2017 Schedule Released for Sporting KC

MLS released the entirety of the 2017 MLS schedule today after previously announcing every team's home openers a few weeks ago. Sporting Kansas City got a much more fan friendly schedule than they did in 2016. Instead of having just four Saturday home games, like they did in 2016, Sporting KC have 10 in 2017, and just four home games on Sunday's this season. They also have two Wednesday games, and one Thursday game at home. On the road, KC has 13 road games on Saturday, two Sunday, one Wednesday, and one Friday. The schedule in 2016 was one of the big complaints that I heard from KC fans throughout the 2016 season with so many Sunday games and so many different game times for those home games. While the Saturday games increase for Sporting KC, they still have their fair share of nationally televised games, with nine. KC has four on FS1 (two home and two away), four on ESPN (three home and one away), and one on Unimas (away).

KC has only one stretch that I would term "brutal" this season too, in the span of a week, KC will go from playing at Orlando on May 13th, to Kansas City where they'll be playing MLS Cup winner Seattle on May 17th, and then make a trip to Vancouver for a Saturday game against the Whitecaps. Certainly not a friendly schedule there for Kansas City as they'll go cross country in a week. Thankfully though they don't have to go coast to coast for a Wednesday/Saturday game this year though. KC will also close the 2017 season on the road, with a Decision day trip to Rio Tinto Stadium to take on Real Salt Lake, a match up that has shown plenty of fire over the years could have even more pressure.

There are some good road trip options for fans as well this season. If you're a fan of the Kansas City Royals as well, I might suggest the trip to Dallas on April 22nd as the Royals are in Texas to take on the Texas Rangers the same weekend. Another trip, especially if you have a week to take off would be June 17th at San Jose and June 24th at Los Angeles, spending a week sightseeing in California doesn't sound like a bad way to spend a trip bookended by two Sporting games. Kansas City also makes two trips to Minnesota to take on expansion side, Minnesota United. KC has a trip on May 5th in Minnesota where the game is on Fox Sports 1 and a trip in October on the 7th when the game is on Unimas.

In terms of the international games this coming year, Sporting KC is only really avoiding one international window, in March as Sporting KC is off the weekend of the 24th when the US play Honduras and Panama. Other windows though KC is playing in the middle of the international break. KC faces Montreal on June 10th, one day before the US plays in Mexico City against Mexico. During the Gold Cup this summer, Sporting host Philadelphia two days before the US kicks off in the tournament on July 8th and plays Salt Lake on the road on July 22nd which is still going to be during the tournament. In September, Sporting plays in just one day after the US take on Honduras at San Pedro Sula on September 5th. The final World Cup qualifiers of the year in October will see Sporting KC take on Minnesota on the road one day after the US hosts Panama in a World Cup qualifier.

One interesting thing to watch this year will be KC's new television contract with Fox Sports KC which will see KC's games not on national television broadcasted on the channel. The thing to watch will be how many games get moved because of Kansas City Royals games. Currently Sporting and the Royals play on the same day on 19 of KC's 25 nationally televised game days (19 of 26 with FSKC presumably having English rights to the game on Unimas). The Royals game times are not known yet but could see quite a few Sporting KC games pushed to FSKC's secondary channel. Below where I listed the full Sporting schedule I've put in parenthesis the Royals games that are the same day when Sporting doesn't play on national television.

Saturday, March 4 at DC 6:00pm
Saturday, March 11 vs Dallas 8:00pm
Saturday, March 18 vs San Jose 7:30pm
Friday, March 31 at Toronto 6:30pm FS1
Sunday, April 9 vs Colorado 6:00pm FS1
Saturday, April 15 at Portland 9:30pm (KC Royals vs Anaheim Angels)
Saturday, April 22 at Dallas 7:00pm (KC Royals at Texas Rangers)
Saturday, April 29 vs Salt Lake 7:30pm (KC Royals vs Minnesota Twins)
Wednesday, May 3 vs New York 7:30pm (KC Royals vs Chicago White Sox)
Sunday, May 7 at Minnesota 12:30pm FS1
Saturday, May 13 at Orlando 6:30pm (KC Royals vs Baltimore Orioles)
Wednesday, May 17 vs Seattle 7:30pm (KC Royals vs New York Yankees)
Saturday, May 20 at Vancouver TBD (KC Royals at Minnesota Twins)
Saturday, May 27 at Colorado 7pm (KC Royals at Cleveland Indians)
Saturday, June 3 vs Minnesota 4:00pm ESPN
Saturday, June 10 vs Montreal TBD (KC Royals at San Diego Padres)
Saturday, June 17 at San Jose 8:00pm (KC Royals at Anaheim Angels)
Saturday, June 24 at Los Angeles 9:30pm (KC Royals vs Toronto Blue Jays)
Saturday, July 1 vs Portland 6:00pm ESPN
Thursday, July 6 vs Philadelphia 7:30pm
Saturday, July 22 at Salt Lake 9:00pm (KC Royals vs Chicago White Sox)
Saturday, July 29 vs Chicago 7:30pm (KC Royals at Boston Red Sox)
Sunday, August 6 vs Atlanta 7:00pm FS1
Saturday, August 12 at Seattle 3:00pm (KC Royals at Chicago White Sox)
Saturday, August 19 vs Dallas 7:30pm (KC Royals vs Cleveland Indians)
Saturday, August 26 at Houston 8:00pm (KC Royals at Cleveland Indians)
Wednesday, September 6 at NYCFC TBD (KC Royals at Detroit Tigers)
Sunday, September 10 at Columbus 12:00pm ESPN
Saturday, September 16 vs New England 7:30pm (KC Royals at Cleveland Indians)
Sunday, September 24 vs Los Angeles 12:00pm ESPN
Saturday, September 30 vs Vancouver TBD (KC Royals vs Arizona Diamondbacks)
Saturday, October 7 at Minnesota 7:00pm Unimas
Sunday, October 15 vs Houston 4:00pm
Sunday, October 22 at Salt Lake 3:00pm