Nashville SC return to Geodis Park on Wednesday night, taking on Sporting Kansas City knowing that they're potentially two wins away from officially clinching the Supporters' Shield.
Nashville SC would officially clinch the Supporters’ Shield this week with wins against Sporting KC (Wednesday) and San Jose Earthquakes (Saturday), as long as Vancouver Whitecaps drop points in just one of their next two matches. pic.twitter.com/6obqcFqRRB
— Ben Wright (@benwright) October 12, 2026
To get the latest on Sporting, we talked with Chad Smith of KC Soccer Journal.
Your best source for quality Sporting Kansas City and KC Current news, rumors, analysis, stats, and scores from the fan perspective.
Ben Wright (SixOneFive Soccer): It's been just over a full year of David Lee as Sporting's new CSO. How has he changed things at the club, and what's the overall trajectory?
Chad Smith (KC Soccer Journal): In about a year, David Lee has completely remade the club in his image. It's just been slower than anyone would like.
Preseason – and the regular season, frankly – started with an incomplete roster. The first player with a transfer fee, Lasse Berg Johnsen, didn't arrive until after the season started. Since then, Lee has added integral pieces like Capita Capemba, Moisés Mosquera, Or Blorian, and Emir Karić. He's promising three Designated Players and a seemingly unlimited amount of spending since the surprise departures of Dejan Joveljić and Manu García.
The only incoming signing he got over the line in the summer was André Luiz, who has scored seven goals in the last five games. Two more of those types of moves, and Sporting KC won't be worried about the Wooden Spoon ever again.
BW: Sporting are on historic pace defensively, conceding 68 goals so far (second-most per game in league history). What have been the primary issues? How has former Nashville SC defender Wyatt Meyer played into it?
CS: Wyatt Meyer is an interesting story. The team literally hasn't scored a point in a game he hasn't played. That said, they still have a losing record when he's in the lineup. Meyer should probably be no more than a third center back on this team, but right now he is an everyday starter, with Moisés Mosquera out with a hamstring injury and Or Blorian out for the season after a surprising, life-saving heart surgery.
Beyond the Wyatt Meyer of it all, injuries have decimated the defense. Jake Davis took over as the starting right back and has been hurt since the Atlanta game in lae August. His backup, Justin Reynolds, has played better, but missed most of the season with various injuries. At left back, Emir Karić has been an improvement since arriving in the summer, but he had his worst game of the year against Portland on Saturday and was badly cramping for the last 10 minutes with SKC out of subs. Even when they are healthy though, there is a lack of structure that may be coming from head coach Rapha Wicky.
