As Sporting Kansas City players walked through Children’s Mercy Park after a recent playoff victory, a couple of the newcomers approached captain Matt Besler. They spoke of the intensity within the match, their nerves over the final half hour and the incessant crowd noise.
“Welcome to the playoffs,” Besler responded in a matter-of-fact manner.
During its first postseason series in five years, Sporting KC encountered a bit of everything. A deficit in the first leg. A two-goal lead in the second leg. A defend-for-your-lives half hour to conclude the series.
It totaled a spot in the Western Conference Finals against Portland.