MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting Kansas City Weekly Update

Published on July 15, 2011 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


SPORTING KANSAS CITY PREPARES FOR HOUSTON DYNAMO ON SATURDAY

Following a dramatic 1-1 draw with Chivas USA on last Saturday night, Sporting Kansas City will resume MLS play when they take on the Houston Dynamo this Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. CT. Saturday's match will be broadcast live on KSMO, with coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Houston (5-6-8) sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference after 19 matches, most recently defeating Toronto FC by a 2-0 scoreline at home last Saturday. Check SportingMembership.com for full game notes as well as a preview podcast.

The match comes after a 2-0 loss to the Richmond Kickers in the quarterfinal round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR NEWCASTLE UNITED FRIENDLY

Sporting Kansas City announced recently the release of tickets for the club's international friendly against English Premier League side Newcastle United on July 20.Tickets for the match start at just $20, and can be purchased on-line via Ticketmaster, or by calling 1-888-4KC-GOAL.

Newcastle will hold a VIP practice and autograph session at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 19th at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. For more information, call 1-888-4KC-GOAL.

The match will be included in all Sporting Kansas City season ticket packages, which are currently available for purchase at SportingKC.com/VirtualVenue. For more information, call 888-4KC-GOAL.

SPORTING CLUB TO BE RECOGNIZED AT 39TH ANNUAL SPORTKC PROPS

Sporting Club will receive the Special Achievement Award for Professional Athletics presented by Sprint at tonight's 39th annual PROPS event presented by SPORTKC.

The award ceremony, held each year to recognize outstanding individuals and organizations in Kansas City sports, will be held at the Midland Theatre tonight.

Past recipients of the Special Achievement Award include the likes of Marcus Allen, George Brett and Buck O'Neil.

SPORTING KANSAS CITY TO HOST TWO WATCH PARTIES AT LIVESTRONG SPORTING PARK

LIVESTRONG Sporting Park will play host to two watch parties this weekend. On Saturday evening, the Members Club will be open at 6:30 p.m. CT ahead of the match between Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo at 7:30 p.m.

On Sunday, Sporting Kansas City will host a watch party for the final of the 2011 Women's World Cup between the United States and Japan. Doors to the Members Club will an hour prior to kickoff at 12:45 p.m. Both events are free to attend and are open to all ages.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY GAME RESCHEDULED FOR LABOR DAY

Sporting Kansas City's home match with the LA Galaxy, previously scheduled for August 13th, has been moved to Monday, September 5th. Kick off for the re-scheduled match at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park is set for 5:00 p.m. CT.

The match against the Galaxy, featuring Landon Donovan, David Beckham and Juan Pablo Angel, will still be broadcast nationally on FOX Soccer, one of eight MLS matches at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park to be nationally broadcast in 2011. All tickets previously issued for the Sporting Kansas City - LA Galaxy match will be honored on September 5th.

KEMPIN TO REPRESENT UNITED STATES AT NORTHERN IRELAND MILK CUP

Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jon Kempin has been selected to the roster for the United States Under-18 Men's National Team that will travel to compete in the Northern Ireland Milk Cup later this month.

The Milk Cup, one of the world's most prestigious youth tournaments, is held annually in Northern Ireland and hasseen the likes of Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Paul Scholes participate in the past. The United States won the tournament in 2010.

The first match at the tournament for Kempin and the United States is set for July 25th against Israel, after which the United States will face Mexico on July 27th.

ESPINOZA INDUCTED INTO NJCAA HALL OF FAME

Sporting Kansas City defender Roger Espinoza was named last week to the National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame for Men's Soccer. Espinoza will be officially honored in a ceremony set to be held in November at the NJCAADivision One Soccer Banquet in Phoenix, Arizona. Espinoza enters the Hall of Fame along with New York Red Bulls midfielder Dane Richards as well as former MLS forwards Irving Garcia and Davide Somma.

Espinoza played two seasons at Yavapai College in Arizona, leading the Roughriders to a combined record of 46-2-3 before moving on to help Ohio State University to the final of the 2007 College Cup.

NANCY SIMONS REPRESENTING KC IN MLS W.O.R.K.S. COMMUNITY MVP COMPETITION

Nancy Simons of Kansas City, Missouri is representing Kansas City in the 2011 Community MVP Contest presented by MLSW.O.R.K.S. Nancy is competing against representatives from every MLS market in hopes of winning a $10,000 donation for the charity of their choice. Simons has selected the Police Athletic League of Kansas City should she win the competition.

SPORTING KC GOLF LEAGUE SET TO BEGIN AUGUST 2ND AT PAINTED HILLS

A Sporting Kansas City golf league will kick off the first Tuesday of August at Painted Hills Golf Course. Open to all interested golfers, the two-person 9-hole league will begin Aug. 2 and run for eight weeks with play starting at 6 p.m. each Tuesday.

The league will be limited to the first 36 teams. Interested teams may enter bycontacting Todd Adams of Sporting KC at 913-387-3414 or tadams@sportingkc.com or General Manager Steve Price at Painted Hills at 913-334-1111 (Ext. 3) or sprice@eaglegolf.com. Additional information on the league is also available at Painted Hills website at www.paintedhillsgolfcourse.com.

ARNAUD UNDERGOES SUCCESSFUL SPORTS HERNIA SURGERY

Sporting Kansas City captain Davy Arnaud underwent successful sports hernia surgery last week in Los Angeles and is expected to miss up to six weeks while recovering.

Arnaud, 31, has appeared in 15 matches in 2011, his 10th MLS season, and is the longest-tenured player on Sporting Kansas City's roster. Arnaud ranks second on Sporting Kansas City's all-time games played chart with 233 regular season appearances.

Sporting Kansas City Designated Player Omar Bravo also underwent sports hernia surgery earlier this season.

SPORTING CLUB LAUNCHES NEW SITE, APP FOR MEMBERS

Sporting Club launched an online network for members recently that allows fans to connect with one another and Sporting Kansas City as the team moves into a new era with the opening of LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. The membership program is free and anyone can become a member by signing up at SportingMembership.com.

Members will have the opportunity to reserve a complimentary ticket for up to three games via the online and day-of-game membership methods for every Sporting Kansas City home MLS match during the2011 season. Tickets can be reserved on either SportingMembership.com or by lining up on the east side of LIVESTRONG Sporting Park outside of the Members Stand on gamedays.

Additionally, Sporting Kansas City also recently launched the Sporting Explore app for iPhone and Android users. Sporting Explore allows members to check-in at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park and also features a trivia portion that members can utilize to answer questions or make predictions about each match in realtime. Points are awarded for correct answers and can later be redeemed for rewards from Sporting Club.

SPORTING KANSAS CITY TO HOLD FANTASY CAMP

Sporting Kansas City and the Sporting Kansas City Juniors will hold the 2011 Fantasy Camp for boys and girls of ages 8-14 from August 1st through August 4th. Campers will get access to watching the senior team train, have a tour of the training facility, be addressed by the Senior team coaching staff and will receive a personalized replica kit with the player's name and number on theback, as well as ticket to an upcoming home match at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.

Camp will begin with a technical warm-up, then move into the "topic of the day" and finally conclude with small-sided games. Interested players and parents are encouraged to visit SportingKC.com/camps for additional information and to sign-up using the online registration form.

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Major League Soccer Stories from July 15, 2011


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