Leagues Cup today announced kickoff times for all Group Stage matches. Sporting Kansas City will travel to play FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium at 6:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, July 23 in the opening match for Group 3 of the Central Region, before hosting Chivas Guadalajara at Children’s Mercy Park at 9 p.m. CT on Monday, July 31 in the Leagues Cup 2023 Group Stage finale live on FS1 and UniMas.
Tickets for the marquee match-up with Chivas Guadalajara are available at SeatGeek.com and are included in season ticket packages.
CENTRAL REGION GROUP 3 SCHEDULE
- 6:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, July 23: Sporting KC vs. FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium
- 7 p.m. CT on Thursday, July 27: Chivas Guadalajara vs. FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium
- 9 p.m. CT on Monday, July 31: Sporting KC vs. Chivas Guadalajara at Children’s Mercy Park
Sporting will take on 12-time LIGA MX champions Chivas Guadalajara for the first time in a competitive match when the 2018 Concacaf Champions League winners return to Kansas City on July 31. Sporting and Chivas Guadalajara previously played to a 2-2 draw at Children’s Mercy Park in October 2011 in an international friendly and a 1-1 draw during the 2009 MLS preseason in Mexico. Chivas Guadalajara also played in Kansas City in September 2009 against rivals Club America at Arrowhead Stadium.
The match-up will be nationally televised in the United States (FS1 and UniMas), Mexico (TBD) and Canada (TSN) and will be headlined by Sporting KC striker Alan Pulido, who joined the club in 2020 after starring for Chivas Guadalajara from 2016-2019. Chivas Guadalajara are currently in second place in LIGA MX with a 9-3-4 record after 16 matches in the spring Clausura season and the team’s roster is highlighted by wingers Roberto Alvarado and Alexis Vega, who both represented Mexico at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Sporting is unbeaten in the team’s only two previous match-ups with FC Cincinnati following road results in 2019 and 2020. Leagues Cup 2023 will see Sporting make the club’s first trip to the $250 million TQL Stadium to face an FC Cincinnati side in first place in the Eastern Confernence with a 6-1-2 record on the heels of their best season since joining MLS in 2019. FC Cincinnati, competing in the team’s first Concacaf competition, is led by two of the top attacking players in MLS as Brandon Vazquez recorded 18 goals last season while Luciano Acosta led MLS with 19 assists.
Fans in over 100 countries and regions will be able to watch all 77 Leagues Cup matches on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, the subscription service from Apple and Major League Soccer that is available on smart TVs, streaming devices, Apple devices, set-top boxes, game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com. In addition, TelevisaUnivision, FOX Sports, TSN and RDS will be the linear broadcast home for 15 group stage matches in the United States and Canada.
Beginning this year, Major League Soccer and LIGA MX will pause their respective league seasons in the summer and compete in Leagues Cup, an official Concacaf competition to be played across the U.S. and Canada. The inaugural edition will see all 47 clubs (18 from LIGA MX, 29 from MLS) compete in a World Cup-style tournament from July 21 - August 19. The champion and the second and third-place finishers will qualify for the Concacaf Champions League and have an opportunity to earn a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup.
The complete Leagues Cup 2023 schedule can be found online at LeaguesCup.com and details on the Leagues Cup format can be viewed here.
LEAGUES CUP 2023 SCHEDULE
- Group Stage: July 21-31
- Round of 32: August 2-4
- Round of 16: August 6-8
- Quarterfinals: August 11-12
- Semifinals: August 15
- Final & Third Place: August 19
The top two teams in each group will advance to the single-elimination Knockout Rounds. Advancing MLS clubs will host Knockout Round matches against LIGA MX teams, and MLS venues will host all Leagues Cup Knockout Round matches. Round of 32 matches between two MLS clubs will be hosted by the group winner. Starting with the Round of 16, matches between two MLS clubs will be hosted by the club with the better 2022 regular season performance. Knockout Round matches between two LIGA MX clubs will be hosted at a venue designated by the Organizing Committee.
