Category: Sporting KC

Sporting KC to compete in Leagues Cup

Sporting Kansas City is one of eight North American clubs that will compete in the second edition of Leagues Cup this summer, Major League Soccer and LIGA MX announced today.

Leagues Cup will see MLS clubs Sporting, Seattle Sounders FC, Orlando City SC and New York City FC join four LIGA MX clubs in a high-level international competition that builds on the growing rivalry between the leagues and gives Sporting the opportunity to claim its first major international trophy in team history.

After debuting in 2019, Leagues Cup will return this year after a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic. The tournament will unfold in a single-game, single-elimination format with MLS teams welcoming four Liga MX sides in the opening round.

Sporting will play host to a LIGA MX opponent in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals on the week of Aug. 9 at Children’s Mercy Park and ticket information for the match will be announced at a later date.

Leagues Cup will be played entirely in the United States, with the semifinals on the week of Sept. 13, and the Leagues Cup Final — which will take place in a neutral venue — slated for the week of Sept. 20.

2021 Leagues Cup schedule
• Week of Aug. 9: Quarterfinals (Sporting hosts LIGA MX opponent)
• Week of Sept. 13: Semifinals (hosted in the U.S.)
• Week of Sept. 20: Final (neutral-site venue in U.S.)

MLS representatives in Leagues Cup were selected to participate as the top two finishers from each conference in the 2020 MLS regular season standings that are not scheduled to compete in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League. The four LIGA MX teams will be announced in May at the conclusion of the current 2021 Clausura season, along with other schedule, competition and venue details.

Leagues Cup will be broadcast on the ESPN and Univision family of networks in the United States, treating supporters to marquee matches between clubs from the top two professional soccer leagues in North America.

Beyond growing the MLS-LIGA MX rivalry, Leagues Cup has garnered an increased focus from clubs on both sides of the border. Positioned as an important part of the North American soccer landscape, Leagues Cup will have a qualifying slot to the Concacaf Champions League beginning in 2023 when the Champions League adopts a new format.

Sporting Kansas City will kick off the club’s 2021 MLS regular season on Saturday, April 17, visiting the New York Red Bulls in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Red Bull Arena.

Manager Peter Vermes’ side will then play host to Orlando City SC the Children’s Mercy Park home opener on Friday, April 23. The 6:30 p.m. match will be televised live on FS1 and FOX Deportes.

The full MLS regular season schedule and Sporting KC ticket information for home matches at Children’s Mercy Park will be announced soon.

Led by captain Johnny Russell, Mexican international striker Alan Pulido, former MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Tim Melia and MLS All-Stars Roger Espinoza, Ilie Sanchez and Graham Zusi, Sporting will look to build upon a successful 2020 campaign that saw the team finish first in the Western Conference for the second time in three years.

Vermes’ men have won four major championships over the last decade – hoisting the 2013 MLS Cup and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles in 2012, 2015 and 2017 – in addition to making nine playoff appearances since 2011.

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Pulido to join Mexico’s national team

Sporting Kansas City striker Alan Pulido has been selected to the Mexico Men’s National Team for two upcoming friendly matches in Europe, the Mexican Football Federation has announced.

Pulido will join a 26-player squad assembled by head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino for games at Wales on March 27 in Cardiff and against Concacaf rival Costa Rica on March 30 in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

Following the friendly matches, Pulido will adhere to mandated health and safety protocols in accordance with international travel before rejoining Sporting Kansas City in April for the start of the 2021 MLS regular season.

Pulido tallied seven goals and five assists in 14 appearances across all competitions during his first MLS season with Sporting in 2020.

His six goals and five assists in regular season play were both team highs, marking the first time since 2005 that a player has led Sporting in both goals and assists. Sporting went 8-2-1 and averaged 2.27 goals per match in the 11 regular season games that he started.

Last November, Pulido was one of three finalists for 2020 MLS Newcomer of the Year and was selected as Sporting’s Offensive Player of the Year. His contributions helped manager Peter Vermes’ side finish atop the Western Conference standings with a 12-6-3 record and 1.86 points per match, the highest clip in club history.

Pulido has recorded five goals in 14 career caps for Mexico, most recently featuring in El Tri’s 2-2 friendly draw against Algeria last October in the Netherlands. He has notably represented his country at the 2011 Copa America in Argentina and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The 30-year-old forward is one of four MLS players on Mexico’s roster, joining Rodolfo Pizarro of Inter Miami CF and LA Galaxy duo Efrain Alvarez and Jonathan dos Santos.

A native of Ciudad Victoria, Pulido has featured for Mexico at the U-20, U-23 and senior levels. He led El Tri to the 2011 Concacaf U-20 Championship title, scoring three goals at the tournament, before making five appearances at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia as Mexico finished in third place.

In April 2012, Pulido and the Mexico U-23s hoisted the Concacaf Olympic Qualifying Tournament title at Children’s Mercy Park. The semifinal and final matches both took place in Sporting’s home stadium, with Pulido scoring in a 3-1 semifinal victory over Canada.

He finished as the competition’s leading scorer with five goals, helping Mexico book their place at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and guided El Tri to the Toulon Tournament championship later that year in France.

Pulido made his senior international debut on Jan. 29, 2014, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-0 friendly win against South Korea in San Antonio, Texas. He added another goal in a 2-2 friendly draw with the United States over two months later and bagged his fifth Mexico goal in a friendly win over Iceland in February 2017.

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Sporting to start preseason matches March 13 in Arizona

Sporting Kansas City has announced four friendly matches for the 2021 preseason.

The four matches will be held in Arizona.

The preseason matches begin with Phoenix Rising FC on March 13 at the USL Championship club’s new training facility at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Arizona.

Manager Peter Vermes’ team will then face three MLS Western Conference opponents at Kino North Complex in Tucson, Arizona.

Sporting will play the Colorado Rapids on March 20, the Portland Timbers on March 24 and the LA Galaxy on April 3.

Limited fan attendance is expected because of health and safety regulations.

FC Tucson announced today that Sporting is one of five clubs participating in the 2021 Visit Tucson Sun Cup, with Colorado, LA, Phoenix and Real Salt Lake. It will be the 12th consecutive season Sporting plays preseason matches in Arizona.

Sporting started voluntary preseason training this week at Compass Minerals National Performance Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The club will travel to Arizona on Sunday for the start of a four-week preseason camp that runs March 8 to April 3.

Sporting will return to Kansas City in early April for the final two weeks of preseason preparation ahead of the 2021 MLS regular season, which is scheduled to kick off the weekend of April 17. The MLS regular season schedule will see all 27 clubs play 34 matches, and is expected to be released soon.

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