An hour before every Sporting Kansas City match, the club’s coaches huddle in a room inside Children’s Mercy Park and analyze an opponent’s recently unveiled starting lineup. The assumption is that the adversary does the same.
In the chess match of coaching, respective staffs often go to extreme lengths to conceal their starting lineups — until they must be released an hour before game time.
For Sporting Kansas City this week, the suspicion is nearly gone. And it’s been that way for its entire CONCACAF Champions League schedule.
At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sporting KC will play host to Vancouver in its third CCL game.