CONCACAF released the group stage schedule for the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League on Monday, confirming four match dates for Sporting Kansas City between Aug. 7 and Oct. 23.
Sporting KC was drawn into Group 2 with Nicaragua’s Real Estelí FC and CD Olimpia of Honduras, and will play both clubs home and away in the 24-team group phase of the tournament.
This announcement is big news for Sporting KC, as the group stage runs concurrently with the final three months of the MLS regular season. Where and when these Champions League matches take place in relation to Sporting KC’s MLS schedule could impact how well the club fares in both competitions.
The prospect of fighting for a spot in next spring’s CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals and another Eastern Conference title at the same time is exciting, but it will require Peter Vermes’ squad to utilize its depth and survive a few difficult road trips.
Sporting KC’s first Champions League match at Real Estelí FC on Wednesday, Aug. 7, is sandwiched between two crucial home games against playoff contenders New York Red Bulls (Aug. 3) and New England Revolution (Aug. 10). The roughly 2,000-mile trip to Esteli will be Sporting Kansas City’s furthest competitive match away from home since March 2005, when the club traveled nearly 2,300 miles to play Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals.
The second Champions League encounter is also on the road at CD Olimpia, who have won two CONCACAF Champions Cups and 27 domestic league titles. The Aug. 27 match in Honduras falls between an away game at archrivals Chicago Fire (Aug. 23) and a home fixture vs. Colorado Rapids (Aug. 31). This stretch requires Sporting KC to travel nearly 2,000 miles from Chicago to the Honduran capitol of Tegucigalpa. Sporting KC would face an uphill battle to advance from the group if they were to return home without a road result in either of their trips to Central America.
Sporting Park hosts its first ever CONCACAF Champions League match on Tuesday, Sept. 17, as Real Estelí travels north for the return fixture. This game lands nicely on Sporting KC’s schedule, coming at the tail end of September’s international break. Sporting KC hosts Columbus Crew on Sept. 7 and will have 9 days off before their third Champions League match.
The group phase concludes on Wednesday, Oct. 23, with a home game vs. CD Olimpia. This could be the most pivotal week of the season for Sporting KC, as their last two MLS matches fall on either side of the final Champions League fixture. The last regular season game at Sporting Park comes on Oct. 18 against D.C. United, with the regular season concluding the same place it began -- at Philadelphia Union on Oct. 26.
It remains to be seen just how important this final three-game stretch will be. But the possibility exists that Sporting KC could be fighting for a playoff spot, a conference title or qualification to the Champions League quarterfinals— perhaps a combination of the three.
Regardless of the outcome, the addition of the CONCACAF Champions League will make the homestretch of Sporting KC’s season that much more exciting.
