Sporting Kansas City will host the club’s highly anticipated Retro Night on Sunday when defending MLS Cup champion Atlanta United FC visits Children’s Mercy Park for a marquee MLS matchup at 8 p.m. CT. Tickets for the contest are on sale at SeatGeek.com, and the first 10,000 fans through the stadium gates will receive a retro-themed team poster courtesy of match sponsor Kansas City Zoo.
Continuing a long-standing Retro Night tradition, fans will have the opportunity to purchase the club’s new retro jersey at SportingStyle locations inside the stadium on Sunday while supplies last. Ticket holders can also pre-order their retro kit at SportingStyle.com, while all supporters purchase it online at MLSstore.com beginning Wednesday. Sporting players will wear the new jersey during pregame warmups, paying tribute to the Kansas City Wiz’s vintage rainbow look during the inaugural 1996 MLS season.
Sporting revealed the new retro kit last week with photographs of MLS All-Star defender Graham Zusi, taken at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Zusi dons the jersey in front of the iconic Shuttlecocks — created in 1994 by the husband and wife team of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen — on the Nelson-Atkins south front lawn.
The retro jersey unveil is the newest venture of a creative partnership between two quintessential Kansas City institutions, which began Feb. 4 when Sporting hosted its 2019 Season Kickoff Party inside the stunning Bloch Lobby and Kirkwood Hall of the Nelson-Atkins with hundreds of fans in attendance.
The 2019 retro kit is Sporting’s second special-edition jersey to be unveiled through photography at the Nelson-Atkins, following the release of the adidas Parley jersey earlier this month. Sporting will continue to forge an innovative partnership with the Nelson-Atkins throughout the year, strengthening ties to a vibrant and growing arts community while supporting a variety of upcoming initiatives at the world-class Kansas City landmark.
Like in years past, the festive Retro Night celebration will see Sporting turn back the clock with a comprehensive throwback experience at Children’s Mercy Park. Party band Lost Wax will perform 1990s cover songs on the Sporting Plaza before kickoff, while DJ G-Train will roll a 90s pregame music playlist on the stadium sound system. Children’s Mercy Park will amplify the retro theme with videoboard graphics showcasing the old-school Kansas City Wiz rainbow.
Sunday's match will be televised nationally on FS1 and FOX Deportes, while Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM will carry local radio broadcasts. Viewers can also stream the game live on FOX Sports GO, and The Final Whistle postgame show will air immediately afterward on 810 WHB.
Atlanta United FC, Sporting’s opponent on Retro Night, claimed the 2018 MLS Cup in their second year of existence and boasts a star-studded roster with the likes of reigning MLS MVP Josef Martinez, Pity Martinez, Ezequiel Barco and Darlington Nagbe. Sporting earned a 2-0 road win over Atlanta last season, receiving second-half goals from Daniel Salloi and Gerso Fernandes.
Led by Manager Peter Vermes and propelled by one of the greatest home atmospheres in North American soccer, Sporting are 29-3-15 in regular season matches played at Children’s Mercy Park since June 2016. The team has won four major championships since 2012 and advanced to the MLS Cup Playoffs for eight straight years, the third-longest active streak in MLS.
