Supporters will have the opportunity to see Sporting Kansas City clinch a club-record eighth straight playoff berth Sunday when Manager Peter Vermes' men face Real Salt Lake in a nationally televised battle on FS1. Kickoff at Children's Mercy Park is set for 4 p.m. CT and tickets are on sale at SeatGeek.com.
Sporting KC slipped to second place in the Western Conference following a 2-0 road loss to the Philadelphia Union and FC Dallas' 2-1 victory at Vancouver on Sunday. With five regular season matches still to play, Sporting KC find themselves in the thick of a tight race for top spot in the West. FC Dallas has a two-point lead at the summit, while third-place LAFC lurk a point behind Sporting KC.
With that in mind, here's how Sporting KC can punch its playoff ticket this weekend.
Sporting KC's magic number is 3
Win and in.
The message is simple for Sporting KC going into Sunday's clash with RSL, as three points against their Utah rivals would cement a spot in the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs. As PlayoffStatus.com points out, that berth could also be secured with a draw versus RSL, but only if Sporting KC get help from elsewhere.
Sporting KC can clinch a playoff berth this weekend if...
- Sporting KC beats Real Salt Lake on Sunday (4pm), OR
- Sporting KC ties Real Salt Lake, AND
LA Galaxy ties Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday (9pm), AND
FC Dallas beats or ties the Portland Timbers on Saturday (9:30pm)
Sporting KC face a challenging run-in over their last five games, all of which coming against teams vying for playoff position. Home tilts with fifth-place Real Salt Lake and seventh-place LA Galaxy (Oct. 6) are on the immediate horizon, followed by a two-game road trip against eighth-place Vancouver (Oct. 17) and leaders FC Dallas (Oct. 21). Sporting KC will close out the season on Oct. 28 with a mouthwatering Decision Day duel versus LAFC. Visit SeatGeek.com to purchase tickets for the club's final three home fixtures.
Western Conference Standings
<strong>#</strong> |
<strong>Club</strong> |
<strong>PTS</strong> |
<strong>GP</strong> |
<strong>W</strong> |
<strong>L</strong> |
<strong>T</strong> |
<strong>GF</strong> |
<strong>GA</strong> |
<strong>GD</strong> |
1 |
<a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/meta/club/fc-dallas">FC Dallas</a> |
53 |
29 |
15 |
6 |
8 |
49 |
38 |
11 |
2 |
<a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/meta/club/sporting-kc">Sporting Kansas City</a> |
51 |
29 |
15 |
8 |
6 |
54 |
36 |
18 |
3 |
<a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/meta/club/lafc">Los Angeles Football Club</a> |
50 |
29 |
14 |
7 |
8 |
57 |
43 |
14 |
4 |
<a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/meta/club/portland">Portland Timbers</a> |
47 |
30 |
13 |
9 |
8 |
46 |
45 |
1 |
5 |
<a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/meta/club/real-salt-lake">Real Salt Lake</a> |
45 |
30 |
13 |
11 |
6 |
49 |
49 |
0 |
6 |
<a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/meta/club/seattle">Seattle Sounders FC</a> |
44 |
29 |
13 |
11 |
5 |
37 |
32 |
5 |
7 |
<a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/meta/club/la-galaxy">LA Galaxy</a> |
41 |
30 |
11 |
11 |
8 |
57 |
59 |
-2 |
8 |
<a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/meta/club/vancouver">Vancouver Whitecaps FC</a> |
40 |
29 |
11 |
11 |
7 |
47 |
56 |
-9 |
9 |
<a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/meta/club/minnesota">Minnesota United FC</a> |
33 |
29 |
10 |
16 |
3 |
43 |
57 |
-14 |
10 |
<a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/meta/club/houston">Houston Dynamo</a> |
32 |
29 |
8 |
13 |
8 |
47 |
43 |
4 |
11 |
e - <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/meta/club/colorado">Colorado Rapids</a> |
24 |
29 |
6 |
17 |
6 |
32 |
55 |
-23 |
12 |
e - <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/meta/club/san-jose">San Jose Earthquakes</a> |
20 |
30 |
4 |
18 |
8 |
45 |
63 |
-18 |
