Sporting KC to host Club León or Chivas in Leagues Cup

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Sporting Kansas City will host one of two Mexican league top teams in the 2021 Leagues Cup on August 10, 2021.

Club León face Cruz Azul in the 2021 Campeón de Campeones (Champion of Champions), a match between the winners of the summer and winter tournaments respectively, on July 18.

If Club León wins, they will play in the 2021 Campeones Cup against 2021 MLS Cup winner Columbus Crew. Sporting will then host Chivas Guadalajara.

If Club León loses, they will travel to Children’s Mercy Park for the quarterfinal of the Leagues Cup.

The Leagues Cup includes the top two teams from each MLS conference who did not qualify for the Concacaf Champions League; Sporting KC, Orlando City, Seattle Sounders and New York City FC, and three Liga MX sides who didn’t qualify for the Champions League; Tigres UANL, Pumas, Santos Laguna and the remaining slot depending on Club León’s result.

If Chivas pays a visit to Kansas City, it will be a reunion for Sporting forward Alan Pulido who joined Sporting KC from Chivas in 2020.

Pulido won the 2019 Concacaf Champions League with Chivas.

This will be just the fourth time that Sporting KC will host a Mexican opponent and the first since the April 2019 Concacaf Champions League when they lost 10-2 on aggregate to Monterrey.

Sporting defeated Cruz Azul at home in the 2013-14 Champions League and Deportivo Toluca in the 2019 edition of the tournament.

The Leagues Cup pitting Liga MX versus MLS teams will kickoff a few weeks before the MLS and Liga MX All-Stars face on in Los Angeles on August 26.

Tickets for the matchup will be available to the general public on July 9 at 10 a.m.