In the moment Jordi Quintilla’s penalty kick rolled across the goal line in Chester, Penn., last September, Sporting Kansas City not only clinched the U.S. Open Cup title, it secured a spot in the 2016 CONCACAF Champions League.
But a year later, that CCL competition has felt less like a reward and more like an inconvenience — the product of an unfavorable schedule mixed with discouraging results in early group-play matches.
Whatever the reason, it’s culminated in this: Four days before attempting to secure a spot in the MLS playoffs, Sporting KC will play host to Central FC in a CCL match Wednesday that holds zero consequence.