Veteran midfielder Roger Espinoza and Sporting Kansas City are in full preparation mode for a situation none of the players have faced since they were middle schoolers: playing a real, competitive match at 9 o’clock in the morning.
Sporting’s group stage finale in the MLS is Back Tournament will come against a familiar foe in Real Salt Lake, but it will be played at a time during which most professional soccer players are more accustomed to training. The Group D encounter will kick off at 8 a.m. CT—that’s 9 a.m. local time in Walt Disney World—with Sporting needing a win or a draw to seal progression to the MLS is Back Tournament Knockout Stage presented by Audi.