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Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC Weekly Update

August 15, 2012 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


BESLER, ZUSI AND ESPINOZA SELECTED TO JOIN NATIONAL TEAMS

Three Sporting Kansas City players will be with their respective national teams for today's FIFA friendly match date.

Defender Matt Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi are with the United States Men's National Team for their international match against CONCACAF rivals Mexico at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. This is Besler's first call to join the senior team, while Zusi takes part in his third camp. The match will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2, ESPN3 and Univision.

Join fellow Sporting KC fans of all ages for a watch party at Johnny's Tavern in Power and Light to cheer on the U.S. Men's National Team.

Midfielder Roger Espinoza returns to the Honduras Men's National Team following a strong showing at the London 2012 Olympic Games for a friendly against Argentine club powerhouse Boca Juniors at 6 p.m. CT at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.

SPORTING KC TO FACE TORONTO FC ON THE ROAD SATURDAY

Sporting Kansas City, now in first place in the Eastern Conference, will travel to Toronto to face Toronto FC at 3:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at BMO Field. The match will be broadcast live on KSMO-TV with coverage beginning at 3 p.m. CT.

Sporting KC last played Toronto in June, earning a 2-0 victory at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.

JULIO CESAR RECEIVES GREEN CARD

Sporting Kansas City midfielder Julio Cesar has received his Green Card and will no longer occupy an international roster spot. Now in his second season with Sporting KC, the Brazilian has appeared in 47 MLS matches (including postseason) with three goals and three assists.

Sporting Kansas City now has six of the team's seven available international roster spots occupied.

SPORTING KC RECOGNIZED AT KAUFFMAN STADIUM

Sporting Kansas City was recognized by the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday to honor the club's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship. Kei Kamara, Teal Bunbury, Chance Myers and Jimmy Nielsen all took part in the Royals' first pitch festivities and the team's penalty kick shootout victory over the Seattle Sounders FC was shown on the videoboard as part of the introduction.

Bunbury was interviewed live on FOX Sports Kansas City during the game and WDAF, KCTV, KMBC and KSHB all aired footage of Sporting Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium as part of their 10pm newscasts on Tuesday.

SPORTING KC FALLS 2-0 AT HOUSTON IN RESERVE LEAGUE

Sporting Kansas City (2-4-2) fell 2-0 in MLS Reserve League action on Tuesday at the Houston Dynamo (5-1-1) in a Central/Mountain Division match-up held at Houston Amateur Sports Park.

Houston forward Cam Weaver scored both goals for the home side, opening the scoring in the 17th minute on a header past Eric Kronberg and converting a penalty kick to seal the victory in the 80th minute. Weaver -- a fourth-year pro acquired in June 2009 from San Jose in exchange for Chris Wondolowski and a 2010 SuperDraft pick (Earthquakes selected Steven Beitashour) -- now has a team-leading six goals in Reserve League competition this season.

Sporting Kansas City will next host Real Salt Lake on Tuesday, Sept. 11 in the team's home finale in the 2012 Reserve League season. The match is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. CT at the Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park and will be free to attend for the general public.

SPORTING KC MOVES INTO FIRST WITH 2-1 WIN OVER D.C. UNITED

Sporting Kansas City defeated D.C. United by a 2-1 scoreline in front of the second-largest crowd of the season at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Saturday. The win moved Sporting Kansas City into first place in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the New York Red Bulls, with 10 games remaining in the regular season.

SPORTING KC ACADEMY BEGINS 2012-13 SEASON

The Sporting KC Academy kicked off the 2012-13 season this weekend with all four teams in action.

The under-16 and under-18 Academy teams hosted St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro at the Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park on Saturday in a pair of pre-season friendlies. The U18's opened the day with a 3-2 victory on two goals from Isai Gutierrez and another by Eduardo Moreno. Jacole Turner earned the win in net. The U16's followed with a 2-2 draw courtesy of goals from John Leisman and Memo Carasco. Both teams will again host friendly matches this weekend against TSC Hurricanes from Tulsa.

The under-12 and under-14 Academy teams took part in the seventh annual 2012 KC Friendly Games at the Overland Park Soccer Complex. The U14's played up a year in the U15 division and won all four of their matches, defeating FC Porto of Kansas 1-0 on Sunday to win the tournament. Dorian Hernandez led the team in scoring, which scored nine times on the weekend, and goalkeeper Steven Tekesky kept clean sheets in all four matches. The U12's fell in their first three matches while playing up in the U13 division, but ended the tournament on a high note with a 4-1 win over KC Fusion.

SPORTING INNOVATIONS NOMINATED FOR AWARD

Sporting Innovations is nominated for New Startup of the Year in the 2012 Silicon Prairie Awards. The awards will recognize 12 companies and individuals for their outstanding products, strong leadership and noteworthy contributions to the community.

Winners will be selected by a combination of a popular public vote and a vote by the selection committee. Public voting closes 11:59 p.m. on August 22. The winners will be announced live on stage on August 30 at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha.

THIS WEEK IN SPORTING AIRS THURSDAY ON SPORTS RADIO 810 WHB

Tune into Sports Radio 810 WHB from 7-8 p.m. CT on Thursday for This Week in Sporting with co-hosts Dave Borchardt and Andy Edwards. The weekly radio show discusses all the latest news and developments with Sporting Kansas City on Sports Radio 810 WHB, the official radio home of Sporting Kansas City.

Call-in to the show by dialing 913-3-810-810 and listen live online at 810whb.com.

PETERSON JOSEPH MEET-AND-GREET AT APPLE MARKET TONIGHT

Sporting Kansas City midfielder Peterson Joseph will be signing autographs and taking pictures with fans at Cosentino's Apple Market (3719 Independence Avenue in Kansas City, MO) from 5:30 - 7 p.m. CT tonight. Organized by Sporting Kansas City partner Mission Foods, Joseph's appearance will allow fans to take part in the meet-and-greet with the 22-year-old midfielder from Haiti. Now in his second season with Sporting KC, Joseph has appeared in eight MLS matches and provided the game-winning assist in the team's 2-1 road victory at Columbus last month.

SPORTING KC LAUNCHES 2013 SEASON TICKET RENEWAL CAMPAIGN

Sporting Kansas City has begun the club's 2013 season ticket renewal campaign for current Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members to secure their seats at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park next season.

The "Love and Sporting" themed renewal campaign gives current Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members the first chance to secure 2013 season tickets by contacting their Client Service Representative. Additionally, Sporting Kansas City is offering renewal incentives for Season Ticket Members who pay in full and/or renew during the First Chance Campaign.

Beginning with the 2013 season, all Season Ticket Members will receive a 5% discount on team merchandise by presenting their Season Ticket Membership Card at any Sporting Style store during a Sporting KC home match. Additionally, the 2013 Sporting Kansas City Referral Program will reward Season Ticket Members whose friends and family members purchase new 2013 full season ticket seats.

To learn more, visit loveandsporting.com.

SPORTING KC NOW ACCEPTING DEPOSITS FOR 2013 RESERVED SEATING

Sporting Kansas City supporters can now place 2013 Season Ticket Deposits for all Reserved Seating at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park by calling 888-4KC-GOAL or visiting www.SportingKC.com.

TAKE PART IN BLUE MOON ARTFULLY CRAFTED ART CONTEST

Sporting Kansas City supporters may submit their best Sporting Kansas City-themed artistic rendering to the Blue Moon Artfully Crafted Art Contest for the chance to win two (2) Members' Stand season tickets for the 2013 season at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. This one-of-a-kind contest runs through August 20th -- download the entry form here and mail it in to enter.

*No purchase necessary. Open only to legal U.S. residents of KS and MO who are 21 or older. Th contest is open now and ends at 11:59:59 PM CT on 08/20/12. Entries must be postmarked by 08/20/12 and received by 5:00 PM CT on 08/25/12 to be eligible.

TICKETS FOR USMNT WORLD CUP QUALIFIER AT LSP ON SALE

Tickets for the U.S. Men's National Team World Cup qualifier at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park are now on sale to the general public through ussoccer.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000, at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Kansas City area (including Hen House Markets) and the LIVESTRONG Sporting Park ticket office (open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

The MNT concludes the Semifinal Round of FIFA World Cup qualifying by facing Guatemala on October 16 at 6 p.m. CT. Media members wishing to cover the match may apply for credentials online at ussoccer.com . All applications must be submitted before Wednesday, October 3.

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.

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.

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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.

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