Sports stats



MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting Kansas City Weekly Update

June 13, 2012 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


SPORTING KC TO FACE TORONTO FC AT HOME SATURDAY

Sporting Kansas City (8-3-1) will return to League play this Saturday when they host Toronto FC at 7:30 p.m. CT at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.

The match, sponsored by Time Warner Cable, will be broadcast locally on KSMO-TV, with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. CT. The first 5,000 fans to enter the stadium will receive a complimentary Sporting KC t-shirt, courtesy of Time Warner Cable, and defender Matt Besler will be signing autographs before the match at the Time Warner Cable booth in the Sprint Plaza.

Tickets are available in limited supply for purchase at Ticketmaster.com or at the LSP Box Offices.

Toronto FC (1-9-0) is last in the Eastern Conference, most recently earning their first win of the season in a 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Union on May 26.

VIDEO CHAT LIVE WITH JIMMY NIELSEN TONIGHT

Sporting Kansas City captain Jimmy Nielsen will take part in an interactive, live video chat at 6:30 p.m. CT tonight on SportingKC.com. Fans will be able to participate in a realtime question-and-answer session with the Sporting KC goalkeeper and have their faces shown side-by-side with the 2012 MLS All-Star candidate.

In collaboration with TokShow by TokBox, SportingKC.com will enable fans to participate in a unique video chat with the fan favorite known as the White Puma. A webcam and microphone are required on the user's computer, though the team will also incorporate questions submitted via Twitter with the hashtag #AskPuma.

SIX CHOSEN FROM SPORTING KC FOR 2012 ALL-STAR GAME BALLOT

Major League Soccer revealed last Thursday 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. Voting will also be enabled via Twitter on June 21-22 with details to be announced prior.

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.

SPORTING KC U14'S WIN MISSOURI STATE CUP

The Sporting Kansas City under-14 pre-academy team was crowned Missouri State Cup champions on Wednesday with a 4-0 victory over St. Louis Scott Gallagher Elite in the final in Springfield, MO. The victory qualifies the u14's for the Region 2 Championships in Saginaw, MI from June 22-27.

The under-13 pre-academy team won the Kansas State Cup last week and will also represent Sporting Kansas City at regionals next weekend. The top teams from Region 2 will advance to the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship in Little Rock, AR.

KAMARA, ESPINOZA ON INTERNATIONAL DUTY

Sporting Kansas City striker Kei Kamara and midfielder Roger Espinoza have each been on international duty with their respective national teams for FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

In Africa, Sporting KC striker Kei Kamara helped Sierra Leone earn back-to-back results in World Cup qualifying last week. He started and played the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 win over Cape Verde Islands on June 2nd and also went the full 90 in a 2-2 draw at Equatorial Guinea on Saturday. Sierra Leone will host Sao Tome e Principe on June 15 in the decisive second leg of their 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifier.

Espinoza played the full 90 minutes in Honduras' 0-0 draw wth Canada in a 2014 World Cup Qualifier last night. Honduras will resume their World Cup qualifying campaign on Sept. 7 against Cuba and Espinoza will be available for Sporting Kansas City's match on Saturday against Toronto FC.

SPORTING KC TO HOST U.S. OPEN CUP QUARTERFINALS

Sporting Kansas City will host USL PRO side Dayton Dutch Lions on Tuesday, June 26 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. Tickets to the match are included for all Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members and will be available to purchase at Ticketmaster.com or at the LSP Box Offices.

LSP TO HOST USMNT IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIER

The U.S. Men's National Team will play a 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 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 HOSTS 5TH ANNUAL OPEN TRYOUTS

Sporting Kansas City hosted the club's 5th annual open tryouts this weekend at the Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park with the team's technical staff evaluating more than 250 players from across the globe. Following two days worth of sessions, three finalists have earned invitations to return and train with the Sporting Kansas City senior team to continue their pursuit of a professional contract. Best of luck to all three!

TJ Rodriguez, a 22-year-old defender from Van Buren, Arkansas Ivan Andrade, a 24-year-old midfielder from Brockton, Massachusetts Elias Lopez, a 19-year-old midfielder from Hayward, California

Sporting Kansas City has held open tryouts each of the last five seasons dating back to 2008, which was the first time since the inaugural 1996 season that the team had given an opportunity to players with professional aspirations to participate in an organized open tryout.

SPORTING KC IN THE COMMUNITY

Sporting Kansas City players will m ake special appearances in the metropolitan area this week as part of the club's commitment to community outreach. Visit SportingKC.com/calendar for a full list of daily events.

Wednesday 5:30-7 p.m. Julio Cesar, Paulo Nagamura and Chance Myers will be assisting at the McDonald's Youth Clinic at the Overland Park Soccer Complex. Thursday, 11 a.m. Jimmy Nielsen and Konrad Warzycha will be coaching a youth soccer clinic at the Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park. Thursday, 5:30-7 p.m. Matt Besler will be signing autographs and posing with fans at the Kansas Sampler in Overland Park.

CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF KEVIN GRAY WITH A 5K

Saturday's inaugural Kevin Gray Father's Day 5K Run will celebrate the life of Kevin Gray, former President of the KC Sports Commission and will recognize his contributions to the Sports Commission and the Kansas City community. The 5K Run will also coincide with honoring the 2012 Kevin Gray Player of the Year awards, with a special pre-game awards ceremony and on-field recognition at halftime.

The course will take participants through LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, CommunityAmerica Ballpark and the Kansas Speedway. For more detailed information and event registration, visit www.sportkc.org/KGRun2012.

REGISTER FOR THE SPORTING CLUB 3v3 CLASSIC TOURNAMENT

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.

For more information and to register your team, click here .

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:

Boys & Girls Development Camp : June 18-20 for boys and girls ages 8-12 ($130) 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.

Check out the Sporting Kansas City Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from June 13, 2012


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.

Other Recent Sporting Kansas City Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central