Preview: Sporting KC back in action Wednesday at New York City FC

With a two-week hiatus in the rearview mirror, Sporting Kansas City (10-5-10, 40 points) returns to the pitch Wednesday when they face New York City FC (14-7-5, 47 points) in a high-profile interconference matchup at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT, with three hours of live television coverage beginning at 6 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest Plus. Supporters can also stream the action live on FOX Sports GO, while radio calls will air locally on ESPN 99.3 FM (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish). Additional in-game updates will be available on the Sporting KC Uphoria mobile app.

All supporters are welcome to attend the official watch party for Wednesday's match at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District, featuring an all-you-can-eat buffet with bottomless domestic beers and $4 Bud Light drafts.

Both clubs hover near the top of their respective conferences entering the midweek clash, which will see Sporting Kansas City and New York City FC back in competitive action after extended breaks. Sporting KC last took the field on Aug. 19, dispatching FC Dallas 2-0 at Children's Mercy Park before Hurricane Harvey forced the postponement of an Aug. 26 date with the Houston Dynamo. NYCFC, meanwhile, battled rivals New York Red Bulls to a 1-1 stalemate on Aug. 25 ahead of September's international break.

A prolonged gap in Sporting KC's schedule allowed Seattle Sounders FC (42 points) and the Portland Timbers (41 points) to take the top two spots in the Western Conference table, but a win on Wednesday would see Manager Peter Vermes' men return to the summit. On the opposite sideline, head coach Patrick Vieira has guided the Sky Blues to 14 wins this season, second-most in MLS. New York City FC currently occupies second place in the East, nine points behind Supporters' Shield leaders Toronto FC albeit with a game in hand.

Wednesday's contest will unfold without a slew of players due to international duty and injuries. U.S. national team duo Matt Besler and Graham Zusi are set to miss out for the visitors, who must also account for the absences of New Zealand midfielder James Musa and Lebanon forward Soony Saad.

Vieira's squad is even more depleted, as midfielders Alexander Ring (Finland), Rodney Wallace (Costa Rica) and Yangel Herrera (Venezuela) all have national team commitments this week. That's not to mention star striker David Villa, who suffered an adductor strain over the weekend with the Spain national team. Villa, the reigning MLS MVP, has enjoyed another phenomenal campaign in 2017 with a league-best 19 goals plus nine assists. 

To complicate matters for NYCFC, the following players will be sidelined Wednesday through injury: Maxime Chanot (hernia), Ronald Matarrita (foot), Ethan White (gastrocnemius strain), Miguel Camargo (hip fracture) and Mikey Lopez (foot sprain).

A depleted squad aside, the Sky Blues approach Wednesday riding a nine-game home unbeaten run in MLS. NYCFC has rattled off seven wins and two draws at Yankee Stadium since falling to Orlando City SC on April 23. Conversely, Sporting Kansas City has managed just one win in its last nine MLS away games and scored just six goals in 12 road fixtures this season.

Sporting Kansas City has won both previous meetings between the clubs, including a 3-1 victory last July at Children's Mercy Park that produced goals from Benny Feilhaber, Jimmy Medranda and Ike Opara. The inaugural meeting at Yankee Stadium was decided by Opara's early header in a 1-0 result, giving NYCFC its first loss in franchise history on March 28, 2015.