"This Week in Sporting," presented by The Smile Generation, is a weekly series that highlights the biggest storylines and news updates from Sporting Kansas City. To visit the series archive, click here.
1. The Regular Season Continues
Sporting Kansas City has released the club’s schedule for the first phase of the continued 2020 MLS regular season in home markets, featuring six total matches between Aug. 21 and Sept. 13 and three home fixtures at Children’s Mercy Park.
All MLS clubs will play 18 additional league matches in a phased approach, concluding with Decision Day on Nov. 8 to complete the 23-game regular season. The Audi MLS Cup Playoffs are slated to begin Nov. 20 with 18 teams qualifying and will culminate with the 25th MLS Cup on Dec. 12.
2. How to Watch
Each of Sporting's next six matches will air live on FOX Sports Kansas City or FOX Sports Kansas City Plus in Kansas, Nebraska and western Missouri and on FOX Sports Midwest or FOX Sports Midwest Plus in St. Louis, mid-Missouri and Iowa. They can also be streamed via the FOX Sports GO app or FOXSportsGO.com by customers of pay-TV providers who receive the channel. Each broadcast will be supplemented by 30-minute pregame and postgame shows. Viewers outside of the FOX Sports Midwest footprint in the U.S. can watch every match on ESPN+.
Additionally, all six games will air locally in English on Sports Radio 810 WHB or one of its sister stations, and in Spanish on La Grande 1340 AM.
3. Reduced Capacity
In conjunction with Saturday’s schedule release, Sporting Kansas City also announced the club’s plan for reduced-capacity, socially distanced seating for the home matches at Children’s Mercy Park during the first phase.
Following detailed safety protocols developed in conjunction with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, Sporting’s next three home matches at Children’s Mercy Park will be held at a reduced capacity of approximately 14%. The stadium seating plan will adhere to proper social distancing guidelines and face coverings will be mandatory for fans, along with a number of other new safety measures including a tailored ingress timing plan that promotes physical distancing upon entry.
Tickets for the next three home matches will be available exclusively to Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members via lotteries and no single-game tickets will be sold by the club on SeatGeek.com or at the stadium box office.
4. Schedule Highlights
As MLS action returns to home markets, matches will be coming thick and fast for a Sporting outfit that currently occupies the summit of the Western Conference. With tons of soccer beckoning in the near future, here are 10 things to know about Sporting’s revamped schedule and the league’s slightly altered format.
5. Sporting II Unbeaten Streak
Sporting Kansas City II (2-3-1, 7 points) extended the club’s road unbeaten run to three games in an exciting 1-1 draw at rivals Saint Louis FC (3-2-1, 10 points) last Wednesday at West Community Stadium in Fenton, Missouri. Enoch Mushagalusa gave the spirited visitors a 1-0 lead in the 56th minute, but Saint Louis FC captain Phanuel Kavita denied Sporting KC II a third consecutive away win by converting a dramatic equalizer in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time.
Sporting KC II were off this weekend and will continue their unprecedented road wing in Group E of the USL Championship this Wednesday by visiting Louisville City FC for the third time in as many weeks. Kickoff at the new Lynn Family Stadium is set for 7 p.m. CT with a live stream on ESPN Plus.
6. Tune In Tuesday
A new episode of the Sporting Kansas City Show will debut Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT on Sports Radio 810 WHB with hosts Nate Bukaty, Carter Augustine and Aly Trost, serving as a comprehensive preview of Sporting's continued regular season. Previous episodes of the podcast are available at SportingKC.com/SportingKCShow.
