Sporting KC to Host Real Salt Lake on Sunday at Children's Mercy Park
November 24, 2021 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
Sporting Kansas City will host Real Salt Lake at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday at Children's Mercy Park in the Western Conference Semifinals of the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs.
No. 7 seed Real Salt Lake prevailed in penalties over No. 2 seed Seattle Sounders FC on Tuesday in the Round One finale and will now face No. 3 seed Sporting Kansas City on Sunday in a nationally-televised match-up live on ABC and ESPN Deportes.
Tickets for Sunday's match are available online at SeatGeek.com and all fans in attendance at Children's Mercy Park will receive a Sporting Kansas City playoff rally towel courtesy of Price Chopper.
Sporting Kansas City opened the postseason with a 3-1 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday with goals from Khiry Shelton, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin and Graham Zusi in front of a sellout crowd at Children's Mercy Park.
In the MLS Cup Playoffs for a 10th time in the past 11 seasons and making a third appearance in the Conference Semifinals in the last four years, Sporting KC will face Real Salt Lake in a rematch of the 2013 MLS Cup and 2018 Western Conference Semifinals. Sporting prevailed on each occasion, however fell to RSL in both regular season meetings in 2021: a 3-1 road loss at Rio Tinto Stadium on May 1 and a controversial 1-0 defeat at home on Nov. 7 on the final day of the MLS regular season.
Real Salt Lake, led by interim head coach Pablo Mastroeni, are seeking a second league championship after previously winning MLS Cup in 2009. Peter Vermes has helped Kansas City claim two MLS Cup championships in club history, first as a player in 2000 while earning MLS Defender of the Year honors and again as a manager in 2013 after Sporting prevailed in a thrilling penalty shootout at Children's Mercy Park.
Sunday's match-up will feature the top two attacking duos in Major League Soccer this season. Sporting KC captain Johnny Russell and MLS MVP finalist Daniel Salloi combined for 47 goals and assists in 2021, as did Real Salt Lake captain Albert Rusnak and MLS All-Star Damir Kreilach.
The winner between Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake will advance to the Western Conference Final to play either the No. 1 seed Colorado Rapids or No. 4 seed Portland Timbers, who meet at 3:30 p.m. CT on Thanksgiving Day at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Visit MLSsoccer.com for the official Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs bracket and schedule as well as all the latest news and videos from the postseason.
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