Sporting Kansas City kicks off the club’s Leagues Cup 2024 campaign this weekend when the club welcomes Chicago Fire FC to Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday night. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. CT and will be available to stream on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV. The match will be available on the radio locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish). Tickets are available via SeatGeek.com.
1. LEAGUES CUP 2024 COMMENCES
Finally with a full week to prepare for the club’s next match, Sporting Kansas City is set to begin the team’s journey in Leagues Cup 2024 this weekend with a home match against Chicago Fire FC at Children’s Mercy Park in West Region Group 4 action on Sunday night.
Date | Opponent | Venue | Television |
July 28 at 8 p.m. CT | Chicago Fire FC | Children's Mercy Park | MLS Season Pass |
Aug. 5 at 8 p.m. CT | Toluca FC | Children's Mercy Park | Free on MLS Season Pass, FS1 & UniMas |
Last weekend’s 1-1 draw against St. Louis saw Sporting close out a grueling stretch of games that saw the team play midweek and weekend matches for three consecutive weeks.
In last season’s edition of the tournament, Sporting advanced out of their group following a 3-3 draw with FC Cincinnati and a 1-0 victory over Chivas Guadalajara before falling to Toluca FC in the Round of 32.
2. HOSTING CHICAGO
Sporting Kansas City is set to open the club’s slate in Leagues Cup 2024 this weekend with a home matchup against Chicago Fire FC at Children’s Mercy Park in West Region Group 4 play on Sunday night. Sporting will face Chicago and Toluca with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stages of the tournament.
Sporting last faced off against Chicago over a year ago at Children’s Mercy Park, with the visitors snatching a 1-0 victory. Following a goalless opening period, Fabian Herbers struck early in the second half to give the Fire all three points.
Sporting and Chicago have not met often since Sporting switched from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference at the start of the 2015 campaign, meeting just 10 times in the last 10 years in the regular season after playing each other 49 times in the previous 17 seasons - approximately three times a year.
While Sporting has lost their last two with Chicago - the home match last season and a 3-1 defeat at Soldier Field in early 2022 - Peter Vermes’ side has enjoyed the better of the series over the last 10 years, going 6-3-1 in the 10 meetings since Sporting moved to the West.
Sunday’s game marks the first time Sporting and Chicago will meet in an international competition. The only other MLS teams Sporting has faced in international tournaments are New England (2009 SuperLiga) Vancouver (2016-17 Concacaf Champions Cup) and FC Cincinnati (2023 Leagues Cup).
3. AGADA STRIKES AGAIN
Sporting Kansas City forward Willy Agada continued his recent hot streak, scoring the club’s equalizing goal in the 1-1 draw with cross-state rivals St. Louis last Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park
Agada has been in torrid form lately, scoring five goals in his last four starts for the club across all competitions. The 24-year-old leads the team with nine goals in the regular season and 10 goals across all competitions and was named to the bench of the MLS Team of the Matchday following his performance against St. Louis.
Agada’s nine goals in the regular season tops his previous season-high of eight - tallied in just half a season during the second half of the 2022 campaign after joining Sporting midseason. By scoring his 20th regular-season goal in Sporting Blue on Saturday, Agada is eligible to enter the club’s all-time goals-per-game charts where he ranks second with 0.39 - only trailing former Sporting forward Dom Dwyer’s 0.45.
The Nigerian frontman has flourished at home, scoring 19 goals while starting just 19 matches at Children’s Mercy Park across all competitions, while all 17 of his home goals in the regular season have come in his 17 home starts.
4. PULIDO TALLIES ASSIST ON AGADA GOAL
Sporting Kansas City forward Alan Pulido provided a spark off the bench last weekend, entering the match in the 64th minute to set up Willy Agada’s equalizer in the 1-1 draw with St. Louis at Children’s Mercy Park.
Pulido now has four goals and four assists in all competitions this season, and his four assists now place him in a tie for second on the team, only trailing Memo Rodriguez’s six.
Pulido has enjoyed facing St. Louis over the last two seasons, and he now has seven goal contributions (3 goals and 4 assists) in seven MLS appearances against St. Louis.
5. DAVIS & PULSKAMP IN FRANCE FOR OLYMPICS
Sporting Kansas City defender Jake Davis and goalkeeper John Pulskamp have been selected as alternate players on the U.S. Men’s Olympic Soccer Team roster for the 2024 Olympics in France.
Davis and Pulskamp are two of four alternate players who may replace any member of the U.S. squad in case of injury during the competition. Alternate players can be added to the 18-man roster up until eight hours before the start of each match, including all rounds of the knockout stage.
Competing at the Olympics for the first time since 2008, the U.S. opened its tournament campaign on July 24 with a 3-0 loss to hosts France in Marseille. The Americans will then face New Zealand on July 27 in Marseille before meeting Guinea in their Group A finale on July 30 in Saint-Etienne. The top two teams in all four groups will advance to the knockout stages, which will run from Aug. 2-9.
