On This Day presented by UMKC takes daily strolls down memory lane and celebrates memorable moments in Sporting Kansas City history. As one of Major League Soccer's proud charter members, Sporting has a decorated past full of thrilling victories, amazing goals, momentous off-the-field developments and more. This series pays tribute to these specific instances, turning back the clocks while treating fans to nostalgia and club history lessons. For more, visit SportingKC.com/OnThisDay.
In a hypothetical world uninterrupted by COVID-19, today would have been the day that Sporting Kansas City welcomed defending MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders FC to Children's Mercy Park for a marquee Western Conference clash.
Coincidentally, the contest would have taken place exactly five years after the head-to-head series shifted momentum into Sporting's favor.
Heading into a Memorial Day Weekend showdown on May 23, 2015 at CenturyLink Field in downtown Seattle, Manager Peter Vermes and Sporting had gone 0-7-1 in their previous eight meetings against the Sounders dating back to late 2009.
In a cagey, low-scoring battle that typified matchups between the clubs at the time, Sporting emerged with a hard-earned point in a scoreless draw. No one knew it at the time, but that result would swing the pendulum as Sporting gained an upper hand versus their Pacific Northwest counterparts.
From May 2015 to May 2017, Sporting went 4-0-2 against Seattle in the regular season and allowed just one goal over the course of 540 minutes. Goalkeeper Tim Melia appeared in five of the six fixtures, notably recording shutouts in all five games.
Sporting KC vs. Seattle (May 2015 to May 2017)
<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>H/A</strong> |
<strong>Result</strong> |
<strong>Scoring</strong> |
05/23/2015 |
Away |
T 0-0 |
None |
06/06/2015 |
Home |
W 1-0 |
SKC: Benny Feilhaber 84' |
09/27/2015 |
Home |
T 1-1 |
SEA: Obafemi Martins 32'<br>
SKC: Dom Dwyer 79' |
03/06/2016 |
Away |
W 1-0 |
SKC: Nuno Coelho 73' |
07/24/2016 |
Home |
W 3-0 |
SKC: Dom Dwyer 21'<br>
SKC: Jacob Peterson 45+3'<br>
SKC: Dom Dwyer 79' |
05/17/2017 |
Home |
W 3-0 |
SKC: Gerso 56', 58', 69' |
Sporting currently holds a 7-9-4 regular season record against the Sounders, with the clubs also squaring off twice in high-stakes, win-or-go-home encounters. The 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final saw Sporting prevail on penalty kicks at Children's Mercy Park, while the Sounders claimed a controversial 1-0 win in the 2016 Western Conference Knockout Round at CenturyLink Field.
From 2012-2019, Sporting and Seattle were the most successful American clubs in MLS with four major trophies apiece. Sporting won an MLS Cup and three Open Cups, while the Sounders won two MLS Cups, an Open Cup and a Supporters' Shield. Vermes' side won both meetings last year by a 3-2 scoreline, but the Sounders caught fire late in the season to secure their second MLS Cup.
