Sporting Kansas City will host LIGA MX heavyweights Club Leon in the 2021 Leagues Cup quarterfinals on Aug. 10 at Children's Mercy Park.
Tickets for the highly anticipated Leagues Cup clash are now available at SeatGeek.com. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be shown live nationally on ESPN2, the ESPN app and TUDN.
Sporting's quarterfinal opponent was confirmed Sunday night when Club Leon fell 2-1 to Cruz Azul in the 2021 Campeon de Campeones at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Major League Soccer and LIGA MX announced earlier this month the participants, bracket and schedule for the 2021 Leagues Cup, an annual single-elimination tournament that will again feature premier clubs from MLS and Mexico’s top division and build upon the growing rivalry between both leagues.
The 2021 Leagues Cup will see four MLS clubs matched up against four LIGA MX teams in the quarterfinals, which will unfold from Aug. 10-12. The tournament will be played in its entirety in the United States, with the semifinals slated for Sept. 14-15 and the Leagues Cup Final, to be played at a neutral venue announced in the coming weeks, scheduled for Sept. 22. Further details, including semifinal venues and kickoff times, will be announced following the quarterfinals.
2021 Leagues Cup Schedule
All times Central (subject to change)
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, Aug. 10
- QF4: Sporting Kansas City vs. Club León (Children’s Mercy Park – Kansas City, KS), 7 p.m. (TUDN, ESPN2)
- QF3: Seattle Sounders FC vs. Tigres UANL (Lumen Field – Seattle, WA), 9 p.m. (TUDN, ESPN2)
Wednesday, Aug. 11
- QF2: New York City FC vs. Pumas (Yankee Stadium – New York, NY), 7 p.m. (TUDN, ESPN+)
Thursday, Aug. 12
- QF1: Orlando City SC vs. Santos Laguna (Exploria Stadium – Orlando, FL), 7 p.m. (TUDN, ESPN+)
Semifinals
Sept. 14 and 15
- SF1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF3
- SF2: Winner QF2 vs Winner QF4
Final
- Wednesday, Sept. 22
Aug. 10 will mark the first time Sporting has welcomed a LIGA MX foe since April 2019 when Manager Peter Vermes’ side advanced to the Concacaf Champions League semifinals. Sporting are 2-1-0 in competitive home matches against Mexican opposition at Children’s Mercy Park, including wins over Cruz Azul (2013-14 CCL quarterfinals) and Deportivo Toluca FC (2019 CCL round of 16) and a loss to CF Monterrey (2019 CCL semifinals).
Club Leon won its most recent of eight league titles in December 2020, finishing atop the fall season standings with a 12-1-4 record before eliminating Puebla, Chivas and Pumas in the playoffs.
