Sporting Kansas City's regular season finale against the LA Galaxy at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Sporting Park will be nationally televised on ESPN, the network announced on Sunday, as the marquee Western Conference match-up on Major League Soccer's Decision Day.
All 20 MLS clubs will be in action on the final day of the league's 20th season with five Eastern Conference matches played simultaneously on Sunday at 4 p.m. CT followed by five Western Conference games kicking off concurrently at 6 p.m. CT. The results will determine the field of 12 teams in the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs and the postseason match-ups, as well as regular season honors for the Supporters' Shield and Golden Boot winners.
Sporting Kansas City currently sits in sixth place in the West with two home matches remaining on the drive to the 2015 playoffs, presented by Shawnee Mission Kia. A win on Wednesday over the Colorado Rapids would not only lock up a playoff berth for the fifth straight season, but would lift the club into a share of second place with the LA Galaxy heading into Sunday's meeting.
However, a loss or draw on Wednesday would set up an equally high-stakes showdown with the five-time MLS Cup champions. Sporting KC would be putting their playoff hopes on the line at the 11th hour. Meanwhile, the LA Galaxy would be tasked with the challenge of securing a top-two finish (Knockout Round bye and home field advantage in Conference Semifinals) or top-four finish (home field advantage in Knockout Round) on the road where they are 2-8-6 this season.
Sporting KC and the LA Galaxy have met only once in 2015 to date with the Galaxy prevailing 2-1 in April on a 94th-minute game winner from Omar Gonzalez. The Galaxy's last trip to Sporting Park came in July 2014 when Sporting KC walked away 2-1 winners against the eventual league champions.
A limited number of tickets are available for the regular season finale and can be secured online at Ticketmaster.com. The first 5,000 fans inside the stadium will receive Sporting KC touchscreen gloves courtesy of Pepsi.
Sunday's national broadcast will mark the fifth time in 2015 that Sporting Kansas City has featured on ESPN or ESPN2. The club went unbeaten in the previous four instances, including the U.S. Open Cup Final.
