Sporting Kansas City aim to finish the job Thursday night when the club takes a 3-0 aggregate lead into the decisive second leg of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 against Deportivo Toluca FC.
Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. CT at Estadio Nemesio Diez in Toluca, Mexico, with an English-language live stream on YahooSports.com and the Yahoo Sports app. The showdown will also air live in Spanish on Univision Deportes, while Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish) will carry the game locally over the radio. Additional in-game updates and exclusive updates will be available on the new Sporting KC app, available for free download on the App Store and Google Play.
Led by manager Peter Vermes, Sporting KC is on the brink of reaching the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2014 thanks to a resounding 3-0 first-leg win last Thursday at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
Nemeth, Gerso Fernandes and Ilie Sanchez bagged goals as Sporting KC became just the second American or MLS team in the 54-year history of the Concacaf Champions League to defeat a Mexican opponent by three goals.
The task at hand is far from over, however, as Toluca can win the series with a four-goal victory or force penalty kicks with a 3-0 triumph of their own.
Sporting, meanwhile, can advance to the quarterfinals with a win, a draw, a loss by two or fewer goals, or a three-goal loss in which they score at least once (4-1, 5-2, etc.). Should the hosts secure a 3-0 victory after 90 minutes, no extra time will be played and the series will be decided by penalties.
Seven days after Sporting cruised in its earliest competitive game in club history, the team will now prepare for its highest-altitude match of all-time. The 30,000-seat Estadio Nemesio Diez in Toluca is perched at an elevation of 8,750 feet and holds a formidable reputation as one of the toughest places to play in North America.
With a three-goal aggregate lead, Sporting ventures south of the border in search of its first positive result on Mexican soil. The team is 0-4-0 all-time in Mexico, including a 5-1 second-leg loss to eventual champion Cruz Azul in the 2013-14 Champions League quarterfinals. This was the last time Vermes’ men visited Mexico and remains Kansas City’s best-ever finish in North America’s premier club tournament.
Toluca’s first-leg setback at Children’s Mercy Park was followed by a 4-0 road loss to Santos Laguna in Liga MX on Sunday. The defeat extended Toluca’s winless run to seven games across all competitions and prompted the dismissal of manager Hernan Cristante, whose team has been outscored 14-1 during a dismal 0-6-1 stretch. Jose Luis Real, Toluca’s academy director, has taken interim managerial duties, having previously coached Chivas USA in MLS in 2013.
Despite their recent maladies, los Diablos Rojos remain dangerous with a slew of talented Argentines-including recently acquired defender Jonatan Maidana and forward Emmanuel Gigliotti-as well as experienced Mexican veterans in goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera, midfielder Antonio Rios and winger Carlos Esquivel. Toluca is making its first Champions League appearances since finishing runners-up to Cruz Azul in 2014.
The series winner between Sporting and Toluca will progress to the quarterfinals to face Panamanian minnows Independiente, who earned a stunning 5-1 aggregate victory over Canadian giants Toronto FC in the Round of 16. Independiente routed the Reds 4-0 at home on Feb. 19 and claimed an aggregate triumph following Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at BMO Field in Toronto. The Champions League quarterfinal legs are scheduled for March 5-7 and March 12-14, with Independiente slated to host the first leg in La Chorrera, Panama.
Sporting has the opportunity to achieve a record at Estadio Nemesio Diez. In Concacaf Champions League and Concacaf Champions’ Cup history (1962-present), no American team has ever advanced against a Mexican opponent in a two-leg series with the second leg played in Mexico.
After battling at altitude on Thursday, Sporting will return to the United States for their 2019 MLS regular season opener at Los Angeles Football Club on Sunday night. The high-profile match will kick off at 7 p.m. CT, airing live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.
- Story from Sporting KC