Major League Soccer has announced kickoff times and broadcast information for the Western Conference Championship of the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs, contested between top-seeded Sporting Kansas City and No. 5 seed Portland Timbers.
Sporting KC will visit Portland in the first leg of the aggregate-goal series on Sunday, Nov. 25, at Providence Park. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT on FS1 and FOX Deportes.
Manager Peter Vermes' side will then host the decisive second leg on Thursday, Nov. 29, at 8:30 p.m. CT. ESPN and ESPN Deportes will televise the game live from Children's Mercy Park.
Tickets for the second leg of the Western Conference Championship are now on sale to the general public at SeatGeek.com. Season Ticket Members who opted in for their playoff tickets will be messaged directly and can contact their Client Services Executive for questions and more information.
Western Conference Championship Schedule
<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>Matchup</strong> |
<strong>Kickoff (CT)</strong> |
<strong>TV</strong> |
Sunday, Nov. 25 |
Sporting KC at Portland Timbers |
6:30pm |
FS1 & FOX Deportes |
Thursday, Nov. 29 |
Portland Timbers at Sporting KC |
8:30pm |
ESPN & ESPN Deportes |
Just like the conference semifinals, the conference finals of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs are conducted in a home-and-away, aggregate-goal format. If Sporting KC and Portland are tied after the two-game series, the team that scored more goals on the road will advance to the MLS Cup. If the clubs remain tied after the away goals tiebreaker has been applied, they will play 30 minutes of extra time—divided into two 15-minute periods—followed by a penalty kick shootout if necessary.
The winner between Sporting KC and Portland will travel to face the Eastern Conference champion in the 2018 MLS Cup, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. CT on FOX. The Eastern Conference Championship pits Supporters' Shield winner New York Red Bulls against No. 2 seed Atlanta United FC. That series will also take place on Nov. 25 and 29, with Atlanta hosting the first leg and New York hosting the second leg.
Sporting KC ousted Real Salt Lake in a 4-2 thriller on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park to claim a 5-3 aggregate victory in the Western Conference Semifinals. Diego Rubio opened the scoring, Ilie Sanchez converted a penalty kick and Daniel Salloi bagged a brace as Sporting KC overcame second-half strikes from RSL’s Sebastian Saucedo and Damir Kreilach to win an instant classic between fierce rivals.
