Sporting Kansas City will take on Toronto FC in the first MLS match played at the Rogers Centre on March 9, as Toronto FC revealed the venue for the first match of their 2013 home schedule in an announcement on Thursday. New Toronto FC head coach Ryan Nelsen will make his home debut in the match, coming one week after Sporting Kansas City opens their MLS campaign at the Philadelphia Union on March 2.
The Rogers Centre, a multi-purpose stadium in downtown Toronto, has hosted soccer matches since opening in 1989, most recently with Toronto FC hosting games at the arena in 2012 for the CONCACAF Champions League and World Football Challenge. Home to the Toronto Blue Jays (MLB) and the Toronto Argonauts (CFL), the Rogers Centre features the world’s first fully retractable roof and has a capacity of over 46,000 when configured for baseball.
The March 9 match-up between Sporting Kansas City and Toronto FC will be played on the stadium's artificial surface with the roof closed. The kick off time for the match, along with Sporting Kansas City's return trip to Toronto at BMO Field on Sept. 21 and the team's match at Montreal on July 27, will be announced next week in conjunction with the full TSN/RDS broadcast schedule.
Sporting KC is 8-3-4 all-time against Toronto FC and currently have a seven-game unbeaten streak against their Canadian counterparts following three wins during the 2012 regular season.
