Soccer

Toronto FC vs. Sporting KC 2017 live stream: Start time, TV channel, and how to watch online

Toronto and Sporting have had strangely similar seasons so far, and on Friday we’ll find out who the better team is.

Mar 31, 2017, 3:59 PM UTC

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Neither Toronto FC nor Sporting KC has entirely enjoyed the start to their Major League Soccer campaigns. Both teams are undefeated and sit in fifth place in their respective conferences, but have won only five points apiece and only picked up their first wins last weekend. Their curiously in-sync seasons will get put to the test on Friday, and BMO Field will be the proving ground to see which team can overcome its slow start better.

From a certain point of view, Toronto already has a big edge over Sporting in that they’re playing this match at home and are the team that’s had a better attack going so far, with four goals scored this season to Sporting’s two. This is also their season debut at BMO Field, after playing their first three matches on the road, and the extra momentum from playing in front of the home faithful should be enough to propel Toronto to an excellent result.

But Toronto FC are also dealing with several of their key players being tired after the international break, including two USMNT stars in Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley who played a lot of minutes in World Cup qualifying action. Sporting Kansas City’s international players didn’t see nearly as much time on the field, and that could give them a bit of a leg up in terms of each team’s energy level in this match. They also have a tough, tough defense, one that Toronto is going to struggle to break down, and seeing that dynamic shake out is going to bear close watching.