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 Feb. 21 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.
Excess travel miles.
In many ways, It’s a necessary evil in every international soccer competition. Whenever a club or country ventures abroad to face an opponent, the mission of winning becomes all the more difficult simply because of the toll such a long trip takes on players.
This rings especially true in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, where its 2019 participants are spread from Toronto to Toluca, New York to Guatemala and everywhere in between.
For Sporting Kansas City and Toluca, the task at hand is simple: outplay the other team over the course of two legs and advance to the quarterfinals. But the equation is complicated when you factor in the frequent flyer miles both clubs will rack up over the next few weeks.
In the space below, we break down the respective travel schedules of Sporting and Toluca. Manager Peter Vermes’ men will cover more distance than head coach Hernan Cristante’s side, but by how much exactly? Let’s dig in.
Sporting Kansas City
4,460 miles from Feb. 19 – March 1
Feb. 19: Phoenix to Kansas City (1,040 miles)
Their preseason slate of matches is finished, but Sporting will actually stay in Arizona for warm-weather training until Tuesday before heading home.
Feb. 23: Kansas City to Albuquerque (720 miles)
After hosting Toluca in the first leg on Feb. 21, Sporting will fly to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for four days of high-altitude training.
Feb. 27: Albuquerque to Toluca (1,170 miles)
The day before facing Toluca in the decisive second leg at Estadio Nemesio Diez, Sporting will make their trip south of the border.
March 1: Toluca to Los Angeles (1,530 miles)
The morning after battling Toluca, Sporting will charter northwest to Los Angeles for their March 3 MLS opener at Los Angeles Football Club.
Toluca
2,850 miles from Feb. 15 – Feb. 25
Feb. 16: Toluca to Leon (180 miles one way, 360 miles roundtrip)
Given the manageable distance between Toluca and Leon, it’s very likely that Toluca will return home after their Liga MX away fixture on Saturday.
Feb. 19: Toluca to Kansas City (1,410 miles)
Los Diablos Rojos will trek to Kansas City two days before the first-leg showdown at Children’s Mercy Park.
Feb. 22: Kansas City to Torreon (1,080 miles)
Assuming Toluca doesn’t return home afterward, the club will head from Kanas City to Torreon, Mexico, for their Liga MX road game at Santos Laguna. On Sunday, Feb. 24.
