Sporting Kansas City at Chivas USA
Sunday, April 1, 2012 – 8:00 p.m. CT
Home Depot Center | Carson, CA
English TV: KSMO-TV
Spanish Radio: 1340 La Gran D
Media Guide | Game Notes | Video Preview
Sporting Kansas City will play their second road match of the season at 8 p.m. CT on Sunday against Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The match will be shown live on KSMO-TV with a 30-minute pre-game show starting at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be available over the airwaves on La Gran D 1340 AM (Espanol).
SportingKC.com will also host a live chat during the match, with fans able to contribute to the commentary and receive on-site updates from the match.
Off to a 3-0-0 start with wins over D.C. United, New England Revolution and FC Dallas, Sporting KC looks to start the season with four straight victories for the first time in club history while facing off against their second of six straight Western Conference opponents.
Through three games this season, Sporting Kansas Cty leads MLS with six goals scored while conceding only once. Striker Kei Kamara leads all MLS players in shots (24) and shots on goal (11) and will aim to add to his team-high two goals this season when he takes the field on Sunday at The Home Depot Center, located on the campus of his alma mater Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Sporting Kansas City’s attack has been orchestrated thus far by midfielder Graham Zusi, who has assists in each of the team’s opening three matches, including two in the team’s 2-1 win last Sunday, and leads MLS with four assists.
Additionally, the offensive options available for Manager Peter Vermes will be bolstered by the return of Teal Bunbury after the Sporting KC striker appeared in two games for the United States Under-23 Men’s National Team while on international duty.
After 1-0 home losses against the Houston Dynamo and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Chivas USA enters Sunday’s contest coming off their first victory of the season in an impressive 1-0 road win at Real Salt Lake last Saturday despite missing Designated Player Juan Pablo Angel for their second straight match due to concussion symptoms.
Sporting KC will be going up against two of the team’s former players on Sunday when they face Chivas USA starters Ryan Smith and Rauwshan McKenzie, while Sporting KC midfielder Paulo Nagamura meets his old team for the first time since arriving in KC via a trade this offseason.
Sporting Kansas City holds the all-time lead in the series with a 6-4-4 record and has recorded victories in each of their last two away meetings with Chivas USA.
Following the match, Kamara and Nagamura will team up with Chivas USA’s Smith and Michael Lahoud for a meet-and-greet to raise money for Schools for Salone. Kamara and Lahoud, both Sierra Leone natives, have supported the non-profit organization in its mission to rebuild schools destroyed during the nation’s civil war.