Sporting Kansas City’s 2026 season has been rough. But a new Designated Player is giving fans something to watch while the standings turn bleak.
The record-breaking start
Andre Luiz, a 24-year-old Brazilian winger acquired this summer in a club-record transfer, is the first player in Sporting KC history to score seven goals in his first seven appearances. He scored twice in Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Portland, helping the team rally from a two-goal deficit. He opened that comeback by following up his own saved penalty with a rebound goal in first-half stoppage time, then added the equalizer in the 73rd minute.
A scoring streak with history
Andre has scored in five straight matches, which makes him just the third player in club history to do so, joining Preki (1996) and Johnny Russell, whose eight-game streak came in 2021. He has seven goals since September 10, the most in Major League Soccer in that span, and MLS has named him to its Team of the Matchday four weeks in a row.
The bigger picture
The team sits last in the Western Conference, with 6 wins, 4 draws, and 18 losses (22 points) through 28 games. It has also conceded a league-worst 68 goals. Sporting’s own preview notes that the club could be officially eliminated from postseason contention for the first time on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s test
Sporting travels to Nashville SC on Wednesday, October 14, at 7:30 p.m. CT. Nashville leads the league with 63 points in 28 matches, which one outlet called the fastest any MLS team has reached that total, and has the league’s best defense with just 21 goals allowed. It’s a tough stage for Andre to try to extend his streak to six, which would make him the first Western Conference player to do it this season.
Why it matters
Even in a lost season, a young star’s breakout can shape how fans feel about the future. Andre’s production gives Sporting KC a foundation to build on as it looks to 2027, and season tickets for next year are already on sale.
