Sporting KC Is Dead Last in the West and England Still Might Play 'Em?!

Okay, so I just saw a report that's got me scratching my head harder than a Sounders fan trying to understand offsides! Picture this: Sporting Kansas City, a team literally DFL in the MLS Western Conference right now, is apparently in talks to play a friendly against World Cup favorites England. What?! You read that right. Multiple media outlets dropped this bomb Tuesday, saying England is looking for a closed-door scrimmage opponent on Thursday, right after their World Cup opener. Is this real life? The Emerald City faithful are probably wondering if their struggling MLS team would ever get such a random, high-profile call!

England's World Cup Grind is No Joke

Let's be clear, England isn't messing around heading into the World Cup. Their manager, Thomas Tuchel, confirmed they're trying to set up an "in-house match" right after they play Croatia in their World Cup opener on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas. These guys are serious about getting their non-starters some real game load, not just practice reps. They just wrapped up a 6-0 closed-door friendly win against USL Championship squad Miami FC last Thursday in West Palm Beach, Florida, and before that, they took down Costa Rica 3-0 in Orlando. So yeah, they're gearing up, and hard. They're back at their training base in Kansas City, Missouri, which is why Sporting KC is even on the radar. England went 8-0-0 in qualifying, for crying out loud, and they're the third betting favorite fo

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r the whole dang tournament, only behind France and Spain. They are legit, and they need a sparring partner.

Sporting KC's Shocking Call-Up Amidst Disaster

Now, here's where it gets wild. You want to talk about a tale of two teams? England is a World Cup favorite, preparing for glory. Sporting Kansas City? Man, they are off to a absolutely miserable start in MLS play this season. Miserable! They're sitting dead last in the Western Conference with a pathetic 3-9-2 record, scraping by with just 11 points. Eleven points! That's not just bad, that's historically bad. And yet, somehow, this struggling squad is reportedly in talks with England officials to be their closed-door opponent. ESPN says the deal isn't finalized, but the fact it's even on the table is wild. It's like the 12s watching our Seahawks, after a tough loss, get asked to scrimmage against a Super Bowl contender. You just gotta wonder what England sees here, aside from pure convenience. So, while this friendly is still TBD, it's an absolutely bananas story for Sporting KC fans, and frankly, for any soccer fan. England's got their sights set on big things, with their second Group L match against Ghana coming up on June 23 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and then they wrap up group play on June 27 against Panama in East Rutherford, New Jersey. This scrimmage, if it happens, is all about getting those Three Lions ready for battle, getting every player sharp. For Sporting KC, it's a bizarre footnote in what's been an undeniably tough season. What a wild ride!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.