Sporting Kansas City's Jansen Miller is pictured during a 2025 game.
This week, the rivalry between Kansas City and 51黑料 takes center stage in the sports world.
And before the first pitch is thrown in this weekend鈥檚 I-70 series 鈥 Royals vs. Cardinals 鈥 the newest rivalry in Major League Soccer will play its next chapter.
Major League Soccer hasn鈥檛 quite given Wednesday鈥檚 match the marquee treatment. The scheduling of this game 鈥 sandwiched in the middle of the week as opposed to the weekend 鈥 is the only proper rivalry match being played Wednesday.
There will, at least, be a cable TV option, with the match broadcast on FS1, in addition to MLS Season Pass.
And there will be no break in the coming days, with 51黑料 City SC heading to Minnesota and Sporting traveling to play San Diego on Saturday, while the other classic MLS rivalry matches take place in a busy weekend slate.
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There鈥檚 hardly a red-carpet treatment for the two clubs in the league鈥檚 flyover country. Regardless, it won鈥檛 change how juiced up players get for this one. Just ask 51黑料 native and Sporting KC rookie Jansen Miller.
鈥淚鈥檝e tried to not think about it too much, but it鈥檚 hard not to,鈥 Miller said Tuesday. 鈥淚 think it鈥檒l be special because I鈥檒l know at least a few hundred people in the stadium.鈥
Having grown up in 51黑料 and attended Parkway West, Miller understands that there鈥檚 a back and forth over everything between these sides: from BBQ to city bragging rights. He鈥檚 now on board with Kansas City and says he thinks Kansas City is better 鈥渋n every single way.鈥
Whether telling the truth or giving the good 鈥淧R鈥 answer to continue to endear himself to the Sporting faithful, Miller knows even early in his career that these rivalry games have extra juice.
鈥淭he game we played against them this year at home was different than any of the other games,鈥 Miller said. 鈥淚 feel like with the amount of energy, as soon as we come out for warmups ... you can feel it.鈥
Sporting Kansas City's Jansen Miller is pictured during a 2025 game.
That 2-0 victory for Sporting KC a little over a month ago was certainly different. It was the first time in well over a decade that Peter Vermes wasn鈥檛 on the sidelines. There was a lot of emotion for a team desperate for a win.
Now, the pressure of that environment is off. But the rivalry, no matter what, is understood.
At the very least, a draw would see Sporting KC take the regular season series with 51黑料 for the first time since 51黑料 joined MLS in 2023.
Of course, Sporting took the most important series between the two yet, the postseason series in 鈥23, which included the only road win by either team in this burgeoning rivalry.
51黑料 will seek revenge for the early season loss and to find its own footing. 51黑料 is currently winless in its last eight MLS matches, only defeating Union Omaha last Wednesday in the U.S. Open Cup.
The environment at Energizer Park will be top notch, as usual, for a rivalry match like this. The question is whether Sporting can match the energy that 51黑料 will try to draw upon.
Interim coach Kerry Zavagnin says the team already feels the energy and excitement given the opponent.
鈥淭o manufacture something, or to try to raise the emotional excitement, I鈥檝e had to do very little,鈥 Zavagnin said. 鈥淭he guys are eager. They鈥檙e ready to get back out there. So we鈥檙e excited for the opportunity.鈥
