Sporting Kansas City, seeded eighth, is set to face fourth-seeded Houston Dynamo FC in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday, November 26, at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas. The match will be nationally televised on FS1 and FOX Deportes, with English and Spanish language streams available on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass.
Houston Dynamo FC advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals after a penalty shootout victory following a 1-1 draw in regulation against fifth-seeded Real Salt Lake in Game 3 of their Round One Best-of-3 series.
In the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, Sporting KC, making its 20th postseason appearance in club history and 11th since 2011, will play in the conference semifinals for the fourth time since 2018. They secured the only upset so far in the playoffs by sweeping top-seeded St. Louis CITY SC in a Round One Best-of-3 series, following a penalty shootout victory against the San Jose Earthquakes in the Western Conference Wild Card game.
The upcoming single-elimination match against Houston Dynamo FC, including two 15-minute extra time periods if tied after 90 minutes, will determine the team advancing to the Western Conference Final on December 2-3. The ultimate goal is to reach MLS Cup presented by Audi on December 9.
Sporting Kansas City has faced Houston more times in the postseason and in all competitions (45) during the Sporting era (2011-present) than any other opponent. While Houston won four of the previous five playoff matchups, Sporting Kansas City defeated the Dynamo during their memorable run to the 2013 MLS Cup championship.
The two teams have faced off three times this season across all competitions, with Houston winning 1-0 in the U.S. Open Cup on May 10. In MLS play, Sporting earned a 2-2 draw in Houston on July 8 and secured a 2-1 win on September 23 at Children’s Mercy Park, handing Houston their only loss since Leagues Cup.
