Champions League Countdown | 5 Days: How Sporting and Toluca compare in international experience

The month of February has arrived, and with that comes a monumental showdown between Sporting Kansas City and Deportivo Toluca FC in the 2019 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Round of 16. Sporting KC will host the first leg at Children’s Mercy Park on Thursday before traveling to Mexico for the decisive second leg on Feb. 28. Tickets to the contest at Children’s Mercy Park are now on sale at SeatGeek.com as Sporting hosts its earliest competitive match in club history.
In the 20 days leading up to Feb. 21, SportingKC.com will rattle off a 20-day Champions League Countdown, hitting all the relevant storylines surrounding the two-legged fixture. From history and geography lessons to number crunching, player matchups and coaching backgrounds, this daily series will set the stage for a pivotal battle in which two successful sides aim to take their first steps toward Champions League glory.

In Monday’s edition of the Champions League Countdown, we illustrated the fact that Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes is working with a squad that boasts plenty of international experience.

Of the 26 players on the current roster, 15 have featured in at least one international club competition and 10 have earned at least one senior cap for their respective national team. In total, the club has combined for 118 club international appearances and 295 caps at the senior level.

Needless to say, such experience could prove decisive as Sporting attempts to knock off Toluca in the Concacaf Champions League. But how do these amounts compare to their Round of 16 opponent?

Crunch the numbers, and we can see that Toluca has the overall edge in total international experience. Toluca players have combined for 548 international club appearances and senior team caps, eclipsing Sporting’s sum of 413. (Bear in mind that these totals do not take youth international matches into account.)

Taking an even closer look, however, one could argue that Sporting—on the whole—are every bit as seasoned on the international stage.

Toluca has a sizable advantage in club international competitions, racking up 464 to Sporting’s 118. However, Vermes’ men drastically outscore los Diablos Rojos in senior caps at 295-84.

Simply put, Toluca’s squad has had more exposure to international club tournaments. Sporting, on the other hand, are far more accustomed to representing their countries.

Why is this important? Because both types of matches require significant travel, the fortitude to handle tough playing conditions in hostile environments, and the ability to secure the necessary result come hell or high water.

As for the double discrepancy between Sporting’s club international and senior cap totals compared to Toluca’s, we can make a few speculations.

• One, more international club competitions are on the Mexican football calendar. Liga MX sides have access to the Champions League and the Copa Libertadores in South America. Sporting KC, meanwhile, have had the Champions League as their only source of competitive international competition for the last decade.
  
• Two, Toluca boasts several players of South American nationality. Some of these players—Jonatan Maidana, Osvaldo Gonzalez and Emmanuel Gigliotti to name a few—have racked up tons of club international appearances in South America earlier in their careers.
  
• The fact that Toluca has so many South American players leads us to No. 3. Since most members of South American national teams (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, etc.) ply their trade in Europe, the South Americans who play club soccer in Mexico oftentimes have very few, if any, senior caps to their name. As a result, Sporting holds that significant edge total number of senior caps.

A full breakdown can be found below, including a head-to-head comparison and tables for both teams. 

International Experience: Head-to-Head

International Experience: Sporting KC Positional Breakdown

International Experience: Toluca Positional Breakdown