Sporting KC finishes 2025 season last in Western Conference. Now, change is ahead

Sporting Kansas City ended a five-match losing streak in its final game of the 2025 season. But the single point from a 0-0 draw against the Houston Dynamo wasn’t enough for the team to avoid finishing dead last in the Western Conference.

Sporting’s best chance of the night came in the last minute of second-half stoppage time, when Dejan Joveljic blazed a header over the bar from point-blank range. The teams combined for five shots on goal in the whole 90 minutes.

The game on Saturday night, though, was the first of the David Lee era at Sporting, and the last for a roster that will likely see a significant amount of change in the coming weeks and months.

Eight of the 11 players in Sporting KC’s starting lineup Saturday night are either out of contract or on a club option. A total of 17 players are in that boat.

Interim coach Kerry Zavagnin — who is also in the same boat as those players — had a message for his team going into the game:

“It’s always important to make a good first impression,” Zavagnin said. “It’s also really important to make a good last impression.”

The 2025 season was filled with uncertainty for staff members and players. With so many players out of contract and a technical staff running extremely thin, it had an effect all the way down.

What played out through that uncertainty was a team that posted the fewest wins in club history in an MLS season.

“It’s very difficult to deal with personally, with emotions,” Sporting’s Daniel Salloi said. “Looking at people who are very important to this club have struggling moments, even if it’s staff (or players) ... I think we’re all feeling it. It’s been very heavy.”

Inside the locker room after the final game, players and staff hugged each other and signed things from their teammates. Some seemingly said farewell.

Erik Thommy, who is out of contract, captained the team Saturday.

“We prepared for something else before the season,” Thommy said. “We didn’t perform well. Sometimes we could show our quality, our mentality. But at the end, it was not enough.”

He understands there are a lot of decisions to make and things up in the air as the club begins to turn the page.

“We’ll see what the direction is going to be, and what direction I’m gonna go,” Thommy added. “Right now, I can’t say more. I’m honest with you. Hopefully, we’re going to see each other next season again.”

Zorhan Bassong, another player whose future is up in the air with a club option up, said he wants to be back.

“Since I got here, I always felt like it was my home,” Bassong said. “I felt like I was really welcomed into the team, into the city. ... I want to be here for a couple more years, hopefully, and help the team to bring Sporting KC where it belongs.”

Amid the heaviness of uncertainty was an excitement that change — in some way, shape or form — is coming.

“I think everybody’s hopeful, everybody’s excited,” Salloi said. “Some guys will not be here, some guys will remain here. We truly don’t know what’s going to be next, but I believe that this club will be where it deserves to be.”

Several members of the club reiterated that message — taking Sporting KC “back to where it belongs.” That will involve change, but it’s something fans can look forward to.

“No matter who you are, no matter what club you are in, there will be moments, and there will be difficult moments,” Zavagnin said. “You’ll have to persevere. Despite all the passion that you have for the club and the love you have for it, it’s persevering through some of the tough times. We’re stronger when we’re together as a community, as a club, as a group. I think the storm is almost over.”

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.

This story was originally published October 18, 2025 at 10:33 PM.