Sporting Kansas City will host Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, Nov. 20, in Round One of the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The conference quarterfinal clash is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT with tickets available at SeatGeek.com. Match broadcasts will air regionally on Bally Sports Kansas City and Bally Sports Midwest as well as nationally in Spanish on UniMas and TUDN, with an additional English-language live stream on MLSsoccer.com.
As the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, Sporting will host the sixth-seeded Whitecaps after splitting two regular season meetings with Vancouver earlier this year. Sporting posted a 3-0 home win on May 16, riding an Alan Pulido brace and a strike from Daniel Salloi, before falling 2-1 at Vancouver on Oct. 17.
Sporting owns an 11-4-4 regular season record against the Whitecaps and notably defeated Vancouver on penalty kicks in the MLS is Back Tournament Round of 16 on July 26, 2020. This will mark the first time the clubs have met in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Major League Soccer announced today the schedule for the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs, which will unfold in a single-elimination format with the higher-seeded team hosting each match. The winner between Sporting and Vancouver will advance to the Western Conference Semifinals on Nov. 28, facing either No. 2 seed Seattle Sounders FC or No. 7 seed Real Salt Lake at 2 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. CT. The conference championships are slated for Dec. 4-5 and the 2021 MLS Cup will take place at 2 p.m. CT on Dec. 11.
Sporting have reached the MLS Cup Playoffs in 10 of the last 11 seasons and will be playing for their third league championship this fall, having hoisted the MLS Cup in 2000 and 2013. Sporting Manager Peter Vermes—who won the 2000 title as a player and the 2013 title as a coach—has set an MLS record with his 17th combined playoff appearance as either a player (seven) or a head coach (10).
