Sporting Kansas City vs. Philadelphia Union
Sunday, March 10, 2019 | 2 p.m. CT
Children's Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas
2019 MLS Regular Season | Match 2 of 34
Broadcast Schedule:
English TV | FOX Sports Kansas City
English TV | FOX Sports Midwest Plus
English Radio | Sports Radio 810 WHB
Spanish Radio | ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM
Mobile | Sporting KC App, FOX Sports GO
New Sporting KC App | By The Numbers | Five Things to Know | Videos
Broadcast Schedule | Match Notes | Media Guide | MatchCenter
Following an unprecedented three-game road trip that sent the club to three different countries in the space of a week, Sporting Kansas City (0-1-0, 0 points) returns to the friendly confines of Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday for a highly anticipated MLS home opener against the Philadelphia Union (0-1-0, 0 points).
Tickets for Sunday’s interconference clash, set to kick off at 2 p.m. CT, remain available at SeatGeek.com as Sporting and Philadelphia look to bounce back from defeats suffered in Week 1 of the 2019 Major League Soccer campaign. FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest Plus will televise three hours of live coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m. CT, while streamers can catch the action live on FOX Sports GO. Local radio broadcast will also air on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish), with The Final Whistle postgame show immediately afterward on 810 WHB.
Supporters in attendance on Sunday will be treated to a special season-opening experience as Sporting celebrates Fan Appreciation Day to kick off the new year. As part of the afternoon’s programming, fans are encouraged to download or update the new Sporting KC App and participate in a halftime trivia game that will award thousands of prizes—including grand prizes such as Sporting tailgating equipment, yeti coolers, team-signed memorabilia and VIP experiences.
Sporting will aim to parlay a festive atmosphere on Sunday into their first league victory, having slipped to consecutive 2-1 losses over the last six days. Manager Peter Vermes’ men landed the first punch in last weekend’s MLS curtain raiser at Los Angeles Football Club—taking a first-half lead on Krisztian Nemeth’s team-best third goal of 2019—but LAFC leveled through Diego Rossi in the 47th minute before Adama Diomande bagged a dramatic winner deep into stoppage time.
A 3,000-mile flight the following day took Sporting from Los Angeles to Panama, where they came up short against Independiente in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions League Quarterfinals on Wednesday. Ilie Sanchez converted a 51st-minute penalty kick, but the upstart Panamanians scored in both halves to take an aggregate lead ahead of next Thursday’s decisive second leg at Children’s Mercy Park.
Despite the recent blip, Sporting will have reason for confidence entering Sunday. Vermes’ side went 10-2-5 in regular-season home games last year, notching 34 goals for an impressive average of two per match. Sporting boast a 13-3-7 all-time record in MLS home openers and have just one loss in eight such fixtures at Children’s Mercy Park. The club has leveraged the heralded stadium’s homefield advantage into an eight-year playoff streak that began when the venue opened in 2011.
Led by sixth-year head coach Jim Curtin, the Union reached new heights in 2018 with a franchise-best 15 regular-season wins and their third postseason appearance in club history. Philadelphia’s current campaign got off to a rocky start, however, as Toronto FC dealt the side a 3-1 home loss last Saturday at Talen Energy Stadium. The Union will nevertheless take solace in the fact that MLS debutant and Mexican international Marco Fabian found the back of the net with a second-half penalty kick. Fabian was Philadelphia’s biggest offseason acquisition and will aim to bolster an attack that saw dynamic forwards Cory Burke and Fafa Picault score 10 goals each last year.
Despite playing in opposite conferences, Sporting and Philadelphia share a rich and evenly balanced past. Both clubs own six wins and six draws in 18 competitive meetings, including the memorable 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final at Talen Energy Stadium in which Nemeth equalized for Sporting to make the score 1-1 and force an eventual shootout. Goalkeeper Tim Melia stood tall for the visitors, making two saves to help Sporting lift the trophy on penalties. This was merely one of several heartbreaking Open Cup setbacks for the Union, who have lost three of the last five tournament finals.
The lone 2018 meeting between the sides took place last September in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union prevailed 2-0 on a late brace from now-departed forward Jay Simpson to improve their regular-season record against Sporting to 4-1-2 since 2014.
With his team juggling the Concacaf Champions League with the start of the MLS season, Vermes made eight lineup changes in Wednesday’s battle against Independiente in La Chorrera, Panama. The manager could be poised to rotate his squad yet again this weekend, with a quarterfinal second leg looming next Thursday and a league trip to the Colorado Rapids three days later.
Fortunately for Vermes, he will have a deep and healthy squad from which to pick his matchday 18. Center back Andreu Fontas—who was ruled out against Independiente with a hip ailment—is is questionable for Sunday and remains the club’s lone injury concern outside of long-term absentee Jimmy Medranda.
