After crashing out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup with an embarrassing midweek performance in Mexico, Inter Miami now must refocus on the league as they visit Sporting KC in a special match at Arrowhead Stadium, the regular home of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Like so many MLS clubs before them, Inter Miami were humbled by a Liga MX club south of the border, battered 3-1 by Monterrey to fall to a 5-2 aggregate defeat across the two quarterfinal legs. Lionel Messi returned from a three-week injury layoff in the match, but it did little to change the course of history.
The Herons now put their full focus on league play, sitting third in the Eastern Conference but having played a few more games than those around them. They have not won in four straight matches, with two straight draws in the league to go alongside the two defeats to Monterrey.
MORE: Find out which games are streaming free on MLS Season pass from Apple TV each week
Sporting KC are in excellent goal-scoring form, having scored 10 goals in their last four games as they rose to seventh in the Western Conference standings. They’ve been beaten just once, but have also only managed to win two games with four draws looming large.
Here’s how to watch Saturday night’s showdown at Arrowhead.
Inter Miami vs Sporting KC live stream, TV channel
Fans across the globe can stream the match between Sporting KC and Inter Miami exclusively on MLS Season Pass from Apple TV.
What time is Inter Miami vs Sporting KC kickoff?
This MLS regular season match kicks off from Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m. local time in Kansas City.
Here’s how that time translates across all of the time zones in North America:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Sat, Apr. 13 | 8:30 p.m. |
| Central Time | Sat, Apr. 13 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Mountain Time | Sat, Apr. 13 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Pacific Time | Sat, Apr. 13 | 5:30 p.m. |
| Alaska ST | Sat, Apr. 13 | 4:30 p.m. |
| Hawaii ST | Sat, Apr. 13 | 3:30 p.m. |
Inter Miami vs Sporting KC lineups & team news
Sporting KC striker Alan Pulido has returned from his brief one-match hamstring absence, but his replacement William Agada was exceptional in his stead, scoring two goals and assisting one in 149 minutes of play up front. Thus, head coach Peter Vermes has a decision to make at the No. 9 position moving forward.
Captain Johnny Russell has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, and is likely to remain sidelined for another few games. Forward Khiry Shelton has not yet played this season after ankle surgery in February, and same for Belgian left-back Logan Ndenbe, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in early November.
Sporting KC projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Meila (GK) — J. Davis, Rosero, Voloder, Leibold — Walter, Radoja, M. Rodriguez — Thommy, Pulido, Salloi.
Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino still has a host of questions to answer with regards to his squad’s availability. As is the case with every match, Lionel Messi is at the top of the list, and having just returned from injury and playing the full 90 minutes on Wednesday, it’s possible that Messi is rested in some capacity for this return to league play.
Benjamin Cremaschi has returned from hernia surgery to make the bench in each of the last two games, but has not appeared in either game, so his level of fitness is still unknown. Robert Taylor and Serhiy Kryvtsov are both out with hamstring injuries, expected to return in a few weeks. Federico Redondo will likely miss up to a month with a knee injury, and Facundo Farias is out for the season with an ACL tear.
Thanks to all the injuries, Martino could only name nine bench players of 12 allowed in the midweek CONCACAF Champions Cup match, and he didn’t make a single substitution despite trailing for most of the match.
Inter Miami projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Callender (GK) — Weigandt, Aviles, Freire, Alba — Cremaschi, Busquets, D. Gomez — Messi, Suarez, Gressel.
Inter Miami vs Sporting KC prediction, betting odds & lines
- Score prediction: Sporting KC 2-2 Inter Miami
This Inter Miami team is better than they showed against Monterrey in Mexico midweek, but the issue for Tata Martino right now is fitness. The depth on the squad is brutally thin, and it’s unclear who could need rest after the grueling road trip just days ago.
They should manage to secure a result against a pesky team they beat last September without Messi, but it will be difficult to win given how many players remain sidelined. Sporting KC are in excellent attacking form, having bagged 10 goals in their last four games, so the Inter Miami back line, which crumbled in Mexico on Wednesday, will be tested again.
| BetMGM (USA) |
|
| Sporting KC win | +120 |
| Draw | +260 |
| Inter Miami win | +195 |
| Both teams to score |
Y: -185 N: +125 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals |
O: -160 U: +115 |
| Sporting KC -0.5 goals |
+110 |
| Inter Miami +0.5 goals |
-160 |
