Sporting to Kick Off Champions League Play on February 21st

Sporting Kansas City will be playing the earliest competitive game in the club’s history in 2019 when they begin their 2019 CONCACAF Champions League campaign on February 21st. Kansas City begins their campaign at Children’s Mercy Park where they’ll host Liga MX side, Toluca FC.

The return leg of the home and home series will take place a week later on February 28th in Mexico. It’ll be Kansas City’s fifth trip to Mexico after traveling to play Santos Laguna in 2001 and 2002, Morelia in 2002, and Cruz Azul in 2014. In their prior four trips south of the border, Sporting is 0-4 having scored five goals while conceding 17.

In the home leg of each of those four series, Kansas City is 2-1-1 with wins over Santos Laguna (2-0 in 2002) and Cruz Azul (1-0 in 2014). They tied Morelia 1-1 in 2002, and lost 1-0 to Santos Laguna in 2001.

The match up with Toluca is certainly on paper the hardest of the five match ups featuring MLS teams, by virtue of the fact that Sporting’s slot was seeded in pot B, meaning a match up with a Liga MX team or Toronto in the round of 16. KC will certainly have it’s hands full against 2018 Clausura runners up.

The games will be broadcast on Yahoo Sports in English and Univision Deportes in Spanish.