"This Week in Sporting," presented by The Smile Generation, is a biweekly series that highlights the biggest storylines and news updates from Sporting Kansas City. To visit the series archive, click here.
1. The Curtains Raise in Canada
Sporting Kansas City’s 25th season as a founding member of Major League Soccer will begin Saturday when the club visits Vancouver Whitecaps FC for a 9:30 p.m. CT kickoff at BC Place. FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest Plus and FOX Sports GO will provide three hours of live coverage on Saturday night—including 30-minute pre-match and post-match shows—starting at 9 p.m. CT, while listeners can catch the action on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish). The Final Whistle postgame show will also air live on 810 WHB as Sporting takes the field for its first of 34 MLS regular season contests.
2. Done in the Desert
Sporting Kansas City concluded the club's 2020 preseason campaign, presented by Children's Mercy, with a 2-1 loss against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at Kino North Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. Midfield newcomer Gadi Kinda punctuated his strong performance with a goal on the hour-mark, becoming the sixth Sporting player to find the back of the net during exhibition action this winter in Arizona.
3. First Kick Party
To celebrate the start of the 2020 season, fans of all ages are welcome to join Sporting Kansas City for the First Kick Party on Saturday at Corinth Square in Prairie Village, Kansas (8221 Corinth Mall). Serving as a festive lead-up to Sporting’s season opener later that evening, the First Kick Party will feature interactive and family-friendly activities, decadent food and beverage samples from First Watch and BRGR, specials at multiple Corinth Square shops, SportingStyle merchandise, FIFA 20 inside No Other Bus presented by Security Bank, and a free youth soccer clinic. Event programming will begin at 1 p.m. CT and more information is available here.
4. Tune In Tuesday
A new episode of the Sporting KC Show Podcast will debut at 7 p.m. CT Tuesday on Sports Radio 810 WHB as hosts Nate Bukaty, Jacob Peterson and Carter Augustine serve up a comprehensive preview of the 2020 MLS campaign. The Sporting KC Show Podcast is available on Spotify and iTunes, giving supporters a weekly destination to catch up on club storylines, player achievements, guest interviews and more.
5. The Final Countdown
For the first time in the 25-year history of Major League Soccer, the month of February will mark the start of regular season play. On Saturday, clubs across the United States and Canada will step between the white lines with hopes of collecting three points to begin 2020.
As the anticipated date approaches, SportingKC.com is rolling out a 28-day countdown to first kick, offering a comprehensive preview of the season ahead. From key storylines and positional breakdowns to new fan initiatives and perks at Children’s Mercy Park, our Countdown to Kickoff series highlights the many reasons to be pumped for Sporting’s 2020 campaign. To visit the series homepage, head to SportingKC.com/countdown.
6. Join the Club
Single-game tickets for Sporting Kansas City’s first 10 home matches of the 2020 MLS regular season are now on sale. Individual match tickets for contests at Children’s Mercy Park through June 28—beginning with the highly anticipated home opener against rivals Houston Dynamo on Saturday, March 7, and continuing through a summertime matchup versus the Portland Timbers—can be purchased at SportingKC.com/tickets.
7. Stroll for Sporting II
Sporting Kansas City II cruised to a 4-1 preseason win over Iowa Western Community College on Saturday afternoon at Swope Soccer Village. Christian Duke fired the hosts ahead midway through the first half, and although Iowa Western conjured an equalizer through Sporting KC Academy product Mario Magana, Sporting II closed strong with three unanswered goals from Ze Pedro, unsigned MLS SuperDraft selection Jaret Townsend and trialist Fredinho Mompremier.
Sporting KC II will conclude its preseason campaign this week, visiting USL League One champion North Texas SC at 2 p.m. CT Thursday and fellow USL Championship outfit FC Tulsa at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday. Led by head coach and former Sporting midfielder Paulo Nagamura, Sporting II will open the 2020 USL Championship season on March 8 against the Charlotte Independence at Children’s Mercy Park.
8. Calling All Gamers
In celebration of the club's highly anticipated MLS home opener on March 7, Sporting Kansas City has partnered with KCGameOn and Excelsior Springs Parks & Recreation to host a FIFA 20 Tournament at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, March 6 at the Excelsior Springs Community Center in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.
Fans of all ages are encouraged to showcase their FIFA 20 skills and compete for the chance to win two tickets to Sporting's home opener the following night at world-class Children's Mercy Park. The single-player, single-elimination competition will include a PlayStation division and an Xbox division. Fans are encouraged to bring their own controllers or consoles if they prefer and $20 registration is now open.
