"This Week in Sporting," presented by The Smile Generation, is a weekly series that highlights the biggest storylines and news updates from Sporting Kansas City. To visit the series archive, click here.
1. Sporting Wins the West
Sporting Kansas City (12-6-3, 39 points) clinched the Western Conference’s top seed in the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs on Sunday night, posting a 2-0 road victory over Real Salt Lake (5-10-7, 22 points) at snowy Rio Tinto Stadium as the MLS regular season concluded on MLS Decision Day 2020 presented by AT&T.
Forwards Khiry Shelton and Erik Hurtado both scored their fifth goals of the campaign and goalkeeper Tim Melia tabbed his third consecutive shutout, leading Sporting Kansas City to their first MLS away win at Rio Tinto Stadium since 2013. The club’s coldest regular season match on record completed Sporting’s jump from 11th place in the West last year to first place in 2020—the largest single-season improvement in the 25-year history of MLS.
2. Quakes Await
As the top seed in the West for the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs, Sporting will host the No. 8 seed San Jose Earthquakes (8-9-6) in the conference quarterfinals on Nov. 21, Nov. 22 or Nov. 24 at Children’s Mercy Park.
Tickets for Sporting’s opening match of the MLS Cup Playoffs will go on sale to the general public at 12 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 12 via SeatGeek.com. Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members will have access to an exclusive 48-hour presale beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday, Nov. 10 and ending at 10 a.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 12.
The Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs will feature an expanded field of 18 teams placed in a single-elimination bracket with each of the 17 matches to be hosted by the higher-seeded club. The postseason schedule will kick off with the Eastern Conference Play-In Round on Friday, Nov. 20 and conclude with MLS Cup on Saturday, Dec. 12.
Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs
Eastern Conference Play-In Round: Nov. 20
Conference Quarterfinals: Nov. 21-22, Nov. 24
Conference Semifinals: Nov. 29, Dec. 1-2
Conference Finals: Dec. 6
MLS Cup: Dec. 12
3. Graham Gives Back
As voters across the Kansas City area turned out in record numbers for national, state and local elections on Tuesday, Sporting Kansas City defender and seven-time MLS All-Star Graham Zusi used Election Day 2020 as a platform for giving back to the community in partnership with Parisi Coffee.
Over the course of the day, all customers who visited Parisi Café Overland Park received $2 off their purchases thanks to a contribution made by Zusi and Sporting Kansas City. Zusi’s act served as a token of appreciation for the thousands of local citizens who cast their ballots during a historic Election season.
4. Holiday Shopping Experience
Sporting Kansas City fans are welcome to attend the club's premier shopping event of the year on Thursday when SportingStyle hosts the Holiday Shopping Experience at Children's Mercy Park. Taking place from 5-8 p.m. CT inside the UMB Field Club, the Holiday Shopping Experience will give supporters the opportunity to shop from a wide variety of holiday items including jerseys, jackets, sweatshirts and much more. Additionally, guests can get $50 off their purchase by spending $200 or more at the event. Fans planning to attend are asked to RSVP by clicking here.
5. Wonderful Wilson
Sporting Kansas City forward Wilson Harris was named the 2020 USL Championship's Young Player of the Year last week. Harris, 20, was the third consecutive Sporting Kansas City Academy product to be selected as a finalist for the USL Championship Young Player of the Year, following in the footsteps of Sporting midfielders Wan Kuzain (2018) and Felipe Hernandez (2019). He becomes the first Sporting player to win the honor after an exceptional 2020 USL Championship campaign under Sporting Kansas City II head coach Paulo Nagamura.
The 2020 USL Championship season saw Harris play a leading role for Sporting Kansas City II as one of the league’s most prolific strikers. In addition to scoring a team-best eight goals and appearing in all 16 matches during an abbreviated season, Harris became the youngest player to eclipse 20 career goals in USL Championship history.
6. College Combine
Sporting Kansas City will welcome elite college soccer players from across the country this weekend for the 2020 College Invitational Combine, a new player identification platform for clubs in Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League. The 2020 College Invitational Combine will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri, featuring college seniors and select underclassman competing in a multi-game event over the course of three days.
