By Sam Kovzan – Sporting Kansas City
Goalkeeper John Pulskamp made seven saves en route to a shutout as Sporting Kansas City (7-20-7, 28 points) ended the 2025 season with a 0-0 home draw against Houston Dynamo FC (9-15-10, 37 points) on Saturday night at Children’s Mercy Park.
Pulskamp, who on Saturday became the fifth player in club history to play every minute of a 34-game regular season, ends the 2025 MLS campaign with 121 saves, the second most by a Kansas City goalkeeper in a single regular season. Sporting’s curtain-closing draw snaps a five-game losing skid and gives Pulskamp his fourth clean sheet of the year.
Sporting now enters a defining offseason ahead of the 2026 MLS campaign, which will begin in late February and unfold in the limelight that comes with Kansas City serving as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin made five changes to his starting lineup from Sporting’s last match on Oct. 4, headlined by Designated Player Manu Garcia earning his first start since July 19 in which he sustained a quad injury that has limited him to three substitute appearances since.
Garcia manufactured Sporting’s first chance inside seven minutes, spinning free from traffic and squeezing a pass into the penalty area for Daniel Salloi, but the homegrown winger’s shot lacked the pace and precision to beat Houston goalkeeper Jonathan Bond. Salloi was on the end of another major opportunity 10 minutes later, curling a 15-yard shot inches over the crossbar after his initial cross intended for Dejan Joveljic was cut out by a slew of Dynamo defenders.
Houston created a trio of looks before halftime, none of which were overly dangerous. Ondrej Lingr pounced on a Sporting giveaway and had his off-balance breakaway effort saved by Pulskamp in the 22nd minute, Ezequiel Ponce had a shot smothered from a tight angle on the left side of the box in the 35th, and pacey winger Lawrence Ennali forced a smart stop from Pulskamp shortly before intermission.
The game’s most bizarre moment came at the hour mark. Ennali raced in behind Sporting’s defense with only Pulskamp to beat, but the goalkeeper appeared to win the ball cleanly with a sliding challenge that extinguished the danger. Referee Nabil Bensalah controversially awarded a penalty kick on the play, deeming Pulskamp to have fouled Ennali on his tackle, but eagle-eye linesman Walt Heatherly raised his flag for an offside infraction in Houston’s attacking buildup. The penalty was thus not given and the game remained scoreless.
Pulskamp was involved once more in the 73rd minute, diving at full extension to touch Ennali’s 18-yard curler onto the far post, much to the joy of the festive Cauldron faithful behind him.
Both teams had clear chances to grab the illusive winner deep into second-half stoppage time. In the 96th minute, Ponce latched onto a teasing cross from the left wing and planted a header marginally wide of the near post. At the opposite end, Salloi cut centrally onto his right foot and unleashed a curler that was nearly redirected goalward by Joveljic, but the Serbian striker’s snap header lifted agonizingly over the crossbar.
2025 MLS Regular Season | Match 34
Children’s Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas
Attendance: 16,983
Weather: 69 degrees and windy
Sporting Kansas City 0-0 Houston Dynamo FC
| Score | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sporting Kansas City (7-20-7, 28 points) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Houston Dynamo FC (9-15-10, 37 points) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sporting Kansas City: John Pulskamp; Khiry Shelton, Jansen Miller, Alan Montes, Logan Ndenbe; Erik Thommy (C) (Mason Toye 78′), Nemanja Radoja (Jake Davis 68′), Zorhan Bassong (Jacob Bartlett 78′), Daniel Salloi; Dejan Joveljic, Manu Garcia (Santi Munoz 46′)
Subs Not Used: Ryan Schewe, Ian James, Tim Leibold, Memo Rodriguez, Shapi Suleymanov
Houston Dynamo FC: Jonathan Bond; Griffin Dorsey, Erik Sviatchenko, Antonio Carlos, Felipe Andrade; Artur (C), Duane Holmes (Sebastian Kowalczyk 68′), Brooklyn Raines (Junior Urso 80′); Ondrej Lingr (Nelson Quinones 80′), Ezequiel Ponce, Lawrence Ennali
Subs Not Used: Jimmy Maurer, Ethan Bartlow, Pablo Ortiz, Erik Duenas, Diadie Samassekou, Gabe Segal
Scoring Summary:
None
Misconduct Summary:
HOU — Antonio Carlos (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 12′
HOU — Duane Holmes (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 20′
SKC — Zorhan Bassong (yellow card; dissent) 44′
SKC — John Pulskamp (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 61′
HOU — Lawrence Ennali (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 87′
HOU — Junior Urso (yellow card; unsporting behavior) 89′
SKC — Jake Davis (yellow card; dissent) postgame
Match Statistics
| STAT | SKC | HOU |
|---|---|---|
| Fouls | 16 | 18 |
| Offsides | 0 | 1 |
| Corner Kicks | 7 | 5 |
Referee: Nabil Bensalah
Assistant Referee: Corey Parker
Assistant Referee: Walt Heatherly
Fourth Official: Ismir Pekmic
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard
AVAR: Robert Schaap
