Sporting Kansas City's resounding 4-0 win over the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night was record-setting in more ways than one.
Just as multiple players were making history on the field, the match itself garnered the highest-rated telecast in the four-year partnership between Sporting and FOX Sports Kansas City, according to Nielsen.
More fans tuned into Saturday's contest than any other MLS match to air on FOX Sports Kansas City since 2017, providing an audience that was treated to four goals and a dominant, wire-to-wire performance from Sporting. Newcomers Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda continued their brilliant starts to the 2020 campaign with a goal apiece, midfielder Roger Espinoza and forward Khiry Shelton also found the back of the net, and goalkeeper Tim Melia became the club's all-time regular season shutout leader.
FOX Sports Kansas City will serve as Sporting's exclusive television home throughout 2020, televising 31 MLS regular season matches with new color analyst and former MLS veteran Jacob Peterson joining play-by-play commentator Nate Bukaty and touchline reporter Carter Augustine on the call.
Kansas City has shown a demonstrable appetite for MLS soccer in the early stages of the 2020 season, ranking as a top-10 market for both ESPN matches that aired on Sunday, March 1. Additionally, Saturday's fixture at Children's Mercy Park drew a sold-out crowd of 21,188, the highest attendance for an MLS home opener in stadium history.
