Faced with a 2-1 deficit against Panamanian side Independiente, Sporting Kansas City will look to turn the tide in the decisive second leg of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Quarterfinals on Thursday at Children’s Mercy Park.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT and tickets for the pivotal matchup—included in Season Ticket Member packages—remain available at SeatGeek.com. A series victory for either side would be monumental, as neither Sporting nor tournament debutants Independiente have reached the Champions League Semifinals.
So what result must Sporting secure on Thursday in order to advance? Let’s dig into the scenarios.
- Sporting wins the series with: a 1-0 victory or a win by multiple goals.
- Independiente wins the series with: a win, a draw or a one-goal loss in which they score at least twice (2-3, 3-4, etc.)
- The series goes straight to penalty kicks with: a 2-1 win for Sporting
Sporting grabbed a vital away goal in their 2-1 first-leg defeat in Panama last Wednesday. Should they defeat Independiente 1-0 on Thursday, the aggregate would be tied at 2-2 but Sporting would advance on the away goals tiebreaker.
Independiente are through with a win or a draw, having prevailed 2-1 last week. A one-goal loss in which they score at least twice would level the series on aggregate but send the Panamanians to the semifinals on away goals.
If Sporting wins Thursday’s match by a 2-1 scoreline, the teams will be even on aggregate and on away goals. That would send the teams straight into a penalty shootout—no extra time will be played—to decide the series winner.
For fans who can’t make it to Children’s Mercy Park on Thursday, the fixture will stream live on YahooSports.com and the Yahoo Sports app and air live on Univision Deportes. Listeners can also catch the action locally on ESPN 95.3 FM (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish), with the new Sporting KC App providing additional in-game updates and exclusive offers.
