis City SC 3-2 at home in their last outing there.
The supercomputer favours Minnesota, given Sporting KC have suffered 12 MLS losses on the road, recording just three wins.
Opta win probability:
- Minnesota United – 61.7%
- Draw – 20.2%
- Sporting Kansas City – 18.1%