SPORTING KC ON THE ROAD FRIDAY TO FACE SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
Sporting Kansas City can secure the club's fifth straight postseason berth with a victory at the San Jose Earthquakes in the team's first trip to Avaya Stadium at 10 p.m. CT on Friday. The match will be nationally televised on UniMas in addition to live coverage on SKCTV affiliates across the Midwest, including KMCI-TV 38 The Spot in Kansas City.
Friday's game could go a long way in shaping the Western Conference playoff picture as fourth-place Sporting KC (13-9-9, 48 points) and sixth-place San Jose (12-12-8, 44 points) look to extend their respective campaigns into the postseason. San Jose cruised to a 5-0 win in the previous meeting between the clubs on Aug. 19, handing Sporting KC their only home loss of 2015 to date. Chris Wondolowski and Cordell Cato each bagged a brace, while Anibal Godoy scored his first career MLS goal.
Sporting KC has a 4-16-6 road record against the Earthquakes (including postseason) and hasn’t won in San Jose since Aug. 16, 2000, a run of 16 straight visits without a victory (0-11-5).
SPORTING KC ANNOUNCES 2015 CLUB AWARDS AT PITCH BLACK
Sporting KC presented the club’s annual awards on Saturday at Sporting Park during Pitch Black, presented by Aristocrat Motors and Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City. Sporting KC players, media members and fans voted on the following awards:
- Most Valuable Player, presented by Aristocrat Motors and Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City: Benny Feilhaber
- Offensive Player of the Year, presented by Sabates Eye Centers: Dom Dwyer
- Defensive Player of the Year, presented by Ivy Funds: Matt Besler and Soni Mustivar
- Goal of the Year, presented by NECA/IBEW Power Partners: Benny Feilhaber
- Newcomer of the Year, presented by Henry Wurst, Inc.: Krisztian Nemeth
- Victory Project Humanitarian of the Year: Kevin Ellis
- Bob Gansler Academy Player of the Year: Ryan Kellogg
- Sporting Club Network Member of the Year, presented by Price Chopper: Heartland Soccer Association
- Academy Affiliate of the Year: Sporting Southern Indiana
Feilhaber, the team’s Most Valuable Player, has scored a career-high 12 goals and set a single-season club record with 19 assists in 34 games played across all competitions in 2015. For the third straight year, Feilhaber collected Sporting KC’s Goal of the Year for his game-tying goal in the 95th minute of a 4-4 draw at Houston on April 25.
Dwyer repeats as the team’s Offensive Player of the Year with 16 goals, most among all Sporting KC players, and three assists in 32 games played across all competitions in 2015. Besler and Mustivar share Defensive Player of the Year honors for a Sporting Kansas City side that has conceded the fewest shots (319) in MLS this season.
Besler, who receives the recognition for the fourth time in the past five years, started for the U.S. Men’s National Team on Saturday in the CONCACAF Cup against Mexico. The Sporting KC captain has 27 career international appearances, including four caps in 2015.
Nemeth has contributed 15 goals, including the game-tying goal in the U.S. Open Cup Final, to go along with seven assists in 29 games played across all competitions in 2015 to earn distinction as the team’s Newcomer of the Year. His 22 combined goals and assists are the most by a KC newcomer since the team’s inaugural 1996 season.
Ellis was given his Humanitarian of the Year award on Saturday by the parents of three-year-old Kit Van Sickle, who is fighting acute lymphoblastic leukemia and first met Ellis in May during a Victory Project photo shoot for the 2016 Braden’s Hope calendar. The pair have since formed a close bond, which was featured on SKCtv and embodies Ellis’ commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.
Click here to read more about each award recipient and visit the archives section of SportingKC.com for a list of Sporting Kansas City's all-time award winners.
KRISTIAN NEMETH SCORES TWICE FOR HUNGARY IN EURO 2016 QUALIFIER
Krisztian Nemeth scored two goals on Sunday as the Hungary Men’s National Team lost at Greece 4-3 to conclude the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying group stage. Hungary now faces a two-legged playoff in November to qualify for the UEFA European Championship for the first time since 1972.
The Sporting KC forward played 90 minutes and twice fired Hungary into a second-half lead at Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens. Greece restored parity after both goals and conjured a game-winner in the 86th minute.
Hungary (4-2-4, 16 points) finished its Euro 2016 qualifying campaign in third place in Group F behind Northern Ireland (21 points) and Romania (20 points). The top two teams from each group — as well as the third-place team with the most points — advance directly to Euro 2016 next June. Hungary missed out on the top position among third-place teams and now faces a two-legged playoff against one of the other seven third-place finishers next month. Should Hungary win the series, they will advance to next summer’s tournament in France.
Nemeth now has three goals in 21 appearances for the Magyars since debuting in 2010. He has earned six of those caps in 2015—a season during which he has excelled for Sporting KC. Nemeth was named club Newcomer of the Year on Saturday and has recorded 15 goals and seven assists in all competitions. The 26-year-old shared the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Golden Boot honor with teammate Dom Dwyer, bagging five goals including an equalizer in the final that Sporting KC won on penalties.
BESLER GOES THE DISTANCE AS U.S. FALLS TO MEXICO IN CONCACAF CUP
The United States Men’s National Team fell to Mexico 3-2 in the CONCACAF Cup on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. With the win, Mexico earned CONCACAF’s berth in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.
Sporting KC captain Matt Besler started the match and played the full 120 minutes for his 27th cap since debuting in January 2013. Besler currently leads MLS with 202 clearances and has recorded a team-high 34 appearances (and starts) for Sporting KC in 2015. Winger Graham Zusi was available off the bench but did not feature for head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
Besler and Zusi returned to Kansas City on Sunday and will be available for Sporting KC’s match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Friday at Avaya Stadium.
DE JONG SCORES FOR CANADA IN 1-1 DRAW WITH GHANA
Sporting KC defender Marcel de Jong earned his 39th cap for the Canada Men’s National Team on Tuesday in a 1-1 friendly draw against Ghana in Washington, D.C. The defender scored his country's lone goal with an impressive left-footed strike in the 29th minute at RFK Stadium. De Jong's 35-yard blast was his third goal since debuting for Canada in 2007.
De Jong will now return to Kansas City ahead of Sporting KC’s match at the San Jose Earthquakes on Friday. The 28-year-old has played 13 matches for Sporting KC in his first MLS season with one goal and one assist.
PLAYOFF TICKET PACKAGE AVAILABLE FOR SEASON TICKET MEMBERS
Sporting KC Season Ticket Members can purchase three-game playoff ticket packages at a discounted price within any available seating category. The purchasing option is available through the Sporting KC Account Manager online and will be open until 10 a.m. CT on Monday, Oct. 19.
SKC U16'S AND U18'S CONCLUDE GENERATION ADIDAS CUP FALL EVENT
The 2015/16 Generation adidas Cup Central Region Fall Event concluded on Monday at Swope Soccer Village. The Sporting KC U-16s ended the competition with a loss to Columbus Crew SC, while the U-18s finished on a high note after beating the Houston Dynamo 3-0.
The Sporting KC U-16s finished with a win and two losses after falling to Crew SC 3-1. Abdu Kikhia, who scored the game-winning goal for the U-15s in the 2015 US Youth Soccer National Championships, provided the lone goal for the U-16s. The Sporting KC U-18s, who ended the competition with two wins and a loss, received goals from Logan Lucas, Will Little and Joe Corner en route to a 3-0 win over the Dynamo.
The Sporting KC Academy teams will resume League play this weekend with a pair of home matches against Texas Rush. The U-18s will kick off at 10 a.m. followed by the U-16 at 12:30 p.m. Both matches will be played on the Championship Field at Swope Soccer Village and are free and open to the public. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter and Instagram for all updates.
OCTOBER'S ELEVEN MAGAZINE NOW AVAILABLE ON SPORTINGKC.COM
Sporting KC's October issue of Eleven, the club's official digital magazine, is now available. The latest edition is highlighted by exclusive coverage of the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champions as the team enters the final month of the MLS regular season.
Dom Dwyer graces the cover of the October issue and leads the team with 11 goals scored during the MLS regular season. Dwyer and Krisztian Nemeth, also featured in this issue, each added five goals in the U.S. Open Cup en route to Sporting KC hoisting the Dewar Challenge Trophy on Sept. 30.
Follow Eleven on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date with all the latest news. Download the September or August issues to catch up on previous editions.
SETH SINOVIC'S UNCORK FOR A CAUSE CHARITY PROGRAM SET FOR OCT. 23
Sporting KC defender Seth Sinovic's 2015 Uncork for a Cause charity program will kick off Oct. 23 with a special event to raise awareness and funding for The Victory Project.
In 2013, Sporting Club – the parent organization of Sporting Kansas City – launched The Victory Project, which unites the team’s supporters, players and staff to make a tangible difference in the lives of children who are battling cancer and all of life’s challenges. These challenges could be related to a child’s health, physical, developmental or socio-economic status.
Fans can join Sinovic, his teammates and special guests from 7-9 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 for the exclusive gathering at The InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza. The event also serves as the release party for Sinovic's very own 2012 Sonoma Reserve Red Wine. Only one barrel of this Cabernet blend was bottled for Sinovic's charity program.
For tickets and additional information about the event, visit UncorkforaCause.com. To learn more about The Victory Project, visit VictoryKC.org.
TICKETS ON SALE FOR BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP AT SWOPE SOCCER VILLAGE
Tickets for the 2015 Big 12 Soccer Championship are now available at Big12Sports.com/buytickets or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL. The Championship will take place Nov. 4, 6 and 8 at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City.
Single day passes are on sale for $10 with three-day championship passes available for $15. A 15-ticket team pack is also available for $120.
Sporting Club and the University of Kansas will again co-host this year’s championship, which will feature the Big 12’s top eight teams competing for the Conference’s postseason title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship.
In conjunction with the Championship, the Kansas City Sports Commission will be hosting a free soccer clinic for boys and girls ages 6-12 on Saturday, November 7. The clinic will be held from 8:30-10:30 a.m. as a part of their youth clinic series at Swope Soccer Village. In addition to a free t-shirt and goodie bag, all clinic participants will receive a voucher for free admission to the Big 12 Championship match on Sunday, Nov. 8. To register for the clinic, visit SportKC.org.
The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the championship will be streamed live on Big12Sports.com, while the championship match will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1. This year’s championship at Swope Soccer Village will be the third straight hosted in Kansas City.
HARLEY DAVIDSON "SPORTING CYCLE' SWEEPSTAKES ENDS THIS WEEK
This is the final week for Sporting KC fans to enter the Gail's Harley Davidson "Sporting Cycle" sweepstakes. Ten entries will be randomly selected to win a pair of tickets for the team's regular season finale against the LA Galaxy on Oct. 25 and one of those ten individuals will win a Harley Davidson motorcycle custom designed with Sporting KC logos and details.
FOLLOW SPORTING KC ONLINE
Sporting KC fans looking to keep up with the club online have a place to go. The Social Media page on SportingKC.com features Twitter account information for the team, its players and several staff members. Supporters may also take advantage of the Media Recap page for all the latest independent news coverage.
