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Sporting Kansas City aren’t in the clear just yet, but Friday’s pulsating 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids gave the club a massive boost in its bid to reach the MLS is Back Tournament Knockout Stage presented by Audi.
Manager Peter Vermes’ men will enter their Group D finale on Wednesday against Real Salt Lake knowing that a win would cement a top-two finish in the group and automatic progression to the Round of 16. Before we dive into the qualifying scenarios below, let’s lay out the Group D standings.
| Group D | Points | Overall | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Club | PTS | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
| 1 | Real Salt Lake | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Minnesota United FC | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Sporting Kansas City | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | -3 |
Tiebreakers: (1) Goal differential, (2) Goals scored, (3) Fewest disciplinary points
A quick refresher: the MLS is Back Tournament has divided the 24 participating clubs into six groups of four. The top two teams in Groups A through F, as well as the four best third-place finishers, will progress to the Round of 16. With that in mind…
Sporting will finish first in Group D on Wednesday if:
- Sporting beats Real Salt Lake AND Colorado wins or ties vs. Minnesota
Sporting will finish second in Group D on Wednesday if:
- Sporting beats Real Salt Lake AND Minnesota beats Colorado, OR
- Sporting ties Real Salt Lake, Colorado beats Minnesota, and Sporting finishes with a better goal difference than Minnesota (or SKC and MIN finish equal on goal difference, but SKC finishes with more goals scored)
To put it plainly, Sporting is in with a win on Wednesday. A draw could seal a top-two finish as well, but only if the Loons fall to Colorado and Sporting wins the head-to-head tiebreaker against Minnesota.
Should Sporting draw on Wednesday and finish third in the group, they would still stand a very good chance of advancing as one of the four best third-place teams. A fourth-place finish is only possible if Sporting loses to RSL, Colorado beats Minnesota and the Rapids win the head-to-head tiebreaker against Sporting.
Group D Match Schedule: Wednesday, July 22
- 8 a.m. CT | Sporting KC vs. Real Salt Lake | ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN app
- 9:30 p.m. CT | Colorado Rapids vs. Minnesota United FC | ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN app
Wednesday’s clash versus RSL is slated for 8 a.m. CT on ESPN, the earliest kickoff to a competitive match in Sporting’s history.
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