Sporting Kansas City at Atlanta United FC
2026 MLS Regular Season | Game 21
Sunday, Aug. 23 | 6 p.m. CT (6:12 kickoff)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, GA
Watch: Apple TVÂ |Â Pub Partners
Listen: 810 AM | 1340 AM | SKC App
More: 5 Things | Game Notes
Sporting Kansas City will return to the road to play a third match in nine days as the team travels to take on Atlanta United FC at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Georgia capital city.
The Sunday Night Soccer match-up will be available to watch on Apple TV in English (Jake Zivin, Taylor Twellman and Jillian Sakovits) and Spanish (Sammy Sadovnik, Diego Valeri and Antonella Gonzalez), including extended coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT on MLS Countdown and La Previa. In addition, pub partners in the Sporting Pub Network will also show all of the action with the club's official watch party taking place at Dos Lokos in Westport.
Coming off a 1-1 draw with rivals St. Louis on Wednesday, Sporting Kansas City will take on Atlanta United FC this weekend -- in the club's only Sunday fixture of the season -- as the two teams meet in a competitive match for the first time since February 2022. Sporting has played every other active MLS club since the last matchup with Atlanta, including a dozen games against both Houston and St. Louis in the interim, although SKC did visit Atlanta just last month for a scrimmage during the World Cup break.
ATLvSKC referee Tori Penso and assistant referee Brooke Mayo also return to Atlanta, where they worked their first of four assignments during FIFA World Cup 26 this summer. Penso, who had the whistle for the 2025 U.S. Open Cup Final, has previously officiated at several major international tournaments including the FIFA Women's World Cup, FIFA Club World Cups, Copa America and Olympic Games,
The MLS Matchday 22 finale features a pair of sides that have struggled through the first 20 games of the 2026 campaign. Both teams sit last in their respective conferences and at the bottom of the Supporters' Shield standings entering Sunday's showdown with offenses that have scored the fewest goals in each conference and defenses that have combined for a single shutout all season.
Both clubs have made major Designated Player moves during the secondary transfer window. Sporting Kansas City parted ways with midfielder Manu Garcia while adding 24-year-old Brazilian forward Andre Luiz in a club-record transfer this week. Atlanta loaned out Latte Lath earlier this month and debuted new defender Paulo Diaz with a late cameo on Wednesday. Atlanta is also reportedly finalizing a contract with Swiss international Breel Embolo, who Sporting KC manager Raphael Wicky coached when Embolo was a 16-year-old prospect at FC Basel in 2013.
Led by head coach Tata Martino, Atlanta United's roster features the Designated Player duo of Miguel Amiron - who represented Paraguay alongside new Atltanta United defender Junior Alonso at the World Cup this summer -- and Russian international Alexey Miranchuk, who leads the team with 12 goal contributions this season (five goals, seven assists) and has assists in four straight games including assists on each of Tristan Muyumba's goals in the past three matches.
After going winless in the team's previous eight games (0-6-2), Atlanta has won back-to-back matches this week with a 2-1 victory over Red Bull New York last Saturday and a 2-1 come-from-behind victory on the road in Minnesota on Wednesday. The hosts, who have the worst home record in the Eastern Conference despite the top attendance in Major League Soccer, will now try to win three straight regular season matches for the first time in a single season since 2021.
