Sporting Kansas City vs. New England Revolution
Saturday, April 27, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. CT
Children's Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas
2019 MLS Regular Season | Match 8 of 34
Broadcast Schedule:
English TV | FOX Sports Kansas City Plus
English TV | FOX Sports Midwest Plus
English Radio | Sports Radio 810 WHB
English Radio | SiriusXM FC
Spanish Radio | ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM
Mobile | Sporting KC App, FOX Sports GO
Sporting KC App | By The Numbers | Five Things to Know | Videos
Match Notes | Media Guide | MatchCenter | FOX Sports GO Link
Unbeaten in nine straight regular season home matches, Sporting Kansas City (2-2-3, 9 points) returns to Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday to host the New England Revolution (2-6-1, 7 points) at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets for the match are available at SeatGeek.com, including a $31 T-shirt and ticket package as Sporting celebrates community ties and civic pride during Kansas City Night.
Saturday’s interconference battle will be televised live on FOX Sports Kansas City Plus and FOX Sports Midwest Plus, with three hours of coverage beginning at 7 p.m. CT. Listeners can catch the action on Sports Radio 810 WHB, SiriusXM FC and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM, while streamers within the FOX Sports Midwest footprint can watch live on FOX Sports GO. Elsewhere across the U.S., the match will stream on ESPN+.
The first 5,000 fans through the Children’s Mercy Park gates on Saturday will receive a free, reusable grocery tote bag courtesy of match sponsor Price Chopper. Supporters will also be treated to a variety of interactive Kansas City Night programming on the Toyota Plaza, including the following:
- #KC2026 activation on the Toyota Plaza, featuring fan photos with a replica World Cup trophy
- Recycle Your Game distribution bins at stadium entrances where fans can donate new or gently used soccer gear for underserved local youth
- Limited amounts of Sporting Cold Brew cans distributed by The Roasterie as fans exit the stadium after the match
- Kansas City Night videoboard graphics featuring iconic Kansas City imagery
Sporting haven’t lost a regular season home fixture since July 2018, and Manager Peter Vermes’ men will hope that streak continues Saturday with the club mired in a five-game winless skid across all competitions. Midfielder Felipe Gutierrez scored the team’s lone goal in a 4-1 road loss to the San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday, which dropped Sporting to eighth place in the Western Conference.
To complicate matters for Sporting, the club announced earlier this week that captain Matt Besler (hamstring), veteran Roger Espinoza (knee) and defender Rodney Wallace (hip) will all miss significant time through injury, joining long-term absentees Erik Hurtado (knee), Jaylin Lindsey (knee) and Jimmy Medranda (knee) on the sidelines. Defender Andreu Fontas and midfielder Gedion Zelalem were listed as questionable last week and could be set to return on Saturday.
While Sporting has a full week to recover from their setback in San Jose, the Revolution will be just 72 hours removed from a disappointing 3-0 home defeat to the Montreal Impact on Wednesday. New England conceded three times in the final 11 minutes plus stoppage time, falling victim to a Shamit Shome strike and an Anthony Jackson-Hamel brace.
Led by head coach and former U.S. international goalkeeper Brad Friedel, the Revs have fallen to 10th place in the East and rank last in MLS in goals per game (0.67), shots on target per game (2.3) and shooting accuracy (29.6%). Among the club’s few bright spots has been MLS debutant Carles Gil, a talented Spaniard who has scored (three) or assisted (two) on five of New England’s six goals this season.
Aside from a 3-2 triumph in August 2014, the Revs haven’t exactly enjoyed their visits to Children’s Mercy Park. In eight all-time trips to the venue, New England are 1-5-2 with all five losses coming by at least two goals. These tribulations mirror the Revs’ woeful road form over the last four seasons, with the side going 5-34-15 away from Gillette Stadium since the start of 2016.
Friedel’s side will be more encouraged by the fact that New England have won five of the last seven meetings overall, including a 1-0 home triumph last year that saw Teal Bunbury bag the decisive winner against his former club. Bunbury, a veteran forward who spent 2010-2013 in Kansas City, has four goals in six career appearances versus Sporting.
