CONCACAF announced on Tuesday the dates and times for the 2016-17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
Paired in Group C alongside fellow MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Central FC of Trinidad and Tobago, Sporting Kansas City will play its first two group stages matches on the road. Manager Peter Vermes’ men will face Central FC on Aug. 16 at Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, Trinidad and Tobago, before venturing north to Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Aug. 23 at BC Place. Sporting Kansas City will then host Vancouver Whitecaps on Sept. 13 and Central FC on Oct. 19, with both games kicking off at 7 p.m. CT.
Sporting KC 2016-17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League schedule
- Tuesday, Aug. 16 at Central FC (7 p.m. CT)
- Tuesday, Aug. 23 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC (9 p.m. CT)
- Tuesday, Sept. 13 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (7 p.m. CT)
- Wednesday, Oct. 19 vs. Central FC (7 p.m. CT)
Both CONCACAF Champions League home matches at Children’s Mercy Park are included in Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Member packages. Single-game tickets for these games will go on sale to the general public at a later date.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC are currently fourth in the MLS Western Conference (7-7-3, 24 points) but have failed to beat Sporting Kansas City in both regular season meetings this year, falling 2-1 at Children’s Mercy Park on March 12 and drawing 1-1 at BC Place on April 27. Sporting KC is 5-1-3 all-time against Vancouver.
Trinidadian outfit Central FC was founded in 2012 and has since won the 2014-15 TT Pro League and each of the last two CFU Club Championship titles. The Sharks begin their domestic league campaign in September.
The 2016-17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League will feature the top 24 teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean region battling for a berth in the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup. The group stage divides the teams into eight groups of three and will be contested in a round-robin, home-and-away, four-game format from August to October. The eight group winners will then advance to the knockout round in early 2017.
Competing in the tournament for the third time in four seasons, Sporting Kansas City qualified for the 2016-17 edition by virtue of its 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship. The club reached the 2013-14 quarterfinals and was eliminated from the 2014-15 group stage. Kansas City also competed in the 2001 Copa Merconorte, the 2002 and 2005 CONCACAF Champions’ Cups, and the 2009 North American SuperLiga.
