CONCACAF released the group stage schedule for the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League on Monday, announcing the following four match dates for Sporting Kansas City in Group 2:
- Sporting Kansas City at Real Estelí FC on Wednesday, August 7 at 9 p.m. CT at Estadio Independencia in Estelí, Nicaragua
- Sporting Kansas City at CD Olimpia on Tuesday, August 27 at 9 p.m. CT at Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino in Tegucigalpa, Honduras
- Sporting Kansas City vs Real Estelí FC on Tuesday, September 17 at 7 p.m. CT at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan.
- Sporting Kansas City vs CD Olimpia on Wednesday, October 23 at 7 p.m. CT at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan.
“It's going to be a very difficult group,” Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes said. “They are two opponents that are going to cause problems for us. But like any competition, we have to take it one game at a time and the importance for us is how we are going to manage our league games and the Champions League games. That is going to be the biggest hurdle over the course of the tournament.”
Tickets for the decisive two home games in the CONCACAF Champions League group stage will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CT on Wednesday, July 10. These tickets can be secured online at Ticketmaster.com or at the Sporting Park Box Offices.
Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members have tickets and parking passes (CCL-1 and CCL-2) for both CONCACAF Champions League home matches included in their season ticket packages. Season Ticket Members wishing to secure additional single-game tickets will have access to an exclusive pre-sale opportunity through Ticketmaster beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Monday, July 8.
The 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League will feature the top 24 teams from the North America, Central America and Caribbean region competing for a berth in the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup. Sporting KC, one of five MLS teams in the competition, became the first team into the tournament courtesy of the club's 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship.
The group stage divides the 24 teams into eight groups of three, with the group winners advancing to the knockout round. Sporting Kansas City was drawn into Group 2 alongside Nicaragua’s Real Estelí FC and Honduran club CD Olimpia.
Olimpia is the most successful team in Honduras. Los Leones have won 27 domestic league titles and are participating in their sixth consecutive Champions League tournament. Real Estelí have won 13 domestic titles in Nicaragua and are competing in the CONCACAF Champions League for the fourth time.
The CONCACAF Champions League dates back to 1962 and Sporting KC has participated in the tournament, then known as the Champions’ Cup, on two previous occasions. The team reached the semifinals in 2002 and was eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the 2005 edition.
2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League Groups
Group 1: Arabe Unido, Houston Dynamo, W Connection
Group 2 Olimpia, Sporting Kansas City, Real Estelí
Group 3: Herediano, Cruz Azul, Valencia
Group 4: America, Alajuelense, Sporting San Miguelito
Group 5: San Jose Earthquakes, Montreal Impact, C.D. Heredia
Group 6: CSD Comunicaciones, Toluca, Caledonia AIA
Group 7: Tijuana, Victoria, Luis Angel Firpo
Group 8: LA Galaxy, Metapan, Cartaginés
2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League representatives
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North America - 9
- United States (4): San Jose Earthquakes, Sporting Kansas City, LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo
- Mexico (4): Toluca, Tijuana, America, Cruz Azul
- Canada (1): Montreal Impact
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Caribbean - 3
- Trinidad & Tobago (2): W Connection, Caledonia AIA
- Haiti (1) - Valencia
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Central America - 12
- Costa Rica (3): Alajuelense, Herediano, Cartaginés
- El Salvador (2): Metapan, Luis Angel Firpo
- Guatemala (2): Comunicaciones, C.D. Heredia
- Honduras (2): Olimpia, Victoria
- Panama (2): Arabe Unido, Sporting San Miguelito
- Nicaragua (1): Real Estelí
