Five Things, presented by Keith + Associates Dentistry, is a weekly series on SportingKC.com that highlights the top storylines, players to watch and matchday programming ahead of each game throughout the season.
An exhilarating Concacaf Champions League journey continues Wednesday as Sporting Kansas City visits Panama for the first time in club history to face Independiente in the opening leg of the Quarterfinals.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT with an English-language live stream on YahooSports.com and the Yahoo Sports app, while Univision Deportes will air a Spanish-language telecast. Local radio broadcasts will also be transmitted on Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.
Independiente may not have Toluca’s international pedigree, and their home venue of Estadio Agustin Sanchez in La Chorrera would struggle to accommodate more than 3,500 fans. But make no mistake: the Panamanian minnows have crafted a Cinderella story in North America’s premier club tournament, having already shocked the region by dismantling Toronto FC in the Round of 16.
With that in mind, here are five things to know about Wednesday’s first leg between Sporting and Independiente.
1. Rotating the Squad
Consider the following: Sporting are about to play their third straight away match, in a third different time zone, in a third different country—all in the space of a single week. The unprecedented road trip began last Thursday in Toluca, Mexico, continued Sunday in Los Angeles and concludes this week 3,000 miles southeast of LA in Panama.
Combine three games in seven days with thousands of travel miles, and you’re bound to get some squad rotation. Manager Peter Vermes has fielded an unchanged starting lineup thus far, but he indicated Sunday night after a narrow 2-1 loss to LAFC that changes could be on the horizon.
“For me, when I’m making a lineup, I look at three things—climate, travel, congestion of schedule,” Vermes said. “The first two games against Toluca were a week apart. That’s a normal work week for any team. You prepare, you play the game, you recover. That’s normal, but there’s no cumulative effect there. So, to be able to play 72 hours later, that was not an issue. Where we’re going to have to start monitoring that really closely and probably rotating it around is Wednesday (against Independiente) and Sunday (against the Philadelphia Union). It’s cumulative at that momen
2. Flash in the Panama?
Independiente’s stunning 5-1 aggregate victory over Canadian giants Toronto FC captured the imaginations of fans across the continent. The Reds were a year removed from almost becoming the first MLS club to win the Champions League during its modern era, but head coach Francisco Perlo’s men—making their tournament debut—put Toronto to the sword.
Las Abejitas—Spanish for the Beehives—took control of the Round of 16 by winning 4-0 at home on Feb. 19, a result that Sporting should be wary of heading into Wednesday. Winger Romeesh Ivey bagged a brace, Panamanian international Omar Browne recorded a goal and an assist, and striker Jorman Aguilar opened the scoring en route to a dominant triumph that saw Toronto fail to register a single shot on target. Independiente showed their professionalism in the return leg last week at frigid BMO Field, defending resolutely and scoring on the counter through Browne to secure a 1-1 draw.
3. Quarterfinal Format
The Champions League unfolds in a fixed, knockout-style bracket through the final. Every matchup will be contested over two legs on a home-and-away basis. Just like the Round of 16, the away goals rule will be applied in the Quarterfinals if the aggregate score is tied after the second leg.
For example, if Sporting draws Independiente 1-1 on the road in the first leg and 0-0 at home in the second leg, they will advance by virtue of away goals. If the teams are still even on away goals, a penalty shootout will determine the winner.
Take note: if the series is tied through two legs, an additional 30 minutes of extra time will not be played. It’s straight to penalties after 180 minutes.
4. Caribbean Cruise
As mentioned above, Sporting has never previously visited Panama. This series marks the eighth different country of a Sporting opponent outside of the United States and Canada. The club has previously played competitive matches in Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Honduras and Peru.
The Panama trip rounds out a remarkable 18-day travel stretch in which Sporting will have covered nearly 10,000 miles in the air. That trek has seen the team globetrot from—take a deep breath—Arizona to Kansas City to Albuquerque to Toluca to Los Angeles to Panama and back to Kansas City. Exhale.
5. What’s at Stake
It’s pretty simple at this point. Sporting are aiming to reach the Champions League Semifinals for the first time ever, where they would face either Atlanta United FC or Mexican side Monterrey over two legs in early April. Independiente, meanwhile, have their sights set on another momentous upset as tournament debutants.
As a heads-up, the decisive second leg of the Quarterfinals is slated for Thursday, March 14, at Children’s Mercy Park. Tickets for the 7 p.m. CT matchup are included in Season Ticket Member packages and are on sale now at SeatGeek.com.
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