Sporting Kansas City holds a 1-0 lead on aggregate as it travels to Mexico City to face Cruz Azul in the second leg of the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
Sporting KC qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League by defeating the Seattle Sounders FC in a penalty kick shootout in the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Sporting KC was then drawn into Group 2 along with Real Esteli FC and CD Olimpia.
With two wins and two draws in the group stage, Sporting KC advanced to the quarterfinals.
Cruz Azul — currently in first place in the Liga MX Clausura — finished as runners-up in the 2013 Clausura Liguilla to qualify for the 2013-14 edition of CCL.
La Maquina held a perfect 4-0-0 record in Group 3, beating Herediano and Valencia two times each to earn the No. 2 overall seed for the Championship Stage.
Sporting Kansas City defeated Cruz Azul 1-0 in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals last Wednesday at Sporting Park.
Sporting KC homegrown defender Kevin Ellis scored the game’s lone goal, his first as a professional in a competitive match, and Eric Kronberg recorded his fourth shutout of the tournament.
Three players will be suspended for the second leg due to caution accumulation: Sporting Kansas City defender Seth Sinovic, Cruz Azul defender Rogelio Chavez and Cruz Azul midfielder Alejandro Castro. Aurelien Collin will be available for Sporting Kansas City after serving his one-game suspension during the first leg.
Sporting KC will advance to the semifinals with a win or draw in Mexico City.
If Sporting Kansas City lose on Wednesday , the club can advance if they score a road goal and limit the loss to a one-goal margin.
A 1-0 defeat would force overtime and potentially penalty kicks if still deadlocked, while a defeat by two or more goals would see Sporting KC eliminated from the tournament.
Wednesday’s winner will advance to face either the LA Galaxy (USA) or Tijuana (MEX), who meet in Mexico tonight at 9 p.m. on FOX Sports 2 (English) and Galavision (Spanish), in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals.
The two-game series will be played April 1-3 and April 8-10 with Sporting Kansas City or Cruz Azul holding home field advantage.
The match tonight will be nationally televised on FOX Sports 2 (English) and Galavision (Spanish) beginning at 9 p.m.
Johnny’s Tavern in the KC Power and Light District (1310 Grand Boulevard) will hold the club’s official Watch Party on Wednesday.