Sporting KC faces knockout stage at MLS is Back tourney

After picking up two victories in the three-game group stage of the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando, Sporting KC is headed to the knockout stage, where it will face Vancouver in Sunday’s 10 p.m. win-or-go-home match.

The game will be the latest scheduled start in Sporting KC history and comes four days after Sporting played its earliest competitive match against Real Salt Lake.

The contest will be televised live on FS1 and broadcast on the radio at 810 WHB.

Sporting KC (4-1-0) last faced the Whitecaps (2-3-0) on opening day of the 2020 MLS season in late February in Vancouver. Sporting picked up a 3-1 victory behind goals from Alan Pulido, Gadi Kinda and Erik Hurtado.

The win pushed Sporting KC’s edge in the all-time series with Vancouver to 10-3-4.

Dating back to 2018, Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes’ club is 4-0-1 in its last five meetings against Vancouver, scoring 17 goals and allowing just three.

The winner of Sunday’s match will advance to the quarterfinals and meet either the Philadelphia Union or the New England Revolution at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The knockout stage, which runs through Aug. 11, will feature 16 clubs contending for a championship and the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League berth that comes with it.

The winning team will also receive a sizable share of a $1.1 million prize pool. Unlike in the group stage, matches in the round of 16 will not count toward the regular season standings and games tied after 90 minutes will go straight to penalty kicks.

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