Sporting Kansas City Weekly Update
Published on June 27, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
SPORTING KC TO HOST RIVALS CHICAGO FIRE ON FRIDAY
Sporting Kansas City will host the Chicago Fire at 7 p.m. CT on Friday at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. The match, presented by U.S. Bank, will be broadcast nationally on the NBC Sports Network and locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB. Tickets are available in extremely limited supply on Ticketmaster.com or at the LSP Box Offices.
The Sprint Plaza will host a Monster BMX Show prior to the match and the 2012 Media Game will be held at halftime on the field with local TV anchors, reporters and radio jockeys.
Chicago defeated Sporting Kansas City 2-1 at Toyota Park in May.
SPORTING KC ADVANCES TO U.S. OPEN CUP SEMIFINALS
Sporting Kansas City advanced to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals with a 3-0 victory over the Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO) at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Tuesday. Forward C.J. Sapong scored twice and Jimmy Nielsen posted his second consecutive U.S. Open Cup shutout to move Sporting KC into the semifinals against the Philadelphia Union on July 11 at PPL Park.
ROGER ESPINOZA NAMED TO HONDURAS OLYMPIC TEAM
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza was named to the Honduras roster for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Espinoza, 25, is one of three overage players selected by head coach Luis Suarez for the under-23 competition, along with Maynor Figueroa (Wigan Athletic) and Jerry Bengtson (Motagua).
Espinoza has made 25 appearances for the Honduras National Team at the highest levels, including the UNCAF Nations Cup, CONCACAF Gold Cup and FIFA World Cup. He most recently started and played the full 90 minutes in a scoreless draw at Canada in FIFA World Cup qualifying earlier this month.
Honduras was drawn into Group D alongside Morocco, Spain, and Japan and will play in the opening match of the London 2012 Olympic Games on July 26. The top two teams in the group will then advance to the knockout stage en route to the final on August 11.
NIELSEN AND CESAR WIN LEAGUE HONORS
Goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen and defender Julio Cesar swept the MLS awards for Weeks 13-15. Nielsen nabbed MLS Save of the Week for Weeks 13-15 . His foot save denied Danny Koevermans in Sporting Kansas City's 2-0 win over Toronto FC at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.
Julio Cesar's stunning strike in Sporting Kansas Citys' 2-0 win over Toronto FC last week was the overwhelming winner for MLS AT&T Goal of the Week . The Brazilian veteran picked up more votes than the other four candidates combined, accumulating 56% of the people's choice.
SIX CHOSEN FROM SPORTING KC FOR 2012 ALL-STAR GAME BALLOT
Major League Soccer revealed the 114 names of players - six per club - who were nominated for the fan ballot by a panel of media members. Sporting Kansas City's representatives are goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen, defender Aurelien Collin, midfielders Roger Espinoza and Graham Zusi, as well as forwards Kei Kamara and C.J. Sapong.
Through Monday, July 2 fans will be able to vote online at www.MLSsoccer.com and also by texting a player's last name via text to 22442.
The 11 players with the highest combined online, text and Twitter fan votes will become the First XI All-Stars and will be unveiled on Sunday, July 8 at halftime of the Chicago Fire vs. LA Galaxy match. One of those 11 spots is automatically claimed by the player that earns the most text votes.
KAMARA BILLBOARD FEATURED ON I-35
A new Sporting Kansas City billboard is on display above I-35, the latest in a series designed by local artist Chris Sembower. The billboard, part of the team's 2012 Live For It marketing campaign, can be seen at I-35 and Southwest Boulevard as you head north into downtown.
Kamara is the team's leading goal scorer this season. He's struck five times this season and moved into eighth place on the club's all-time chart with 25 goals since coming to KC in 2009.
PARDO SELECTED TO U.S. FUTSAL NATIONAL TEAM
Sporting Kansas City Academy goalkeeper coach Boris Pardo was named to the U.S. Futsal National Team which will be competing in the 2012 CONCACAF Futsal Championship in Guatemala next month.
Pardo has been an Academy coach for the past two years and was a former keeper on the Sporting KC senior squad (shown on right). He currently plays for the Missouri Comets in the Major Indoor Soccer League. The official roster includes 14 players from around the country with three of them coming from the Comets.
The U.S. Futsal team will play their first game at the regional championship on July 2 against Panama. The tournament serves as qualifying for the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup, with the top four teams securing spots at the sport's largest stage in Thailand later this year.
POPULOUS HONORED FOR WORK ON LSP
Populous, the Kansas City-based sports architecture firm, was honored with the Edward Tanner Award for their contributions to state-of-the-art LIVESTRONG Sporting Park at the Design Excellence Awards reception last week in downtown Kansas City. Sporting Club Vice President of Development David Ficklin represented Sporting Kansas City at the event, which was held at McCownGordon's office.
The awards celebrated the ingenuity and resiliency of Kansas City's top talent in residential and commercial interior and architecture designs. Design Excellence Awards winners are distinguished as the best among their Kansas City peers, and the Edward Tanner Award is considered the most prestigious honor bestowed at the annual awards ceremony.
Now in its fifth year, the Design Excellence Awards are sponsored by KC Magazine and the special Commercial Journal section of KC Business. The winners, as judged by an independent panel of industry professionals, will be featured in the July issue of both magazines.
LSP TO HOST USMNT IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
The U.S. Men's National Team will play a FIFA World Cup qualifier at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park for the first time when it hosts Guatemala on October 16 in the final match of Semifinal Round qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3 and TeleFutura. Ticket information will be available at a later date.
SPORTING KC ANNOUNCES FRIENDLY WITH MONTPELLIER
Sporting Kansas City will host French Ligue 1 champions Montpellier HSC at 7:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, July 24 at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. Tickets begin at $20 and are on sale to the public at Ticketmaster.com or at the LSP Box Offices.
All Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members will receive a ticket to the match, Special Game C, as part of their full-season ticket packages and parking is free for all Sporting KC home matches at LSP.
Founded in 1974, Montpellier Hérault Sport Club is coming off the club's best season in the team's storied history, winning the French Ligue 1 Title for the 2011-12 campaign. Led by French national team players Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (captain) and Olivier Giroud (21 goals and nine assists), as well as talented Moroccan international Younes Belhanda (awarded as best African player in France), Montpellier won 25 games and finished three points ahead of Paris Saint-Germain.
The first-place finish qualifies Montpellier HSC for the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League group stage to compete against the top clubs in Europe next season.
SPORTING KC TO HOST STOKE CITY FC ON AUGUST 1
Sporting Kansas City will host Stoke City FC of the Barclays Premier League at 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Aug. 1 at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. Ticket prices begin at $20 and are on sale now .
Founded in 1863, Stoke City are the oldest club in the Premier League and are led by Manager Tony Pulis and forward Peter Crouch, an England international with 22 goals in 42 appearances.
SPORTING KC ACADEMY U13 & U14 TEAMS IN REGIONAL FINALS
The Sporting Kansas City under-13 and under-14 academy teams reached the U.S. Youth Soccer Region II Regional Championships finals on Wednesday, making Sporting KC Academy the only club to have more than one team in the finals at the midwest regionals.
The U13's, Kansas State Cup champions, went 4-1-0 with the lone loss coming to Vardar today in the championship match. The U14's, Missouri State Cup champions, went 3-2-0 and fell to Chicago Magic in the final to finish runners-up.
LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR SPORTING CLUB 3v3 CLASSIC
GSI Sports & Sporting Kansas City are proud to host the 13th annual Sporting Club 3v3 Classic on July 7, 2012 at the Stump Park Soccer Complex in Shawnee, Kan. All teams will receive tickets to the Sporting KC vs. Houston Dynamo match and championship games will be played at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park after Sporting Kansas City's Eastern Conference championship rematch with the Dynamo.
Thursday, June 28 is the final day to register a team.
PRORATED 2012 SEASON TICKET PLANS AVAILABLE
Sporting Kansas City prorated season ticket plans are available for the remainder of the 2012 Major League Soccer season. The benefits include discounted rates, priority for purchasing playoff tickets, preferred parking and access to special events.
For ticket information, visit www.sportingkc.com or call 888-4KC-GOAL.
SPORTING KC UNVEILS BOYS AND GIRLS YOUTH SOCCER CAMPS FOR 2012
Sporting Kansas City and the Sporting Kansas City Juniors youth development academy will again offer a series of youth soccer camps in 2012 for boys and girls of all ages. Please see the list of scheduled camps below:
St. Teresa's Academy Camps : July 9-12 or July 30 - Aug. 3 for boys and girls ages 4-13 ($75-100) Sporting Youngsters Camp : June 11-14 for boys and girls ages 4-7 ($100) Sporting Development Camp : June 11-14 for boys and girls ages 8-12 ($150)
FOLLOW SPORTING KC ONLINE
Sporting Kansas City fans looking to keep up with the club on the worldwide web now have a place to go. The new social media page on SportingKC.com features Twitter account information for the club, its players as well as many staff members. Additionally, fans may take advantage of the Media Recap page for all the latest independent news coverage available online.
Major League Soccer Stories from June 27, 2012
- Impact loses 3-0 to Toronto FC at home - Club de Foot Montreal
- Sporting Kansas City Weekly Update - Sporting Kansas City
- Timbers to Host Tryouts for Academy Teams - Portland Timbers
- Crew News & Notes: Crew Hosts Real Salt Lake on Red, White & Crew Night this Saturday - Columbus Crew SC
- Red Bulls, Wilmington Hammerheads Agree to Extend Hertzog Loan - Red Bull New York
- KICKTV Continues Summer of Growth with New Content Partnerships - MLS
- Chicago Fire Player Development Update - Chicago Fire FC
- RSL Acquires 3rd-Year Centerback Kwame Watson-Siriboe from Chicago - Real Salt Lake
- Chicago Fire Acquire 2014 MLS SuperDraft Pick from Real Salt Lake - Chicago Fire FC
- D.C. United to host Paris Saint-Germain on July 28 at RFK Stadium - D.C. United
- Mexico's League Champion Santos Laguna Joins 2012 Herbalife World Football Challenge; Paris Saint-Ge - MLS
- Crew Waives Francis, Perry and Veeder - Columbus Crew SC
- Fan Voting for 2012 AT&T All-Star Game Ends Monday, July 2 at 5 p.m. ET - MLS
- Chivas USA Advance to Semifinals of U.S. Open Cup 2012 - Club Deportivo Chivas USA
- Sounders FC Tops San Jose 1-0 in U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal - Seattle Sounders FC
- Earthquakes Drop U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal 1-0 against Seattle - San Jose Earthquakes
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
