Sporting Kansas City plays host to the storied Chivas Mexican soccer club Monday night

Sporting Kansas City have played host to some of the best soccer teams in Mexico thanks to the CONCACAF Champions League and its various iterations.

But none of carried the pedigree and following of Chivas, Sporting’s Monday night opponent for a 9 p.m. Leagues Cup match at Children’s Mercy Park.

Monterrey, Toluca, and Club Leon have made appearances here in the last five years, and before that, Cruz Azul visited. Those four teams are among the 10 most successful in Mexican history.

But the top two on that list of 10 are something else entirely.

Chivas and Club América occupy a tier all their own. They hail from the two largest cities in Mexico. Chivas, from Guadalajara in Jalisco, boast 12 titles; América, based in Mexico City, 13. They share a storied rivalry, and their respective fan bases dwarf the followings of most other teams in their league — or any in Major League Soccer, for that matter.

“They perceive and think of themselves as a club that, when they go into any competition, they should be competing for the trophy,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said Sunday. “And the most important thing to them is results. They play with that kind of pride and execution game in and out.”

In their 117-year history, Chivas have accumulated those 12 league championships, four Copa MX titles (similar to the U.S. Open Cup) and two CONCACAF Champions League crowns. Their most recent CCL title, in 2018, came with current KC striker Alan Pulido manning the front line.

Two of Sporting KC’s biggest signings in club history, Pulido and former KC player Omar Bravo, came directly from Chivas.

But current form is more important than history for Monday’s matchup, and Chivas have been flying. Despite a 3-1 loss to Cincinnati in a game delayed more than 12 hours by severe weather, the “Goats” have been one of the best teams in the Americas over the last eight months.

They finished third in the 2023 Clausura (winter/spring season for Liga MX), making it all the way to the final before losing in extra time.

The winner of Monday’s match advances to the knockout phase of the Leagues Cup. Sporting must win in regulation or a shootout to advance.

“Because of the way the groups are … each game is a final, and you have to participate as such,” Vermes said.

How will Sporting cope without Pulido?

Pulido’s red card in Sporting KC’s shootout loss to Cincinnati has knocked him out of Monday’s match against his former team.

Pulido will also be suspended for KC’s next game, should Sporting advance. Sporting unsuccessfully appealed to have the suspension dropped to a single game.

How Vermes chooses to fill the striker position for this match will be interesting, as he has many options. Willy Agada could play a part, but he has not featured since April due to a stress fracture in his leg. The number of minutes he can play would likely be less than 30.

So that leaves rookie Stephen Afrifa or Khiry Shelton as potential and natural fits. There’s also the option of running a false nine, something Vermes has done in the past based on player availability.

Gadi Kinda has featured in that role a few times (he did so after Pulido’s expulsion from the Cincinnati match). Erik Thommy also played the role momentarily in the Open Cup, and Vermes afterward said he was “surprised” at how well Thommy handled it.

A familiar face on the other side

Chivas’ head coach is Veljko Paunovic, who spent four seasons as manager of the Chicago Fire. He and Vermes had a good relationship, and the two greeted each other and exchanged gifts ahead of Sunday’s pre-match news conferences.

Vermes succeeded against Paunovic’s Fire, winning three of four head-to-head matchups. But, with all due respect to the Fire, the team Paunovic has at his disposal now should prove to be a much more competitive test for Sporting.

Paunovic has faced Sporting enough to know how KC operates. On Sunday, he credited Sporting’s game-planning.

“Their teams are very possession-oriented,” Paunovic said. “They love to attack, they’re very challenging and physically demanding. So it’s going to be a tough match for us.”

Chivas will be without key defender Gilberto Sepulveda, who was (like Pulido) red-carded during a recent match vs. Cincinnati.

But Chivas may nonetheless field a stronger side against Sporting than they did vs. Cincinnati. After all, they know what they’re up against.

“We know that for both of us, all or nothing is in play,” Paunovic said. “So that facilitates a little bit of the approach, and we all know what we have to do.”