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One shared goal draws Sporting Kansas City to D.C. United on Saturday night: Earn their first win of 2025.

Kansas City (0-2-0, 0 points) has been the busiest of the two sides, also absorbing a 4-1 aggregate loss to Inter Miami in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, sandwiched around its MLS opener, a 1-0 defeat at Austin FC.

Sporting KC opened at home with a 2-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes, with SKC’s lone goal coming on a penalty kick from Dejan Joveljic.

“When we had to make our changes, I think we lost a little bit of rhythm,” Kansas City’s Peter Vermes, the longest-tenured coach in MLS, said when asked about the grueling schedule. “I wouldn’t say we didn’t have another gear. I just think that it was hard to break them down and we’re just early in the season.”

Despite scoring just two goals in four overall matches, SKC’s creativity on offense stands out with newcomers Joveljic and Manu Garcia meshing with wings Daniel Salloi and Erik Thommy.

Serbian striker Joveljic arrived in a rare $4 million cash-for-player swap with the Los Angeles Galaxy, while Garcia came from Greek top-flight team Aris Thessaloniki.

D.C. United (0-0-2, 2 points) tied their first two matches. They arrive home on a high after 20-year-old Jacob Murrell scored on a spectacular bicycle kick in the closing seconds, allowing D.C. to escape with a 2-2 tie against the Chicago Fire.

The equalizer came after D.C.’s dynamic striker Christian Benteke uncharacteristically sailed a penalty kick above the crossbar in the 91st minute. Benteke has two goals this season and netted 23 in 2024 when he captured the league’s Golden Boot.

The focus for D.C. is to limit cheap goals. The two surrendered by the Black and Red against Chicago were off corner kicks. The previous week in a 2-2 draw with Toronto FC, they gave up a match-tying penalty kick in the second half.

“I don’t think we make the opponent earn the goals,” D.C. coach Troy Lesesne said. “That is something that I don’t want to be a narrative.”

D.C. holds a 23-22-12 edge over SKC in the all-time series between two of the league’s founding members, including a 3-2 victory in the MLS Cup in 2004.

–Field Level Media