Sporting Kansas City will open the 2017 MLS season with a visit to D.C. United on Saturday, March 4, Major League Soccer announced today. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT at RFK Stadium as a pair of MLS charter members square off in Week 1.
The following Saturday, March 11, Sporting Kansas City will host reigning Supporters’ Shield champion FC Dallas at 8 p.m. CT in the club’s 2017 home opener at Children’s Mercy Park.
Tickets for Sporting Kansas City’s first home match, as well as other single-game tickets at Children’s Mercy Park, will go on sale to the general public Wednesday, Feb. 1. Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members will have access to an exclusive pre-sale for single-game tickets in late January.
MLS on Wednesday unveiled the 2017 home openers for all 22 MLS clubs, which includes Sporting Kansas City’s trip to face defending Eastern Conference champion Toronto FC on March 31.
SPORTING KC CONFIRMED MLS MATCHES IN 2017
WEEK |
DATE |
OPPONENT |
TIME (CT) |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
March 4 |
at DC United |
6 pm |
<strong>2</strong> |
<strong>March 11</strong> |
<strong>vs. FC DALLAS</strong> |
<strong>8 pm</strong> |
5 |
March 31 |
at Toronto FC |
6:30 pm |
The full MLS regular season schedule — including kickoff times and national television schedules for the United States and Canada — will be announced in January, prior to the 2017 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas on Jan. 13.
Sporting Kansas City will begin its 22nd MLS campaign against two teams who qualified for the 2016 playoffs, including an FC Dallas side that finished atop the Western Conference standings in each of the last two seasons. D.C. United, meanwhile, is a four-time MLS Cup champion and has reached the playoffs every year since 2014.
Sporting Kansas City has met D.C. United in seven previous regular season openers, more than any other team. The last five curtain raisers between the sides have resulted in Sporting Kansas City victories, including a 1-0 win at RFK Stadium in March 2012. Sporting KC is 13-5-3 all-time in MLS season openers; no team has more season-opening victories.
Following an interconference clash with D.C., Sporting Kansas City will return home to duel longtime rival FC Dallas. Manager Peter Vermes’ men have won four straight home games versus FC Dallas since the start of 2015, scoring 15 goals and conceding just three during that run. Led by head coach Oscar Pareja, FC Dallas is winless in six straight trips to Children’s Mercy Park across all competitions. Sporting KC is 13-2-6 in home openers dating back to 1996.
In Week 5, BMO Field will welcome Sporting Kansas City for Toronto FC’s 2017 home opener. The high-profile matchup will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday, March 31. Sporting KC has won three straight games at BMO Field and boasts a 14-4-5 all-time record against the Reds, who fell to Seattle Sounders FC in the 2016 MLS Cup Final.
The 2017 MLS regular season will see each club play 34 games, including 17 home games and 17 away games. Sporting Kansas City will play seven Western Conference clubs twice, three Western Conference clubs three times, and each Eastern Conference team once.
