San Diego FC is preparing for their first field trip of the regular season as they head to Kansas City. They face a Sporting KC side that has earned only one point in two matches played. This slow start follows a difficult 2025 campaign in which Sporting KC allowed the most goals in the league while finishing dead last in the Western Conference. The club is currently navigating its first full season under new leadership since 2008, following the mutual departure of longtime head coach Peter Vermes in March 2025. Tasked with turning things around in Kansas City is new head coach Raphaël Wicky.
A New Head Coach for a Rebuild
Raphaël Wicky is a former Swiss midfielder who played for several notable clubs, including Sion, Werder Bremen, Atletico Madrid, Hamburger SV, and Chivas USA. After his playing career ended, Wicky transitioned into coaching in 2009 within various youth academies. His first senior head coaching position was with the Swiss Super League team FC Basel during the 2017-2018 season. Under his leadership, FC Basel finished 2nd in the league with the second-highest goal differential and qualified for the Champions League, though Wicky was dismissed after the season.
A year later, Wicky served as the head coach of the US Men’s National Team U-17 before accepting the head coaching job at the Chicago Fire in December 2019. In the shortened 2020 season, the Fire missed the playoffs with 23 points in 23 matches, and Wicky was eventually dismissed in September 2021 with the team finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference. He returned to Switzerland to coach BSC Young Boys, where his first season resulted in a league title with 74 points, a +52 goal differential, and a Swiss Cup victory. However, he was dismissed the following season due to poor performance. Wicky is now back in MLS for the first time since 2021, facing the massive undertaking of rebuilding Sporting KC.
Recent Form
Sporting KC began their season away against the San Jose Earthquakes, where Wicky deployed a starting XI in a 4-4-1-1 formation. Despite holding 56% possession, Kansas City managed only seven total shots with just one on target. San Jose capitalized on set pieces and open play, scoring twice before the end of the first half through Daniel Munie and Preston Judd. Munie added a third goal off a set piece in the 54th minute. Kansas City struggled defensively, giving San Jose eleven set-piece opportunities and allowing 17 total shots. Notably, San Jose achieved this dominant performance even without their newly acquired designated player, Timo Werner.
In their second match and home opener against the Columbus Crew, Sporting KC shifted to a 4-3-3 formation while maintaining a four-man backline. The Crew also featured a new manager following the off-season departure of Wilfried Nancy. Columbus took the lead in the 33rd minute through Wessam Abou Ali, but Sporting KC fought back in the second half. Dejan Joveljic, the team’s leading scorer from last season, scored twice on counter-attacks to give Sporting a 2-1 lead. However, Diego Rossi equalized for the Crew in the 82nd minute. The Crew nearly won the match in the 90th minute with a penalty kick, but goalkeeper John Pulskamp saved Abou Ali’s attempt to ensure the points were shared. In this match, Sporting had 42% possession and four shots on target.
Tactical Outlook and Strategy
Through two matches, Sporting KC has attempted the 5th most long passes in the league with 62, though they have only completed 39 of them. San Diego FC should expect Sporting to rely on these long passes and the counter-attack. Defensively, both San Jose and Columbus focused their attacks on the right side of the pitch to exploit Sporting’s young and inexperienced backline. Sporting has started Jayden Reid at left back and Wyatt Meyer at center back, who combined have only about 1,800 minutes of MLS experience. On the other side of the pitch, 17-year-old Ian James has started at both center back and right back.
San Diego FC simply needs to stick to their game plan of keeping possession, applying pressure up top, and winning second balls to be successful. Head Coach Mikey Varas may choose to keep the starting XI unchanged, as the team has back-to-back clean sheets and seven total goals. However, Varas must manage a heavy schedule with four other matches in the next 15 days, making it a potentially good time to rotate players for freshness. Ultimately, the team must balance the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” philosophy with the need for squad rotation.
In Other News
For the second consecutive season, San Diego FC will participate in the Leagues Cup tournament, facing off against Club America, Club Tijuana, and Puebla FC. Club America is considered a historic giant of Mexican football, and SDFC will face them in Mexico at Estadio Banorte on a date to be determined. Additionally, San Diego will face Tijuana in a real competition for the first time on August 9th. While the two teams compete annually for the Baja Cup, this match offers a serious opportunity for regular starters to compete for the Leagues Cup trophy. San Diego FC will also host Puebla at home on August 12th
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