Go in-depth for Sporting Kansas City's 2-0 win at Real Esteli on Wednesday evening with this match's Fast Facts..
- Sporting KC defeats Nicaraguan side Real Esteli FC 2-0 in their opening match of the CONCACAF Champions League group stage.
- Mexican club Monterrey has won three straight CONCACAF Champions League titles but failed to qualify for the 2013-14 edition.
- Wednesday's match was held at Estadio Independencia which has a synthetic turf surface and is in the midst of a renovation that will expand capacity from 4.8K to 8K.
- Matt Besler is the only Sporting KC player currently on the roster to have played a competitive international match for the club (2009 Superliga). Besler did not travel to Nicaragua for Wednesday's game.
- Sporting Kansas City assistant coach Kerry Zavagnin has either played (14) or served on the technical staff (3) for every competitive international match in Sporting Kansas City history.
- Esteli is located 93 miles from the Nicaraguan capitol of Managua, where Sporting KC stayed last night before today's 3-hour bus ride to Esteli.
- Sporting KC is 5-8-5 all-time in competitive international matches and 3-5-1 on the road.
- Sporting Kansas City owns a 4-3-2 all-time record in CCL play.
- Wednesday marked Sporting KC's first international competitive match since the 2009 North American Superliga when Sporting KC was eliminated in the group stage.
- Wednesday marks Sporting KC's first appearance in CCL under the new format. Sporting KC made two appearances in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup (02 & 05).
- Real Esteli is the only Nicaraguan club to have ever qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. The club has qualified every year since 2008-09.
- Heading into the match, Sporting KC had just four players on their current roster with CCL experience: Josh Gardner (LA Galaxy and Columbus Crew), Kei Kamara (Houston Dynamo), Jacob Peterson (Toronto FC) and Paulo Nagamura (Chivas USA).
- Jacob Peterson is the only player in that group to have made the trip to Nicaragua and play in the match.
- With the start on Wednesday, Jacob Peterson tallied his first start for Sporting KC since June 1.
- Ike Opara opened the scoring for Sporting KC in the 32 minute of the match.
- Benny Feilhaber tallied the assist on Opara's goal.
- Dom Dwyer earned his first competitive start while playing for Sporting KC on Wednesday.
- Dywer scored the second goal for Sporting KC on Wednesday, marking back-to-back matches that Dwyer has scored a goal for Sporting KC.
- Ike Opara led all players with 59 passes on Wednesday.
- Soony Saad led all players with 10 duels won on Wednesday. Saad also led all players with five shots.
- Saad suffered six fouls in the match on Wednesday.
- Mechack Jerome led all players with four aerial duels won.
- Sporting KC outshot Real Esteli FC 15-7 on Wednesday.
- Lawrence Olum and Jacob Peterson both tied for most key passes of all players on Wednesday with two.
- Midfielder Christian Duke - on loan to Sporting KC's USL PRO affiliate Orlando City SC -- saw 90 minutes on Wednesday for the Lions in their 3-2 victory over VSI Tampa Bay FC.
