Less than three months after Sporting Kansas City's 2018 season came to a screeching halt in a two-leg playoff series, the competitive portion of 2019 begins with yet another cup tie to be decided on aggregate goals.
Sporting begin the Concacaf Champions League with likely the toughest draw of any MLS entrant, playing Liga MX stalwarts Toluca in the first round, with the first leg slated for Children's Mercy Park on Thursday night (7 p.m. CT | YahooSports.com, UDN).
But despite the difficulty of the challenge and the lingering sting of last year's postseason disappointment, when Sporting lost the Western Conference Championship to the Portland Timbers, captain Matt Besler insists his squad are confident ahead of Leg 1.