"This Week in Sporting,” is a weekly series that highlights the biggest storylines and news updates from Sporting Kansas City.
1. MLS is Back
The long wait is over. Ladies and gentlemen, MLS is back this weekend. Sporting Kansas City begins its 2022 campaign with a visit to Atlanta United on Sunday, Feb. 27 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast nationally on FS1 and FOX Deportes. Before Sporting’s season kicks off on Sunday, fans can enjoy a little MLS appetizer with nine matches on Saturday, Feb. 26 across multiple broadcasting platforms.
Following one of the shortest off seasons in MLS history, Sporting KC manager and technical director Peter Vermes and club captain Johnny Russell come into 2022 hungrier than ever. With the return of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, Sporting begins its journey to Paint the Wall for the fifth time in the last 10 years.
2. Stateline 3.0
Friday, Feb. 18, Sporting unveiled the club’s secondary jersey for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The dark indigo kit is lined with the two Kansas City area codes 913 and 816 to represent the states of Kansas and Missouri respectively. The area codes are stacked in the shape of the two states’ shared border. The state line brand was introduced in the club’s crest during Sporting’s 2010 rebrand and Sporting’s 2013 MLS Cup Title was won in the second rendition of the Stateline kits.
Fans can place pre-orders online at MLSstore.com, or sign up to be notified by SportingStyle - and receive free jersey customization - when the new secondary kit is in stock at Children's Mercy Park.
3. Preseason is Over
Despite the offseason being shorter than years past, Sporting KC was still able to make a bevy of roster moves. Sporting said goodbye to 10 players this offseason and brought in seven fresh faces. Sporting brought in defender Ben Sweat and brought back midfielder Uri Rosell before re-signing Graham Zusi and Roger Espinoza. Three more defenders signed with Sporting in Logan Ndenbe, Kortne Ford and Robert Voloder. Sporting completed the roster by signing forwards Marinos Tzionis.
Sporting’s preseason began on Jan. 17 as the club headed out to Phoenix Arizona for five weeks. Sporting opened preseason competition with a closed-door scrimmage against the U.S. Men’s National Team, before drawing 0-0 with the Colorado Rapids in the Desert Showcase. Russell and Nicolas Isimat-Mirin scored in a 2-2 draw against the Portland Timbers and Daniel Salloi scored in back-to-back games against Phoenix Rising and Toronto FC to close out preseason. Now the attention is turned to the 2022 MLS regular season.
4. SKC Weekly Content
Looking for more Sporting KC content ahead of the regular season opener? Look no further. The Nutmeg Podcast with Rob Brenton is back and on a regular schedule for 2022. Every other Thursday Brenton will host The Nutmeg Podcast and have the latest club news, guests and other stories on soccer around the world.
Also, Sports Radio 810 will have special pregame shows on Sunday ahead of Sporting’s match at Atlanta United. Starting at noon, 810 will have a Special Sporting Preview Show live from the State Line Block Party. At 2 p.m. CT 810 will cover the entirety of the match before hosting the final whistle to recap Sporting’s season opener.
5. Where to Watch
Sporting’s first match is a nationally broadcasted match airing on FS1, FOX Deportes and streaming on the FOX Sports app as well as at foxsports.com. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CT as Sporting opens its 2022 season at Atlanta United.
While this match is nationally broadcasted, Sporting Kansas City has a new local broadcast home in 2022. KMCI-TV and 38-The Spot will broadcast all 26 locally televised matches this season. All non-nationally televised matches will be available to stream for free on SportingKC.com and in the Sporting KC mobile app via Sporting One.
6. SKC II and MLS NEXT Pro
This offseason, Sporting KC II was announced as one of the founding members of MLS NEXT Pro, the next step in MLS’s pro player pathway. After six years in the USL Championship, SKC II will be one of 21 clubs to compete in MLS NEXT Pro’s inaugural season. Former SKC II head coach Paulo Nagamura became the Houston Dynamo’s new skipper this offseason making way for Benny Feilhaber to take over the reins. Joining Feilhaber as an assistant coach is fellow 2013 MLS Champion, Ike Opara. The duo is busy assembling the SKC II roster as the club is currently in the midst of preseason.
7. Home Opener
While Sunday marks Sporting KC’s regular season opener, fans can look forward to MLS being back at Children’s Mercy Park. Tickets are on sale for Sporting’s home opener on Saturday, March 5 as the club welcomes longtime rival Houston Dynamo FC to Kansas City. Tickets for the match can be purchased at SeatGeek.com and kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT. Fans can purchase tickets to other matches as well as various ticket packages here.
