After finishing near the top of the Western Conference regular season table, Sporting Kansas City will look to punctuate a thrilling 2021 campaign by winning silverware on Major League Soccer's greatest stage. The Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs will see Sporting take the field with aspirations of hoisting the club's third MLS Cup title.
The first step for third-seeded Sporting is a Round One showdown with the No. 6 seed Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday afternoon at Children's Mercy Park. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. CT with live coverage on Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports Midwest Plus, UniMas and TUDN. Tickets for the highly anticipated encounter are available at SeatGeek.com.
In the buildup to Saturday, SportingKC.com will deliver a comprehensive playoff preview presented by Audi, examining the prevalent storylines surrounding Manager Peter Vermes' side and generating excitement for what lies ahead. In the space below, we provide a detailed viewer's guide for the entire 2021 postseason.
Good news, Major League Soccer fans: all 13 fixtures in the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs will be shown live to a national audience, making it easy for supporters in Kansas City and across the country to catch every minute of the action on the ABC, ESPN, FOX and Univision networks.
Before we dive into broadcast details, here's a quick primer on the playoff format. Single-elimination matches will be hosted by the higher-seeded club, with seven teams competing in each conference. The top-seeded teams in each conference, the New England Revolution in the East and the Colorado Rapids in the West, receive first-round byes to the conference semifinals.
Clubs will battle it out in a win-or-go-home, bracket-style competition until the league champion is crowned in the 2021 MLS Cup on Dec. 11. If matches are tied after 90 minutes, an additional 30 minutes of extra time will be played. If the teams are still deadlocked, a penalty kick shootout will decide the winner.
With that in mind, here is Sporting's potential playoff schedule should Manager Peter Vermes' side reach the MLS Cup.
SPORTING'S POTENTIAL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
As the No. 3 seed in the West, Sporting has homefield advantage against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday. If they advance, the path of opponents becomes uncertain. What we do know, however, are the potential kick times and TV windows for each game.
- Round One: Saturday, Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. CT (UniMas, TUDN, Bally Sports KC, Bally Sports Midwest Plus, MLSsoccer.com, MLS app, Bally Sports app)
- Conference Semifinals: Sunday, Nov. 28 at 2 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. CT (ABC or ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN app)
- Conference Final: Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m. CT or Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. CT (FS1 or ABC, FOX Deportes or ESPN Deportes, FOX Sports app or ESPN app)
- MLS Cup: Saturday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. CT (ABC, ESPN app, UniMas, TUDN)
The full schedule for the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs can be found below, complete with match dates and kickoff times.
Round One (Six Games)
(The No. 1 Eastern Conference seed and the No. 1 Western Conference seed will have a Round One bye. The No. 2 seed will host the No. 7 seed, the No. 3 seed will host the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed will host the No. 5 seed)
Saturday, Nov. 20
- 1:30 p.m. CT: (2) Philadelphia Union vs. (7) New York Red Bulls (Univision / TUDN / local English-language broadcast / MLSsoccer.com / MLS App)
- 4 p.m. CT: (3) Sporting Kansas City vs. (6) Vancouver Whitecaps FC (UniMás / TUDN / Bally Sports KC / MLSsoccer.com / MLS App / Bally Sports app)
Sunday, Nov. 21
- 2 p.m. CT: (4) New York City FC vs. (5) Atlanta United FC
(ABC / ESPN Deportes / ESPN app) - 4:30 p.m. CT: (4) Portland Timbers (4) vs. (5) Minnesota United FC
(ESPN / ESPN Deportes / ESPN app)
Tuesday, Nov. 23
- 7 p.m. CT: (3) Nashville SC vs. (6) Orlando City SC
(FS1 / FOX Deportes / FOX Sports app) - 9:30 p.m. CT: (2) Seattle Sounders FC vs. (7) Real Salt Lake
(FS1 / FOX Deportes / FOX Sports app)
Conference Semifinals (Four Games)
(The No. 1 seed will play the winner of No. 4 vs. No. 5. The winner of No. 2 vs. No. 7 will play the winner of No. 3 vs. No. 6, with the higher-seeded club hosting)
Thursday, Nov. 25
- 3:30 p.m. CT: (1) Colorado Rapids vs. Winner of (4) Portland Timbers vs. (5) Minnesota United FC (FOX / FOX Deportes / FOX Sports app)
Sunday, Nov. 28 Doubleheader
- 2 p.m. CT: No. 2/3 vs. No. 6/7 to be confirmed following Round One matches (ABC / ESPN Deportes / ESPN app)
- 4:30 p.m. CT: No. 2/3 vs. No. 6/7 to be confirmed following Round One matches (ESPN / ESPN Deportes / ESPN app)
Tuesday, Nov. 30
- 6:30 p.m. CT: (1) New England Revolution vs. Winner of (4) New York City FC vs. (5) Atlanta United FC (FS1 / FOX Deportes / FOX Sports app)
Conference Finals
Saturday, Dec. 4
- 5:30 p.m. CT: (FS1 / FOX Deportes / FOX Sports app)
Sunday, Dec. 5
- 2 p.m. CT (ABC / ESPN Deportes / ESPN app)
MLS Cup
Saturday, Dec. 11
- 2 p.m. CT (ABC / UniMás / TUDN / ESPN app)
