Sporting Kansas City will open their 2019 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League campaign on Thursday, Feb. 21, at Children’s Mercy Park, facing Mexican side Deportivo Toluca FC at 7 p.m. CT in Leg 1 of the Round of 16.
After hosting Toluca in the first leg, Sporting KC will travel to Estadio Nemesio Diez in Mexico for the decisive second leg at 9 p.m. CT on Thursday, Feb. 28.
Tickets for Sporting KC’s highly anticipated Champions League home game on Feb. 21 are now on sale to the general public at SeatGeek.com.
Concacaf announced today the dates and kickoff times for all 2019 Scotiabank Champions League Round of 16 matches. The Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League is the premier club competition in the Concacaf region, involving the best teams from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
The 11th edition of the prestigious championship will feature a two-legged, home-and-away format with a fixed bracket from the Round of 16 through the Finals. Fans will be able to follow all the action through Concacaf’s partner networks, including Univision Deportes and Yahoo Sports in the United States.
2019 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Schedule Windows
- Round of 16 Leg 1: Feb. 19-21
- Round of 16 Leg 2: Feb. 26-28
- Quarterfinal Leg 1: March 5-7
- Quarterfinal Leg 2: March 12-14
- Semifinal Leg 1: April 2-4
- Semifinal Leg 2: April 9-11
- Final Leg 1: April 23-25
- Final Leg 2: April 30-May 2
Sporting KC’s first-leg battle with Toluca at Children’s Mercy Park will be the earliest competitive match in club history. The teams will meet again a week later, with the aggregate winner advancing to the quarterfinals in March against either Toronto FC of Canada or Independiente FC of Panama.
Led by Manager Peter Vermes, Sporting KC are set to make their fourth appearance in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League—their first since 2016-17 and their first since the tournament restructured to the 16-team, two-legged knockout format that debuted in 2018. Vermes guided his side to its best finish in the competition when Sporting KC reached the 2013-14 Quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Cruz Azul.
Coming off a record-breaking MLS campaign that saw the club finish atop the 2018 Western Conference regular season standings, Sporting KC qualified for the 2019 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League as winners of the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Toluca were finalists in the 2013-14 Concacaf Champions League and qualified for the 2019 tournament as runners-up in the 2018 Liga MX Clausura. The Red Devils recently finished seventh in the 2018 Liga MX Apertura with a record of 8-7-2 before falling to Club America in the quarterfinals of the Liga MX championship stage. Forward Alexis Vega scored a team-best six goals during the Apertura season, while midfielder Luis Enrique Quinones finished third in Liga MX with five assists.
Founded in 1917, Toluca have won 10 first-division titles and were crowned Concacaf Champions’ Cup winners in 1968 and 2003. The Red Devils are led by Argentine manager Hernan Cristante and play their home matches at the 30,000-seat Estadio Nemesio Diez in Toluca, located less than 40 miles west of Mexico City in south-central Mexico.
