When: Monday, August 3 at 8 p.m.
Where: Children’s Mercy Park
How to Watch: MLS Season Pass (FREE!)

Leagues Cup West Group 4 Standings
1. Toluca – 3 Points
2. Sporting KC – 3 Points
3. Chicago Fire – 0 points

Last Result
SKC: 2-1 Win vs Chicago Fire
TOL: 3-1 Win at Chicago Fire

PREVIEW:

Sporting Kansas City return to Leagues Cup action in a fight for the top of the table against Liga MX-side Toluca at Children’s Mercy Park.

Both Toluca and SKC are coming off group wins against the Chicago Fire with one additional goal separating the Mexican side for the lead.

SKC came back after falling behind 1-0 early in the first half on a goal from Georgios Koutsias gave the visitors the lead. Robert Castellanos’s header before half time came off a set piece from Remi Walter. Then in the second half, Willy Agada once again found the back of the net off of a spectacular cross from Stephen Afrifa. Agada has now scored 6 goals in the last 6 matches across all competitions.

This is the third time Toluca and SKC have faced off trading beatdowns. Monday’s meeting is a rematch from last year’s Leagues Cup Round of 32 match where Toluca crushed SKC 4-1 at CMP. The two teams also met in 2019 in the CONCACAF Champions League where Sporting crushed Toluca 4-0.

Toluca, who currently sit fifth in Liga MX, dispatched of the fire 3-1 on the back of a first-half brace from 23-year-old Marcel Ruiz. Their roster boasts the likes of Alexis Vega (MEX) and Maxi Araujo (URU) who played for their respective nations in this summer’s Copa America.

Portuguese forward Paulinho leads the team in scoring with 3 goals in Liga MX so far this season.

The winner of the match will face off against the winner of West Group 8 which consists of Real Salt Lake, Houston Dynamo and Atlas FC. RSL sit atop the group and will play Houston on Monday. The runner of West Group 4 will faceoff with the Columbus Crew in the round of 32.

According to Peter Vermes, everyone is available for the match, including John Pulskamp and Jake Davis who have returned from France after the United States was eliminated on Friday.

For Sporting KC, the Leagues Cup is another chance for hardware with the semifinal of the US Open Cup coming later in August, and the final stretch of the regular season as they try to string together wins and play for a postseason spot.

SKC are also coming of their busiest stretch of the season and are as close to full health as they’ve been in 2024.

Think what you may about the Leagues Cup, but a good performance by Kansas City could provide rhythm and momentum to finish out 2024 in a positive way after a brutal midseason slump that dug them a hole they are still working to get out of.