Sporting KC releases 2016 MLS schedule

Sporting Kansas City released the club’s full 34-game regular season schedule on Thursday for the 2016 Major League Soccer season.

Single-game tickets for Sporting KC’s first nine home matches at Children’s Mercy Park will go on sale to the general public on Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. CT, while current Season Ticket Members will have access to an exclusive pre-sale beginning Jan. 28. Individuals who place deposits for season tickets or group tickets for the 2016 season will receive priority consideration for obtaining single-game tickets to Sporting KC home matches. For more ticket information, call 888-4KC-GOAL.

A charter member of Major League Soccer, Sporting KC will kick off its 21st season on Sunday, March 6, at CenturyLink Field against Seattle Sounders FC at 6 p.m. CT on FS1. The nationally televised matchup between perennial playoff teams highlights an unprecedented day of season-opening action in which all 20 clubs will begin their respective MLS campaigns.

The 2016 opener in Seattle is one of 15 nationally televised matches on Sporting KC’s regular season slate. The ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision networks — entering the second year of an eight-year partnership with MLS — will collectively broadcast 11 of those games live from Children’s Mercy Park, home to a 70-match MLS sellout streak dating back to April 2012.

ESPN and FOX Sports will again simulcast MLS matches on their Spanish-language networks (ESPN Deportes and FOX Deportes) and their authenticated digital platforms (WatchESPN and FOX Sports GO). UniMas broadcasts will be available in English and Spanish both on television and live streamed on the Univision Deportes app.

Every Sporting KC game during the 2016 regular season will be televised live. KMCI-TV, a member of the SKCTV Network, will serve as the club’s local broadcast partner for the third straight year and show all games not nationally televised on ESPN or FOX Sports. Owned by Scripps Media, Inc., KMCI plans to broadcast a half-hour of pre-game and post-game coverage as part of each telecast.

A member of the Western Conference since last season, Sporting KC will play each of the 10 Eastern Conference sides once over the course of the 2016 campaign. The remaining 24 regular season contests will be played within the West, as follows:

Two games versus: Houston Dynamo, Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders FC
Three games versus: Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Sporting KC’s first home match at Children’s Mercy Park is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on March 12 against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Another Canadian opponent beckons a week later when reigning MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco and Toronto FC visit Kansas City on March 20 for a marquee matchup on FS1. Sporting KC is off the following weekend for the late-March FIFA date before hosting rivals Real Salt Lake on April 2. Other off-weekends for Sporting KC during the 2016 season include a pair of FIFA international windows on Sept. 3-4 and Oct. 8-9. In addition, MLS will observe a break between June-3-15 as the 2016 Centennial Copa America runs across the United States from June 3-26.

The first half of Sporting KC’s 2016 schedule features two games each against Vancouver, FC Dallas and the LA Galaxy—all of which qualified for last year’s playoffs and finished ahead of Sporting KC in the 2015 Western Conference standings. Sporting KC will travel to face reigning Supporters’ Shield champion New York Red Bulls on April 9, while Orlando City FC will make its inaugural trip to Children’s Mercy Park on May 15. A stretch from April 9 – May 1 will see the club play six league matches in 23 days, including four on the road.

2016 Home Opponents: Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew SC, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy (2), New York City FC, Orlando City SC, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake (2), San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2)

2016 Road Opponents: Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids (2), FC Dallas (2), Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy, Montreal Impact, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake (2), San Jose Earthquakes (2), Seattle Sounders FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Sporting KC will host four national TV games during the month of July. MLS Cup finalist Columbus Crew SC travels to Children’s Mercy Park on July 3 (FS1), New York City FC plays its inaugural match in Kansas City on July 10 (FS1), and Seattle visits on July 24 (ESPN). The defending MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers come to Children’s Mercy Park on July 31 in one of four MLS matches to be televised on FOX throughout the year.

On Aug. 7, Sporting KC will play the second of back-to-back games against Portland at Providence Park, site of the thrilling 2015 Western Conference Knockout Round match contested between the clubs last October. Three weeks later, Sporting KC faces the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park in a rematch of the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final.

In a new scheduling enhancement, Week 33 will see every MLS team in action on Oct. 16, with five Eastern Conference games set for 4 p.m. CT and five Western Conference clashes set for 6 p.m. CT, including Sporting KC at Real Salt Lake. The 2016 MLS regular season concludes with Decision Day on Oct. 23 as Sporting KC hosts the San Jose Earthquakes in one of 10 matches that will kick off simultaneously at 3 p.m. CT.

Outside of the MLS regular season, Sporting KC will also compete in the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup — defending the 2015 title it won against Philadelphia — and enter the group stage of the 2016-17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League. Opponents and match dates for both competitions will be determined at a later date. 2016 marks the third time in four years that Sporting KC has featured in the CONCACAF Champions League, which involves the top clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament winner will qualify as CONCACAF’s representative at the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup.

Sporting KC will spend both phases of the 2016 preseason presented by Children’s Mercy in Tucson, Arizona, first reporting from Jan. 23 – Feb. 8 and then returning for the Desert Diamond Cup from Feb. 14-27.

Sporting KC 2016 Regular Season Schedule