Sporting Kansas City (2-6-1, 7 points) will welcome FC Dallas (4-1-3, 15 points) in an MLS regular season showdown at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday, April 30.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and will air on 38 The Spot with the Sporting KC Pregame Show beginning 30-minutes before kickoff. Fans can also stream the match at SportingKC.com and via Sporting One in the Sporting KC Mobile App.
Saturday marks the seventh match between these two MLS originals since the start of 2020 and the first of three guaranteed meetings in all competitions this season.
Here are five storylines to be aware of as Sporting KC hosts FC Dallas at World-Class Children’s Mercy Park.
A rather even series
After a match with MLS charter club Columbus Crew, another MLS original comes to Kansas City this Saturday in FC Dallas. The visitors hold a slight, one-match advantage in the series against Sporting, but Sporting boasts a 15-12-8 record against Dallas at home. While Sporting has won the last two meetings, both came away from Children’s Mercy Park as they have not defeated Dallas at Children's Mercy Park. The 69th rendition of Sporting vs Dallas is set for Saturday, with Children’s Mercy Park as the backdrop.
Homefield Advantage
So far this season, Sporting KC has played four home matches, earning results in three. Sporting’s first two home matches were both 1-0 victories over Western Conference rivals, Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake. Last week, Sporting kept a clean sheet in a hard-fought draw against the Columbus Crew, while battling the elements.
Children’s Mercy Park has proven a difficult environment for visiting teams in the past and 2022 has been no different thus far. Sporting is tied for the league lead with three clean sheets at home. Tim Melia and the Sporting KC backline have battled in every home match this season, with newcomer Kortne Ford earning a spot on the Week Eight MLS Team of the Week for his defensive performance in Sporting’s last home contest.
Dallas’ rough road record
While Sporting has found early success in front of the home fans, FC Dallas has struggled away from their home turf. Although the Dallas squad is off to one of their best starts in recent years, collecting 15 points through the first eight matches, they have yet to claim a road victory. In three tries they have posted a 0-1-2 record, suffering a 1-0 defeat to the New England Revolution, and securing two goalless draws. Dallas has scored 12 goals this season, all at their home field, Toyota Stadium. They are the only team in MLS without a road goal in the 2022 regular season.
Dynamic attackers
Dallas enters the match with 12 goals and eight different scorers. The only player with multiple goals for Dallas this season, Jesus Ferreira, is one off the league lead with five goals. The U.S. Men’s National Team player is off to one of his hottest starts, already just three goals shy of his career-high for goals in a season. The other seven goal scorers for Dallas have one goal apiece this season.
On the Sporting KC side, MLS Team of the Week member, Kortne Ford will look to stymie the FC Dallas target man. Helping with that task is midfielder and endurance machine, Remi Walter. The distance covered leader of MLS, Walter has been motoring for Sporting all season and has scored twice this season. Up top Sporting is led by captain Johnny Russell who has five goals and one assist in nine regular season matches against Dallas. Alongside Russell is forward Daniel Salloi who has three goals in his last two matches against Dallas. In his last appearance, Salloi bagged a brace in a 3-1 road win in Frisco, Texas.
See you soon
Following the conclusion of Saturday’s match, Sporting and Dallas will spend 10 days apart before taking the field on opposite sides of each other again. Sporting drew FC Dallas last Friday in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 draw. Again, Children’s Mercy Park will be the setting for a match between Sporting and Dallas, but this one is highly consequential.
Sporting KC, the winners of four Open Cup titles will begin their cup run at home against Dallas on Tuesday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are now available at SeatGeek.com and are included in all Sporting KC Season Ticket Member packages. The win-or-go-home match will be available to stream with an ESPN+ subscription as Sporting looks to become the most decorated Open Cup team in MLS history.
Before the Open Cup march begins, Sporting takes on FC Dallas in MLS regular season play on Saturday with tickets for that match available on SeatGeek.com as well. Sporting will look to keep up their defensive form at home and keep Dallas’ road goalless streak going.
