November 24, 2023 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Sporting Kansas City News Release
Sporting Kansas City’s road to MLS Cup resumes on Sunday with the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals as the team travels to Texas to take on Houston Dynamo FC with the winner advancing to the Western Conference Final.
The single-elimination match between No. 8 seed Sporting KC and No. 4 seed Houston Dynamo FC will kick off at 6:09 p.m. CT on Sunday at Shell Energy Stadium and will stream in English and Spanish on Apple TV for MLS Season Pass subscribers. Live coverage will also air on FS1, FOX Deportes, ESPN Kansas City 94.5 FM and 1510 AM, La Grande 1340 AM and SiriusXM FC.
In the MLS Cup Playoffs for an 11th time since 2011 and 20th postseason overall in club history, Sporting KC will make its fourth conference semifinal appearance since 2018 – tied for most in MLS over the last six seasons. Houston, on the other hand, have missed the playoffs each of the past five seasons however the Dynamo have reached the Conference Finals in seven of the club’s previous eight playoff appearances.
Sporting Kansas City swept No. 1 seed St. Louis CITY SC in a Round One Best-of-3 series – producing the only upset thus far in the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs – after first prevailing in a penalty shootout against No. 9 seed San Jose Earthquakes in the Western Conference Wild Card game.
Houston reached the Western Conference Semifinals by advancing past No. 5 seed Real Salt Lake in a Round One Best-of-3 series that went the full three games. Houston won Game 1 with a 2-1 victory at home before falling in penalties after a 1-1 draw in Game 2 on the road. Houston returned home for Game 3 and sealed the series in a shootout after another 1-1 stalemate in regulation.
Sporting Kansas City has faced Houston more times in the postseason, and more times in all competition (45) during the Sporting era (2011-present), than any other opponent. Houston prevailed in four of the previous five playoff match-ups, including the most recent postseason encounter in 2017, however Sporting Kansas City defeated the Dynamo in the club’s memorable run to the 2013 MLS Cup championship.
HOUvSKC in MLS Cup Playoffs
2007 Conference Final (HOU 2, SKC 0)
2011 Conference Final (HOU 2, SKC 0)
2012 Conference Semifinals (HOU 2, SKC 1)*
2013 Conference Semifinals (SKC 2, HOU 1)*
2017 Knockout Round (HOU 1, SKC 0)
2023 Conference Semifinals
*Aggregate score in home-and-away series
This season, the sides have…
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