Sporting Kansas City Weekly Update
March 21, 2012 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
SPORTING KANSAS CITY FACES FC DALLAS THIS SUNDAY AT HOME
Sporting Kansas City (2-0-0) will look to make it three wins from three against FC Dallas at 6 p.m. CT this Sunday at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. The match ispresented by Time Warner Cable and will be broadcast locally on KSMO-TV, with coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT, and nationally on Galavision (en Espanol).
Tickets for the match are still available and fans can ensure attendance by purchasing tickets online, calling 888-4KC-GOAL, or visiting the LIVESTRONG Sporting Park box offices.
SPORTING KC TOPS NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 3-0 IN HOME OPENER
Sporting Kansas City leads the Eastern Conference after their 3-0 win over the New England Revolution in front of a sold out crowd at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park last Saturday. Graham Zusi and Kei Kamara notched their first goals of the season and C.J.Sapong pocketed his second. Kamara and Sapong's celebratory Irish jig was featured on ESPN's SportsCenter and Around the Horn, as well as various other media outlets online.
The victory marked Sporting Kansas City's second consecutive defensive shutout. The team will make club history for the best defensive start to a season if they can keep a clean sheet against FC Dallas on Sunday.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY SIGNS DEFENDER SHAWN SINGH
Sporting Kansas City announced Monday that the club has signed 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft pick Shawn Singh. Primarily a left back, Singh appeared in three pre-season matches for Sporting KansasCity, notching an assist in the team's 5-1 win over FC Tucson and drawing a penalty kick against the Under-17 U.S. Men's National team.
Singh started and played 82 minutes on Tuesday in Sporting Kansas City's 1-1 draw at Real Salt Lake in the MLS Reserve League.
TEAL BUNBURY NAMED TO U.S. OLYMPIC QUALIFYING ROSTER
Sporting Kansas City forward Teal Bunbury was named to the United States Olympic Qualifying roster on Tuesday, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced . Bunbury is one of 20 players selected by head coach Caleb Porter for the CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which begins Thursday in Nashville, Tenn. and will culminate at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. for the semifinals and championship matches.
INDIVIDUAL MATCH TICKETS FOR OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS ON SALE NOW
Individual game tickets for the semifinals and final matches of the 2012 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park are on sale now.
The semifinal matches that determine CONCACAF's two entrants to the 2012 Olympic Games in London will be played as a doubleheader event on Saturday, March 31, at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. CT. The U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team will play in the second semifinal match should the team advance out of Group A. The championship game will take place on Monday, April 2, at 7 p.m. CT.
Fans can order Kansas City individual tickets online at ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at local Ticketmaster ticket centers in Kansas City and at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park's ticket office (open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT).
SPORTING KANSAS CITY AND LSP SELECTED AS FINALISTS FOR 2012 SPORTS BUSINESS AWARDS
Sporting Kansas City is a finalist for Sports Team of the Year and LIVESTRONGSporting Park is one of four venues up for "Sports Facility of the Year" as Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily unveiled their nominees this week for the 2012 Sports Business Awards.
Sporting Kansas City received international attention for its 2011 turnaround and is the only Major League Soccer club nominated for the award.
The club's state-of-the-art stadium, LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, also garnered recognition with its consideration for Sports Facility of the Year. The $200+ million venue, opened in June 2011, has hosted the U.S. Men's and Women's National Teams, along with the English Premier League's Newcastle United FC and Mexico's Club Deportivo Guadalajara.
The winners will be announced live at the Sports Business Awards ceremony, to be held in New York City on May 23.
TURNER CONSTRUCTIONS RECOGNIZED FOR WORK ON LIVESTRONG SPORTING PARK
Turner Construction was one of 16 firms awarded the Alliant Build America Award by the Associated General Contractors of America for their work on LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.
The state-of-the-art, $200+ million venue was designed around two key elements:architectural metal fins, which represents the movement of the players on the field; and the roof canopy, which represents the ball, covers every stadiumseat and allows sunlight through for turf growth.
The intense construction schedule - reduced from 22 to 16 months - required Turner to carefully coordinate with subcontractors and designers. Turner completed the project within budget while working around the clock and without disturbing the adjacent entertainment and retail district. The constructionsite was kept extremely safe and nearly all construction waste was recycled.
The Alliant Build America Awards recognize the nation's most significant construction projects. The awards, which were announced during the association's annual convention in Honolulu, areconsidered by many to be the most prestigious recognition of construction accomplishments in the U.S.
ROGER ESPINOZA NAMED TO MLS TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sporting Kansas City midfielder and Honduran international Roger Espinoza was named to the MLS Team of the Week for Week 2 for his positive performance in Sporting Kansas City's 3-0 win over the New England Revolution on Saturday. Espinoza matched his career high with five shots in the match and was a key component in the defensive shutout..
Espinoza's fellow Sporting Kansas City teammates were also included honorable mentions, including defender Matt Besler, forward C.J. Sapong, defender Seth Sinovic and midfielder Graham Zusi.
LA GRAN D 1340AM ANNOUNCED AS SPANISH-LANGUAGE RADIO PARTNER
Sporting Kansas City announced last Friday that the club will continue their partnership with Reyes Media Group to live broadcast Sporting Kansas City matches on La Gran D 1340 AM. Raul "Padrino" Villegas will handle the play-by-play duties and Enrique Morales will provide the analysis with Leo Simbaqueva reporting from the sidelines.
Reyes Media Group will provide the live broadcast locally on La Gran D, and that broadcast will be available to other radio stations in thesurrounding states for use. The two organizations will also continue to partner on numerous Latino-focused events throughout the Kansas City area during 2012. These include the "Latino Outreach Events," where Sporting Kansas City players and coaches interact with Kansas City's various Latino communities and socialize with the area's soccer fans.
ROBB AND AMBER HEINEMAN NOMINATED FOR POWER DUO OF THE YEAR
Sporting Club CEO Robb Heineman and his wife Amber are among four finalists for Kansas City's Power Duo . The award, bestowed by KC Connections, is based on the following five criteria: vision and leadership, innovation and achievement, impact, growth/development strategy and community involvement. Read their bios here.
Voting is open through April 12th and is based on which Power Duo can raise the most money for their charity of choice. The Heinemans have designated Gillis, a local non-profit organization that has served children and families in the Kansas City community for more than a century, to receive the proceeds should they win. Every $10 donation contributed counts as one vote.
SPORTING KC SHOW AIRS AT 7PM ON 610 SPORTS RADIO ON THURSDAY
Sporting Kansas City's weekly radio show will again be available over the airwaves on Thursday with hosts Callum Williams and Jake Yadrich on 610 Sports Radio . Tune in from 7-8 p.m. CT to hear from Sporting Kansas City players and call 913-576-7610 to join thediscussion around all the latest news.
SPORTING KC OPENS MLS RESERVE LEAGUE WITH 1-1 DRAW
Sporting Kansas City opened their 2012 MLS Reserve League campaign with a 1-1 draw at Real Salt Lake on Tuesday. Sporting Kansas City striker Dom Dwyer, taken in the first round of this year's MLS SuperDraft, scored in the 88th minute to secure the road result and cancel out a goal from Real Salt Lake's Nico Muniz 30 minutes earlier.
Sporting Kansas City will continue play in the MLS Reserve League next Tuesday when they host the Houston Dynamo at LIVE STRONG Sporting Park. Click here for the club's full schedule this season.
APPLICATION PROCESS FOR SPORTING 22 PROGRAM NOW OPEN
Sporting Kansas City's community outreach program Sporting 22 is now accepting applications for the 2012 season . Sporting 22 awards scholarships to 22 high school students to explore, develop and execute local initiatives that use soccer to impact the overall health and well-being of thousands Kansas Citychildren. The students have from June to December to activate their programs and start a lifelong path of civic engagement in the communities they serve.
BESLER GIVES BACK
Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler is a candidate for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Man of the Year campaign in the Kansas City region. Fans, friends and family interested in donating to Besler's Man of the Year campaign may do so by making a donation on Besler's LLS webpage or may bid on four premium items on Besler's personal Twitter page this month with new items appearing every two weeks ending on April 26
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:
Invite-Only Sessions : April 2 - May 1 (Monday's only) for U11 - U14 boys ($255) Pre-Tryout Camp : June 4-6 for U11-U14 boys ($130) Boys & Girls Development Camp : June 18-20 for boys and girls ages 8-12 ($130) 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 KANSAS CITY 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 March 21, 2012
- Sporting Kansas City Weekly Update - Sporting Kansas City
- Houston Dynamo Game Notes -- March 23 at Seattle Sounders - Houston Dynamo FC
- Zarek Valentin to play the U23 Olympic qualifying tournament with US - Club de Foot Montreal
- Crew News & Notes: First Kick 2012 this Saturday at Crew Stadium at 4 P.M. - Columbus Crew SC
- Chivas USA's Jorge Villafaña Named to United States Olympic Qualifying Roster - Club Deportivo Chivas USA
- Dynamo to Host Liga BBVA's Valencia C.F. at BBVA Compass Stadium on May 31 - Houston Dynamo FC
- Timbers to Play Host to Spain's Valencia CF in May 23 Exhibition - Portland Timbers
- Crew Signs Left Back Nemanja Vukovic - Columbus Crew SC
- Toronto FC Sign Efrain Burgos Jr. - Toronto FC
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.
