Sporting Kansas City vs. Austin FC
2024 MLS Regular Season | Match 21
Saturday, June 29 | 7:30 p.m. CT (7:40 kickoff)
Children's Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas
Broadcast Schedule:
Apple TV | MLS Season Pass
English Radio | Sports Radio 810 WHB
Spanish Radio | La Grande 1340 AM
Tickets | I-70 Advisory | 5 Things | By the Numbers | Tune In on Apple TV | Pub Partners | SKC App | MatchCenter
Sporting Kansas City will host Austin FC in a Western Conference match-up at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at Children's Mercy Park and fans can look forward to several matchday festivities in and around the stadium.
The club will celebrate the 16-year career of former midfielder Roger Espinoza, who announced his retirement from professional soccer this week. The MLS All-Star made 399 appearances across all competitions in 14 seasons with Sporting Kansas City -- winning three Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championships -- and represented Honduras at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2012 Olympic Games and 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Prior to kickoff, Espinoza will interact with fans at the KC Cauldron tailgate in the White Lot at Kansas Speedway as well as inside the Budweiser Brew House and at "beer corner" for Supporters' Stand ticket holders. He will also be formally recognized on the field during a pre-match jersey presentation alongside his wife Lo'eau LaBonta.
In addition, Sporting KC forward Daniel Salloi will be one of 50 new U.S. citizens from 21 countries that will participate in a special naturalization ceremony on Saturday at Children's Mercy Park as the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas will administer the Oath of Allegiance during the event held in conjunction with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Born and raised in Hungary, Salloi signed with Sporting KC in 2016 and the MLS All-Star has since recorded 99 goal contributions (59 goals, 40 assists) across all competitions including the game-winning goal in the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final.
Following the match, fans will be treated to a 10-minute fireworks display and lights show ahead of the upcoming Fourth of July holiday. The fireworks display can be viewed from outside the stadium at the Mazuma Plaza or from surrounding parking lots, and guests remaining inside the stadium are encouraged to move to the Planet Fitness Bridge on the north end of the venue, Sections 101-105 in the West Stand or Sections S4-S8 in the Supporters' Stand for optimal viewing.
Tickets are available online at SeatGeek, including the Sporting U Pass offering $15 Supporters' Stand tickets for college students, and fans can take advantage of $2 off Tito's cocktails on Saturday. In addition, SportingStyle will debut a new Charlie Hustle collection with several new men's and women's items available at various retail locations.
Sporting Kansas City will kick off the club's busiest stretch of the season -- with the first of seven games in 22 days -- against an Austin FC side led by a pair of Sporting Legends. Head coach Josh Wolff played seven seasons in Kansas City (2003-06, 2008-10) and assistant coach Davy Arnaud played 10 seasons in Kansas City (2002-2011).
The Austin FC roster also features former Sporting KC striker Diego Rubio (2016-18), who scored his fourth goal of the season last weekend in the club's 1-0 win at Minnesota United FC. Goalkeeper Brad Stuver recorded his sixth shutout of the season in the victory and the former MLS pool goalkeeper leads MLS with 86 saves this season.
The visitors are led by club captain Sebastian Driussi. A 2022 MLS MVP finalist, Driussi has five goals and two assists this season, which is tied for the team lead in goal contributions with Jader Obrian (five goals, two assists). Both Driussi and Obrian have caused problems for Sporting in the past with Obrian bagging a brace and Driussi scoring the game-winning goal in Austin's 3-2 win in the previous meeting at Q2 Stadium in May.
Driussi has scored in five of his six all-time appearances against SKC and Austin FC has won five of the last six meetings in the series. Sporting’s lone win against Austin in that span came in a 4-1 victory at Children’s Mercy Park last June as Alan Pulido struck twice to go with goals from Robert Castellanos and Austin native Khiry Shelton.
Pulido, who has two goals and two assists in four career match-ups with Austin FC, is one of 14 different goal scorers for Sporting KC this season - the most of any MLS team -- however the Designated Player has missed the last two matches due to injury. In his absence, Nigerian striker Willy Agada scored twice in Sporting's last home match and he now leads the team with five goals in 2024. All five have come at Children's Mercy Park, where Agada has scored 14 goals in 15 regular season home starts since his debut in July 2022.
Also in the attack, Scottish skipper Johnny Russell has four goal contributions (three goals, one assist) in his last six starts dating back to the previous match-up with Austin FC when he opened the scoring. Russell is one of only two MLS players -- along with Austin FC forward Gyasi Zardes -- to score six goals in each of the past six regular seasons.
Sporting has suffered losses in three straight -- and 10 of the club's last 11 regular season outings -- and will be hoping to end a club-record streak of 17 straight regular season matches without a shutout against an Austin FC side that has scored the fewest goals in the Western Conference and a league-low five road goals this year. Austin also ranks last in MLS in both shots and shots on goal while allowing the most shots of any team.
Saturday's showdown will be available to watch on Apple TV for MLS Season Pass subscribers and radio coverage will air locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB in English and La Grande 1340 AM in Spanish with live audio streams available in the Sporting KC App. In addition, pub partners in the Sporting Pub Network will also show all of the action including a watch party at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power and Light District with food and drink specials for fans.
