Sporting KC Weekly Schedule: Oct. 15-21, 2018

Sporting Kansas City (15-8-8, 3rd place) continues its battle for seeding in the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs this week, embarking on a pivotal two-game road swing in the Western Conference that begins Wednesday against Vancouver Whitecaps FC (12-12-7, 8th place) at BC Place. Kickoff is slated for 9 p.m. CT, with three hours of live coverage beginning at 8:30 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest Plus and FOX Sports GO. The match will also be broadcast live on ESPN 94.5 FM (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish), with The Final Whistle Postgame Show airing afterwards on 94.5 FM.

After visiting Vancouver, Sporting KC will then prepare for an all-important showdown against first-place FC Dallas (16-7-9, 57 points) at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest and FOX Sports GO will again provide three hours of live coverage starting at 4 p.m. CT. ESPN 94.5 FM and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM will cary the game over the radio, followed by The Final Whistle Postgame Show on 94.5 FM.

Supporters are invited to attend the official watch parties for both Sporting KC matches at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District. In addition to serving an all-you-can-eat buffet with endless domestic draft beers and sodas, No Other Pub will offer $5 Corona cans on Wednesday and $4 Bud Light drafts on Sunday.

Tickets for Sporting KC’s first potential home playoff match at Children’s Mercy Park are now on sale via SeatGeek.com. Sporting KC Season Ticket Members will automatically retain their seats for all playoff matches, excluding the MLS Cup final, and can contact their Client Services Executive for questions and further information. If Sporting KC does not host a match in the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs, all individuals who purchased tickets through SeatGeek will be automatically refunded.

• SeatGeek: Reserve your seats NOW for Sporting KC’s first potential home playoff match

The Swope Park Rangers punched their ticket to the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs on the final day of the regular season, defeating LA Galaxy II by a 5-1 scoreline Sunday at Children's Mercy Park. Led by head coach Paulo Nagamura, SPR will begin their quest for a third straight Western Conference title on Saturday when the club visits Sacramento Republic FC at Papa Murphy's Park. The conference quarterfinal will kick off at 9:30 p.m. CT and stream live on ESPN+.

Three players will wrap up international duty with their respective countries this week before rejoining Sporting KC. Forward Krisztian Nemeth and Hungary are set to resume their UEFA Nations League campaign on Monday, facing Estonia at A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia. The match will stream live at 1:45 p.m. CT on ESPN+. Elsewhere, midfielder Felipe Gutierrez and Chile have ventured south to meet Mexico in an international friendly at 8:45 p.m. CT Tuesday, with UniMas broadcasting the game live in Spanish from Estadio Corregidora in Queretaro.

At the youth international level, Sporting KC midfielder Gianluca Busio has joined the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team for the 2018 Under-17 International Youth Tournament in England. Busio and the U.S. will conclude the tournament Tuesday, facing the Russia U-17s at 1 p.m. CT at Wincham Park in Northwich.

A new episode of The Sporting KC Show will air at 6 p.m. CT Wednesday on Sports Radio 810 WHB with hosts Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine. In addition to previewing Sporting KC's two away matches this week, the duo will hear from Manager Peter Vermes and handicap the Western Conference race as the MLS regular season enters its final two weeks.

Three Sporting KC Academy teams will continue their 2018-19 U.S. Soccer Development Academy seasons on Saturday in a tripleheader against the Houston Dynamo at Swope Soccer Village. The U-15s will kick off at 9 a.m. CT, followed by the U-17s at 11 a.m. and the U-19s at 1 p.m. All three matches are free and open to the public to attend.

The Sporting KC U-13s and U-14s, meanwhile, will travel to Waukegan Sports Park in Waukegan, Illinois, for the 2018 Central Regional Showcase. The U-13s will play a total of four games from Friday to Saturday, while the U-14s will play four times from Sunday to Monday. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for live updates on Twitter this weekend and throughout the 2018-19 Academy season.

From 2-4 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sporting KC fans of all ages are welcome to attend the next stop of the 2018 Toyota Tour at Adams Toyota in Lee's Summit, Missouri (501 NE Colbern Rd.). All in attendance will have the chance to win the “No. 1 Fan Experience," which includes a custom Sporting KC jersey, a nameplate, a Children's Mercy Park tour and and on-field photo at a future match. Supporters will also have photograph opportunities with a Sporting KC player and the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy. Lastly, ticket giveaways will be conducted for Sporting KC's regular season finale against LAFC on Sunday, Oct. 28, at Children's Mercy Park.

For news, videos, photos and instant updates throughout the 2018 season, follow Sporting KC on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (sportingkc), and download the club’s official mobile app Sporting KC Uphoria on the App Store or Google Play.