Fresh off a gutsy 2-0 road win over the LA Galaxy, Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City are riding a wave of momentum into Sunday's home fixture against Seattle Sounders FC at Children's Mercy Park. The marquee matchup will air at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN with Adrian Heley and Taylor Twellman providing the call.
As Sporting KC preps for a showdown with the two-time defending Western Conference champions, two prominent individuals joined The Sporting KC Show on Tuesday night to preview the fixture. First up was Twellman, who spoke glowingly about Sporting KC's early-season form in a wide-ranging interview with hosts Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine. The ESPN color commentator was followed by Sporting KC defender/midfielder Brad Evans, who arrived in Kansas City this offseason after spending the previous nine seasons with Seattle.
Evans has yet to feature for Sporting KC but is nearing full fitness after a lingering back injury kept him sidelined for much of January and February. The versatile veteran, who most recently represented the U.S. Men's National Team in 2017, offered plenty of insight on a Sounders side that has peaked late in each of the last two seasons en route to consecutive conference titles.
While Twellman and Evans highlighted The Sporting KC Show, captain Matt Besler made his customary Wednesday morning appearance on The Border Patrol with hosts Steven St. John and Jake Gutierrez. The center back has anchored a backline that has rediscovered its stingy form with two straight clean sheets against LA and D.C. United, respectively. And while Sporting KC is currently clicking on all cylinders, Besler is wary of the threat Seattle faces as a club still seeking its first victory — and goal — of the 2018 campaign.
Listen to the entirety of both podcasts below.
Tuesday night: Taylor Twellman and Brad Evans on The Sporting KC Show
Wednesday morning: Matt Besler on The Border Patrol
Tickets for Sunday's game are available on SeatGeek.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL to purchase the Coca-Cola Sunday Family Four Pack (four tickets, four Coca-Cola products, four chips and four hot dogs).
Sunday will also be Faith and Family Day at Children's Mercy Park, featuring discounted South Stand tickets and pre-game speeches from Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley and former University of Kansas Big 12 Player of the Year and NBA champion Wayne Simien. 7eventh Time Down will perform a postgame concert on the Toyota Plaza and Sporting Kansas City's Seth Sinovic, Matt Besler and Ike Opara will also participate in a postgame Q&A with Simien.
