Sporting Kansas City vs. Real Salt Lake
2024 MLS Regular Season | Match 19
Wednesday, June 19 | 7:30 p.m. CT (7:40 kickoff)
Children's Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas
Broadcast Schedule:
Apple TV | Free on MLS Season Pass
English Radio | Sports Radio 810 WHB
Spanish Radio | La Grande 1340 AM
Tickets | Know Before You Go | I-70 Advisory | 5 Things | By the Numbers | Tune In on Apple TV | Pub Partners | SKC App | MatchCenter
Sporting Kansas City will host Western Conference leaders Real Salt Lake at 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday at Children's Mercy Park. Tickets are available online via SeatGeek, including the Sporting U Pass offering $15 Supporters' Stand tickets for college students, as the club celebrates the Juneteenth holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
In collaboration with adidas and Black Players for Change, Major League Soccer has introduced a special edition "I AM #19" shirt that acknowledges the significance of Juneteenth, celebrates all players as agents of change and unites the soccer community around the work yet to be done. The shirt can be purchased at MLSstore.com and SportingStyle retail stores at Children's Mercy Park with a portion of the proceeds going to support initiatives and organizations focused on racial equity and social justice.
In addition, Sporting Kansas City and Hiland Dairy - Wednesday's match title night partner -- will team up for a special halftime presentation to award checks in the amount of $5,000 to three non-profits serving the Black community in the Kansas City area: Youth Guidance, Blaque KC and Hope Center KC. Hiland Dairy products will also be donated to each organization over the next year to support health and wellness initiatives.
Real Salt Lake arrives in Kansas City riding the momentum of two impressive streaks: a 14-game unbeaten run (8-0-6) in the MLS regular season and a nine-match unbeaten run (3-0-6) on the road.
Longest Unbeaten Runs in MLS History
(single season, regular season matches)
1. FC Dallas, 19 games in 2010
2. Columbus Crew, 18 games in 2004
3. New York Red Bulls, 16 games in 2016
4. Colorado Rapids, 15 games in 2016
4. Portland Timbers, 15 games in 2013 & 2018
The visitors lead the Western Conference in goals scored this season thanks to a pair of Colombian attackers in MLS Golden Boot leader Chicho Arango and 21-year-old Young Designated Player Andres Gomez. With 16 goals and nine assists, Arango is tied with Lionel Messi for the league lead in goal contributions while Gomez has added eight goals and six assists of his own.
Arango, who is one goal shy of tying an RSL single-season scoring record set in 2012, scored the decisive goal in the previous match-up between Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake on May 4 with an 81st-minute header. The two sides, who memorably met in MLS Cup 2013 at Children's Mercy Park, now meet again in Kansas City in a rematch that features the two teams with the most goals scored from outside the penalty area in MLS this year.
Sporting Kansas City has scored nine goals from beyond the box -- two more than Real Salt Lake's seven long-distance strikes -- and Sporting also leads MLS with 14 different goal scorers in 2024 after Stephen Afrifa and Robert Castellanos each struck on Saturday in a 4-2 loss at the LA Galaxy. Afrifa came off the bench to score his first career MLS goal on an assist from Erik Thommy before Castellanos volleyed home a free kick from club captain Johnny Russell.
The Scottish skipper has a goal contribution in three straight games and has historically proven productive against Real Salt Lake. His five goals in the regular season series are most of any player and across all competitions Russell has recorded seven goals and five assists in 15 previous match-ups, including goals in both meetings last season.
While Real Salt Lake is coming off a shutout with a scoreless draw at CF Montreal on Saturday, Sporting has gone 15 straight regular season matches without a clean sheet. It stands as the second-longest such streak in a single season in club history -- one shy of the mark set in 2022 -- as Sporting has conceded 36 goals in 18 games so far this season.
All 13 MLS matches on Wednesday will be free to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and radio coverage of SKCvRSL 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. 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.
