Schedule release day. It’s one of the most exciting offseason afternoons for MLS clubs, who can finally plot out their season ahead with 34 matches on the fresh docket.
For Sporting Kansas City, the regular season fun begins on March 3 with a trip to LAFC and ends Oct. 6 with a visit to FC Dallas. In between, the club will play 17 home games at world-class Children’s Mercy Park as Manager Peter Vermes’ side aim to secure a ninth straight playoff berth and more silverware for the trophy cabinet at Pinnacle.
TICKETS: Single-game tickets to Sporting KC’s first eight home matches at Children’s Mercy Park — beginning with their 2019 home opener against the Philadelphia Union on March 10 and ending with a marquee matchup versus the LA Galaxy on May 29 — will go on sale to the general public this Thursday, Jan. 10, at 10 a.m. CT via SeatGeek.com. In addition, Sporting KC Season Ticket Members will have access to an exclusive single-game pre-sale for all 17 MLS home games beginning this Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 10 a.m. CT.
Scanning up and down Sporting’s 2019 schedule, multiple storylines begin to emerge. Let’s take a look at what stands out.
From Mexico City to LA
It’s not exactly an easy start for Sporting, who will be required to travel from Mexico City to Los Angeles ahead of their MLS opener at LAFC. On Feb. 28, Vermes’ men will visit Deportivo Toluca FC in the decisive second leg of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Round of 16. They will then fly straight from Central Mexico to SoCal, with less than 72 hours separating the Champions League tilt from their MLS curtain raiser.
First Fight with Cincy
Sporting won’t have to wait long for their first-ever meeting with expansion side FC Cincinnati. The teams will meet April 7 at Nippert Stadium in a game that will air on ESPN. A quick history lesson: Sporting have handed six different MLS teams their first regular season loss in their current home stadium. Will Cincy become No. 7?
Early Run-ins with Eastern Conference Heavyweights
The New York Red Bulls and Atlanta United FC, widely considered to be the class of MLS in 2018, will visit Children’s Mercy Park on April 14 and May 5, respectively. Sporting will also visit Wayne Rooney and D.C. United in their inaugural trip to Audi Field on May 12. All three of these games will be televised nationally on FS1.
Zlatan Comes to Town
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the LA Galaxy come to Kansas City on May 29, rounding out a three-game homestand for Sporting that begins with matches against Vancouver on May 18 and Seattle on May 26. Zlatan is a big ticket, of course, but the other two fixtures during this stretch are plenty compelling. The Whitecaps are led by first-year head coach Marc Dos Santos, who guided the Swope Park Rangers to the USL Western Conference Championship in 2016. The Sounders are, well, the Sounders. Seattle and Sporting are almost always in the top half of the table, and their battles never lack for drama.
Road Tripping in June
Some would use the word “brutal” to describe Sporting’s month of June. The club plays each of its four fixtures away from home, two on each end of the Concacaf Gold Cup break. The daunting period begins with a test in Houston on June 1, followed by a trek to 2017 MLS Cup champion Toronto FC six days later. Sporting travel to Columbus on June 23 and round out the unforgiving stretch with a rivalry renewal at Real Salt Lake on June 29. To mitigate matters, Vermes’ side will be hoping for a home draw in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32, currently set for the middle of the month.
Home-heavy in August
As rough as June appears on paper, August is far more forgiving. From Aug. 10-31, Sporting will play four of five matches at home. This could prove vital as the playoff picture begins to take shape, and with fixtures against Real Salt Lake, San Jose, Minnesota and Houston in the friendly confines of Children’s Mercy Park, Sporting will have a chance to rack up the points. The Aug. 22 matchup versus Minnesota will air live on ESPN as part of Heineken Rivalry Week, the only time ESPN will visit Kansas City this season.
Tough at the Tail End
Four of Sporting’s final six games are away from home. This includes consecutive West Coast trips to Portland on Sept. 7 and LA Galaxy on Sept. 15, an inaugural visit to Minnesota United FC’s sparkling new Allianz Arena, and a Decision Day showdown with FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium.
Waiting for Revenge
Sporting fans who were ready to mark their calendars for a revenge game against Portland will have to wait a while. The Timbers, who edged Sporting in the 2018 Western Conference Championship, don’t pop up until game No. 29. As mentioned above, Sporting will visit the Timbers on Sept. 7 and host Portland in their home finale on Sept. 29.
