Sporting KC unveils schedule for remainder of 2020, with reduced capacity at home games
Sporting Kansas City will be returning to MLS action as soon as Aug. 21, with the club on Saturday unveiling its first six games of the continued regular season.
And more than just the team will be returning to Children’s Mercy Park. Some fans will be allowed to attend, too.
Sporting’s next three home games, which will take place under the “first phase” of MLS’ resumption of the 2020 season, will be watched in front of crowds limited to 14 percent of normal capacity due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
That’s 2,585 fans.
“The safety and well-being of fans, players and staff at Children’s Mercy Park remains our top priority,” said Dr. Neal Erickson, Sporting KC’s primary care physician. “After consulting extensively with local officials, government authorities and public health experts, we feel confident about the detailed safety protocols and procedures in place at Sporting KC home matches.”
“We will continue to monitor the evolving public health landscape and adapt accordingly.”
Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes, who helped the league develop spring protocols for COVID safety that enabled MLS teams to get back on the field sooner than teams in most other sports, is eager to get back to playing soccer.
“I would say now, as we come back to our markets, I think all of our players and all our staff members at the end of the day we want to get as close to what our regular schedule looks like and play in our stadium with fans there and everything else,” Vermes said. “I think everybody is excited for that opportunity and we’re looking forward to our next game.”
Less than a month after bowing out of the MLS is Back tournament quarterfinals in Orlando, Sporting KC (4-0-1) will resume play at Minnesota United on Aug. 21.
The two met in the MLS is Back group stage, with the Loons winning 2-1 after primary Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia was assessed a red card. His absence paved the way to two stoppage-time goals for Minnesota.
Sporting KC will then return to Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. for the first time since March to play the Houston Dynamo on Aug. 25. Sporting’s last home game was also against the Dynamo and resulted in a 4-0 March victory for the hosts.
Four days later, KC will travel to Colorado to take on the Rapids — another MLS is Back group-stage replay. Sporting won that one in Florida 3-2 on Graham Zusi’s stoppage-time goal.
The second half of phase one of the MLS season restart will see Kansas City host FC Dallas on Sept. 2, travel to Houston to play the Dynamo again on Sept. 5, and then play host Minnesota Sept. 13.
The league plans to conclude the regular season by Nov. 8, with all teams playing 18 games by then. The MLS Cup is scheduled for Dec. 12
Fans at Children’s Mercy Park will be required to wear face masks, and the club will enforce social-distancing guidelines developed in conjunction with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan.
Some of those guidelines will include assigned seating and six feet of space between assigned seating groups, acceptance of cashless payments only and heavy sanitization of all areas inside the stadium, including seats and railings.
This story was originally published August 8, 2020 at 12:41 PM with the headline "Sporting KC unveils schedule for remainder of 2020, with reduced capacity at home games."