MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting and Seattle Set for Huge Sunday Showdown

Published on September 24, 2021 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


A monumental Western Conference showdown beckons Sunday as first-place Sporting Kansas City (13-5-7, 46 points) welcomes second-place Seattle Sounders FC (13-5-6, 45 points) at 6 p.m. CT. Tickets for the biggest MLS regular season match at Children's Mercy Park in recent memory are available at SeatGeek.com, pitting a pair of perennial title contenders in Major League Soccer's marquee fixture of the weekend.

Sunday's contest, presented by Sun Solar, will be shown live nationally on FS1 and FOX Deportes while streaming on the FOX Sports app and FOXSports.com. Listeners can follow the action locally on ESPN 94.5 FM (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish) and nationally on SiriusXM FC, with the Sporting KC app providing additional in-game updates and exclusive offers.

The high-stakes encounter will coincide with Sporting's annual Kick Childhood Cancer Night, featuring an Honoree Homecoming with a VIP experience for previous Victory Project Honorees and their families. In a fundraising effort tied to the game, up to $5,000 will be donated to Children's Mercy Hospital through $250 donations for each Sporting Kansas City shot attempt. On the stadium concourse, ticket holders will have an opportunity to shop from a variety of Kick Childhood Cancer merchandise at SportingStyle locations, including a limited-edition training top and scarf. To further support Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Sporting is raising funds for The Victory Project throughout September via the weekly Argyle Ace raffle and an online auction that launched last week.

The top of the Western Conference table underscores the magnitude of Sunday's colossal clash. Sporting sits a point ahead of Seattle at the summit, having played one game more than their Pacific Northwest counterparts. A win for either side this weekend could go a long way in deciding which team claims the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs later this fall.

Beyond the context of the 2021 campaign, Sporting and Seattle have earned the right to call themselves two of the best MLS clubs over the last 10 seasons. Each team boasts four major cup titles since 2011 and the sides have combined for 19 of a possible 20 playoff appearances during that time. Under the guidance of 13th-year manager Peter Vermes, Sporting hoisted the 2013 MLS Cup as well as Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles in 2012, 2015 and 2017. Seattle, led by sixth-year head coach Brian Schmetzer, has lifted two of each -- Open Cups in 2011 and 2014 and MLS Cups in 2016 and 2019.

Winners of two straight matches, Sporting are seeking their third finish atop the West in the last four seasons. Captain Johnny Russell has caught fire in recent weeks, scoring in each of his last three home appearances at Children's Mercy Park to become just the second MLS player since the start of 2018 to record 30 goals and 30 assists in the regular season. Russell was one of four goal scorers in a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Minnesota United FC on Sept. 15, with MLS All-Star winger Daniel Salloi, forward Khiry Shelton and 20-year-old Sporting KC Academy product Cam Duke also finding the back of the net. Salloi has enjoyed a sensational 2021 campaign with 13 goals and six assists, ranking third in the MLS Golden Boot race and tied for fourth with 19 total goal contributions.

The Sounders have played twice since Sporting last took the field over a week ago, falling 1-0 at Real Salt Lake on Saturday before suffering a 3-2 loss to LIGA MX heavyweights Club Leon in the Leagues Cup Final on Wednesday in Las Vegas. Cristian Roldan and Nicolas Benezet scored Seattle goals that bookended three unanswered strikes from Leon, who eliminated Sporting from the competition at the quarterfinal stage on Aug. 10.

Despite sustaining back-to-back defeats, Seattle appears firmly in the mix to contend for a fifth Western Conference title and MLS Cup appearance since 2016. Prolific forward Raul Ruidiaz is second in MLS with 14 goals and was one of six Seattle players to receive MLS All-Star recognition this summer alongside brothers Cristian and Alex Roldan, midfield playmaker Joao Paulo and defenders Yeimar Gomez Andrade and Nouhou Tolo. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei notably returned to action on Sept. 11 after a long stint out through injury, further bolstering a defense that wields a league-low 0.83 goals against average. The Sounders have been particularly successful away from home, as their 7-2-2 road record is the best in MLS.

Like Seattle, Sporting features a stout backline and a heralded veteran goalkeeper. Tim Melia has tabbed consecutive clean sheets and places second in MLS with a 0.95 goals against average, tying a league record by winning 10 games for the seventh successive regular season. The 35-year-old is shielded by a strong stable of defenders who have performed consistently well throughout the year. Center back Andreu Fontas leads the league in goals added, an advanced analytic measuring a player's on-ball contribution to both attack and defense, while fellow Spaniard Ilie Sanchez has shown positional versatility by dropping from his patented defensive midfield role into central defense. Left back Luis Martins, meanwhile, is the only Sporting player who has appeared in all 25 regular season matches this year.

Sporting won the most recent meeting between the clubs in convincing fashion, posting a 3-1 road win over Seattle on July 25 with a stunning free kick from Russell, an excellent strike from Salloi on the counterattack and a first career MLS goal from Duke. The eye-catching result typified a recent trend in the series: Vermes' men have gone 7-2-3 in the last 12 regular season games against Seattle since 2015, including a 4-0-2 record in the last six matches at Children's Mercy Park. Sporting have won three straight meetings overall, including a pair of 3-2 victories during the 2019 regular season. The last five games between the clubs have produced 22 goals, a lofty clip of 4.4 goals per match.

Sporting Kansas City is owned by Sporting Club, an entity comprised of local business and community leaders including the Patterson Family, Cliff Illig, Pat Curran, Greg Maday, Robb Heineman and Patrick Mahomes. Sporting prides itself on a commitment and vision to provide high-performance experiences. Sporting Club purchased the team from the Hunt Sports Group in 2006, and under its direction has launched Swope Soccer Village, Children's Mercy Park, Compass Minerals Sporting Fields, Compass Minerals National Performance Center and Central Bank Sporting Complex while investing in the Sporting KC Academy and Sporting Kansas City II for developing local youth into homegrown talent. A charter member of Major League Soccer, Sporting are two-time MLS Cup champions (2000, 2013) and four-time winners of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017).-- SportingKC.com --

Sporting Kansas City vs. Seattle Sounders FC

2021 MLS Regular Season | Match 26

Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021 | 6 p.m. CT

Children's Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas

Broadcast Schedule:

English TV | FS1

Spanish TV | FOX Deportes

Streaming | FOX Sports app, FOXSports.com

English Radio | ESPN 94.5 FM, SiriusXM FC

Spanish Radio | La Grande 1340 AM

Check out the Sporting Kansas City Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from September 24, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central