SPORTING KANSAS CITY IN 2011 MLS DESERT CUP ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY:
Sporting Kansas City will kick off the inaugural MLS Desert Cup in Tucson, Arizona tonight with the first of the tournament's four matches at 7 p.m. CT, when KC faces the Arizona Sahuaros of the NPSL at Hi Corbett Field. The widely-publicized pre-season gathering is being organized by FC Tucson Events, as the local semi-professional soccer club FC Tucson will take on the New York Red Bulls at 9 p.m. CT in the doubleheader's finale on Friday.
Sporting Kansas City and the New York Red Bulls will then meet on Saturday in the weekend's marquee match at 9 p.m. CT. General admission tickets are $12 for each day's games and can be purchased online or at the at the Hi Corbett Field box office. The Sporting Way, the official blog of Sporting Kansas City, will host live chats with in-game updates from Hi Corbett Field during both games.
Saturday’s match will be the first time an MLS team has ever held a game in the city, and the first time two top-flight teams have played one another in Tucson since Jorge Campos and Atlante (Mexico) played Hugo Sanchez and FC Linz (Austria) in 1996. Three of Major League Soccer’s newest Designated Players will be featured with Sporting Kansas City striker Omar Bravo and the New York Red Bulls duo of Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez.
KC TO COMPLETE PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE AGAINST REAL SALT LAKE:
Sporting Kansas City will complete their 10-game 2011 pre-season schedule with a pair of friendlies against Real Salt Lake on Tuesday, March 8th and Wednesday, March 9th at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix, Arizona. Real Salt Lake is coming off a 4-1 win over the Columbus Crew in the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday and advance to play Saprissa in the regional club championship’s semifinals later this month.
For the second straight season, Kansas City has spent more than a month training at Reach 11 in preparation for the upcoming 2011 MLS season. The team is undergoing two-a-day workouts at the 33-acre complex, which opened in 2007 and features 18 lighted fields. Additionally, the team is utilizing the local Athletes Performance for weightlifting sessions and fitness testing under the direction of Sporting Kansas City Fitness Coach Mateus Manoel.
The team will return from Arizona on Thursday, March 10th ahead of their season opener on Saturday, March 19th at Chivas USA in Carson, California.
Click on the link for the 2011 pre-season schedule.
CONCACAF TO ANNOUNCE 2011 GOLD CUP SCHEDULE ON MARCH 8TH:
The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup schedule will be announced on Tuesday, March 8th as Kansas City will learn which National Teams will compete in the Gold Cup doubleheader held at Sporting Park on June 14, 2011. CONCACAF, the sport’s governing body for the region, will unveil group allotments, match opponents, match times and ticket information in Tuesday’s announcement.
Sporting Kansas City’s state-of-the-art new stadium will host back-to-back matches in the first round of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup™ five days after its grand opening when Sporting Kansas City welcomes the Chicago Fire for the inaugural game, to be televised nationally on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3. Kansas City was one of 11 U.S. cities chosen to host games during the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup™ and the international matches will take place at Sporting Kansas City’s $180 million new stadium, currently under construction in Kansas City, Kansas.
The tournament brings 12 of the region’s best National Teams to compete for the continental crown and the right to be the region’s representative in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. The following 12 nations will compete in this summer’s competition: United States, Mexico, Canada, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Cuba, Grenada, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador and Guatemala.
The 2011 Gold Cup will mark the 20th anniversary of the tournament, the region’s highest level of competition, and is scheduled to take place across the United States from June 5th to June 25th.
The Gold Cup doubleheader in Kansas City is included as part of 2011 Sporting Kansas City season ticket packages, which can be purchased at www.SportingKC.com/VirtualVenue or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL. Season tickets begin at $14-per-seat ($280 total for 20 games).
SPORTING KANSAS CITY SIGN FOUR PLAYERS TO MLS CONTRACTS:
Sporting Kansas City signed four players this week to MLS contracts ahead of the start of their 2011 season on March 19th. First round SuperDraft selection C.J. Sapong, third round SuperDraft pick Konrad Warzycha, second round Supplemental Draft choice Mike Jones and defender Scott Lorenz were all signed to their first MLS contracts.
Sapong was the 10th overall selection in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft in January. The 22-year-old goal scorer comes to Kansas City after finishing his college career at James Madison University with 37 goals and 21 assists in four seasons from 2007-2010. He was awarded First Team All-Conference and team Offensive MVP honors all four years, a first in program history, and was the CAA Player of the Year as a senior co-captain in 2010. Sapong was a two-time NSCAA First Team All-South Atlantic Region selection and as a freshman, he was named the CAA and VaSID Rookie of the Year.
Kansas City’s second draft selection to sign on Tuesday, Jones was taken in the second round of the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft. A native of St. Peters, Mo., Jones played in 60 games at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and recorded six goals and two assists as a centerback for the Cougars. As a senior in 2010, Jones helped lead SIUE to seven shutouts in 19 games and was chosen Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference.
The final addition on Tuesday saw Lorenz sign his first MLS contract, after spending his rookie season with the NSC Minnesota Stars of USSF D2 last year. The left-footed outside back made 21 appearances in League competition, starting the club’s final 18 games in defense, including starts in both legs of the USSF D2 quarterfinals. Lorenz, 23, was recognized as the team’s Rookie of the Year, after being a four recorded 10 assists and 14 goals in 70 appearances at the University of Wisconsin.
On Thursday, Warzycha’s signing was announced as the latest addition to the club’s 2011 roster. The 22-year-old midfielder from Dublin, Ohio, was taken in the third round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft in January out of Ohio State University, where he compiled 13 goals and nine assists in 75 games played. The son of Columbus Crew coach and former MLS player Robert Warzycha, he joined Kansas City for pre-season but was diagnosed with a femoral condyle defect in his right knee and had surgery in Columbus last week. He will be placed on the Injured Reserve list to start the 2011 season and the timetable on his recovery was set at 6-8 months.
DEFENDER KEVIN ELLIS SIGNS AS CLUB’S SECOND HOME GROWN PLAYER:
Last month, Sporting Kansas City signed 19-year-old defender Kevin Ellis as the second Home Grown Player in club history. Ellis was brought through the Sporting Kansas City Juniors academy for the last four years, highlighted by his participation with the Under-17 team in the inaugural SUM Cup in 2007 and most recently in the Kansas State Cup and Region II Regionals with the Under-19 team last year.
The Kansas City, Missouri native also starred at Oak Park High School before he attended Barton County Community College, where he led the school to back-to-back Region VI championships and NJCAA National Tournament appearances in 2009 and 2010. In two years, he recorded 34 goals and 80 points, an all-time school record for points by a single player.
Ellis was invited to Sporting Kansas City’s invitation-only combine in January at the Kansas City Chiefs Indoor Practice Facility, along with fellow Juniors product Konner Knoll. Ellis’ strong performance at the three-day combine earned him a spot on the team’s pre-season roster in Phoenix, Arizona, where he trained with the first team prior to being offered a professional contract.
Ellis joins Sporting goalkeeper Jon Kempin as the second Home Grown Player on Kansas City’s 2011 roster.
MIDFIELDER JACK JEWSBURY TRADED TO PORTLAND TIMBERS:
Sporting Kansas City announced on Tuesday that midfielder Jack Jewsbury was traded to the Portland Timbers in exchange for allocation money. The 29-year-old Springfield, Missouri native was drafted by Kansas City with the 43rd overall pick in the fifth round of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft out of Saint Louis University, where he was recently inducted into the Billikens Hall of Fame for his outstanding collegiate career. Jewsbury spent eight seasons in KC, making 204 appearances, including postseason, and recorded 15 goals and 21 assists.
His versatility made him a mainstay in the lineup over his eight years in Kansas City, appearing in 28 or more games each of the last six seasons. Jewsbury holds several spots on Kansas City’s all-time record charts, ranking 7th in games started (142), games played (195) and minutes played (13,275), while ranking 8th in assists (21).
In 2008, Jewsbury led the team with seven assists, a single-season career high, and was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year. He also twice earned invitations to the U.S. Men’s National Team training camps in 2009.
MANAGER PETER VERMES ON BALLOT FOR 2011 HALL OF FAME CLASS:
Sporting Kansas City Manager and Technical Director Peter Vermes is one of 25 players nominated for the 2011 National Hall of Fame, U.S. Soccer announced last month. Vermes spent seven seasons in Major League Soccer from 1996-2002 after returning from Europe, where he played for clubs in Hungary, Netherlands and Spain. He first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2007.
Vermes, who played in 205 regular and post-season games in his MLS career, arrived in Kansas City in 2000 as part of a trade with the Colorado Rapids and won MLS Defender of the Year and Best XI honors as he helped KC win their first MLS Cup. Kansas City reached the playoffs all three years Vermes anchored the backline, appearing in 78 games prior to retiring following the 2002 season.
Vermes was also a regular on the U.S. Men’s National Team, earning 67 caps and participating in the 1988 Olympics and 1990 FIFA World Cup. Once a forward, Vermes scored 11 goals for the U.S. after debuting in May 1988.
Former Kansas City players Mike Burns (2001-02), Roy Lassiter (2001-02) and Chris Henderson (1999-2000) are also up for induction in the players category, while former Manager Bob Gansler (1999-2006) is one of seven nominations in the builders category. Voting will continue through March 11th.
2011 MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED:
Sporting Kansas City announced their 34-game regular season schedule last month for the club’s highly-anticipated 2011 Major League Soccer season, the team’s first to be played at the $180 million plus, state-of-the-art soccer-specific stadium currently being built in Kansas City, Kansas. For 2011 ticket information, contact the Sporting Kansas City ticket office toll-free at 1-888-4KC-GOAL, or visit www.sportingkc.com/virtualvenue.
Kansas City, a charter member of Major League Soccer, will begin its 16th season with ten games on the road, all to be played on Saturdays over a twelve-week span. During this time, final touches will be made at the stadium site ahead of its nationally televised grand opening on June 9th when Sporting Kansas City faces rivals Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. CT on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.com.
The marquee match is one of 11 Sporting Kansas City regular season MLS games to be broadcast nationally in 2011. Eight of the 11 matches scheduled for national exposure in the United States or Canada will be played at Sporting’s brand new home ground, which will seat 18,467 soccer supporters and features an iconic canopy roof that covers every seating section.
Sporting Kansas City’s 17 regular season home matches will come predominantly in the second half of the 2011 schedule, including nine consecutive games at home from July 23rd through September 10th. The homestand is part of a larger stretch that sees Sporting scheduled to play 13 of 16 games at home in July, August and September.
Excluding four Sporting games on the ESPN and FOX Soccer networks, all other Kansas City home and away matches will be telecast live locally in high definition on KSMO-TV, with one or more games slated to be simulcast on KCTV-5.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY TO PLAY HOUSTON IN 2011 US OPEN CUP PLAY-IN:
Sporting Kansas City will travel to Houston in April to play the Dynamo in a Lamar Hunt US Open Cup play-in game. Host teams were determined by a draw conducted by US Open Cup organizers this week and teams were seeded to determine the pairings. The winner between Houston and Kansas City will host the winner of D.C. United’s game against either Philadelphia or New England.
Sporting Kansas City will seek to qualify for the 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as one of ten MLS clubs vying for the two play-in berths available for the 98th edition of the domestic tournament. The following six MLS teams are automatic qualifiers in 2011, based on their finish in the 2010 regular season standings: Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders.
All MLS clubs will join the competition in the third round, scheduled to begin on June 28th, 2011, followed by the quarterfinals on July 12th, semifinals on August 30th and the championship on October 4th. Full details on the 2011 format and schedule can be found at TheCup.US.
DIGITAL COVERAGE OF SPORTING KC PRE-SEASON PROVIDES NEWS AND NOTES:
Sporting Kansas City supporters are encouraged to visit SportingKC.com for all the latest on the team’s pre-season preparations while the team is in Phoenix, Arizona prior to the 2011 season. Videos, photos, stories and more are posted daily to give fans a comprehensive look at the team as it takes shape for First Kick on March 19th at Chivas USA.
The Sporting Way, the official blog of Sporting Kansas City, also provides daily doses of information, as well as links to the team’s social media sites on Twitter and Facebook. Further, Sporting Kansas City recently launched two sources for Spanish-language content: ElSportingKC on Twitter and El Sporting KC on Facebook.
Click on the link to vist the Sporting KC video page for highlights, interviews and other video content.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY TO HOLD OPEN TRYOUTS ON MARCH 12TH and 13TH:
Sporting Kansas City will hold open tryouts for prospective players on March 12th and 13th at the team’s Swope Park Training Facility. The tryouts are open to players who are 18 years of age and older, and are among the first 300 registrants.
This year’s event marks the fourth consecutive year the club has held an organized open tryout. The previous occasions have drawn as many as 200 players from more than a dozen different countries.
Members of the Sporting Kansas City technical staff will conduct the tryouts, evaluating and identifying all players who participate on Saturday, March 12th. They will then select a group of the top performers from day one to return on Sunday, March 13th for a second session to allow the players an additional opportunity to showcase their abilities. No registered players are guaranteed a spot at the second day of tryouts.
Finalists from the open tryouts may then be given the chance to train with the Sporting Kansas City first team as they kick off their 16th season in Major League Soccer one week later.
Interested individuals can register for the 2011 open tryouts at SportingKC.com. Players must pay $200 for the opportunity to participate and also must be able to provide their own transportation, lodging and food for the weekend.
U16 AND U18 JUNIORS HOLD THEIR OWN AGAINST TOP TEAMS FROM MEXICO:
The Sporting Kansas City U16 and U18 Juniors returned from Frisco, Texas last weekend after a series of friendlies against youth teams from Mexico and other MLS academies in a tournament hosted by the FC Dallas Academy. The U16s got off to a winning start on Saturday, topping Tigres 3-1. Goals were scored by Wes White, Luke Blackwell and Tarlue Doe. Their second game proved tougher as they fell 2-0 to Santos, the only team with two wins on the weekend.
For the U18s, they found themselves in a high-scoring shootout against Monterrey on the first day, as they drew 3-3. Jordan Rideout, Will Witherspoon and Michael Oakley were the goal scorers. On Sunday, the U18s game against the Houston Dynamo was a little more defensive. It resulted in another draw, 1-1, with Sporting's goal being scored by the captain Oakley, for his second of the weekend.
The Juniors next matches will come at the end of the month when they go to Columbus, OH to compete in the SUM Cup. For more on the Juniors and their performance at the tournament, visit The Junior Way, the official blog of the Sporting Kansas City Juniors.
U13 AND U15 JUNIORS FACE CHICAGO MAGIC PRE-ACADEMY IN ST. LOUIS:
The Sporting Kansas City U13 and U15 Juniors continued their 2011 schedule last weekend in St. Louis with friendlies against the Chicago Magic Pre-Academy clubs. The U13s had a successful run as they finished unbeaten with two wins and one draw against two U13 teams and one U14 side. The boys got off to a quick start in the first game when Trevor Cissell put one past the keeper just two minutes into the game. They went on to draw with the PA1 U13s when the opposition scored with the clock winding down in the first half. In the U13s other two matches, the Juniors outscored Chicago by a combined 5-1 (2-1 and 3-0 scorelines). Logan Lucas led the way with four goals on the weekend, while Dakota Karns and John Leisman were also on the scoresheet.
The U15s didn’t fare as well as the U13s, but were up against last year's National Champions and were also battling the absences of seven players who were unable to make the trip. Jojo Piatczyc was the lone goal scorer for the Sporting U15s, led by Edmond Rugova. These games served as a tune-up for when all four Sporting Kansas City Juniors clubs head to Columbus at the end of the month for the 2011 SUM Cup.
For more on the Juniors and their performance at the tournament, visit The Junior Way, the official blog of the Sporting Kansas City Juniors.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY TO HOLD FOUR YOUTH CAMPS IN 2011:
Sporting Kansas City and the Sporting Kansas City Juniors will hold four youth camps in 2011 for boys and girls of all ages. Interested players and parents are encouraged to visit SportingKC.com/camps for additional information and to sign-up using the online registration forms.
The first camp of the 2011 calendar year will be the Juniors’ 2nd Annual Pre-Academy Camp from March 14th - 16th at the club's Swope Park Training Facility. The camp is open to boys between the ages of 9-16 who are currently part of or interested in becoming a member in the Juniors program in the future. All players will be evaluated by the Juniors coaching staff, with the opportunity to be invited back for future training sessions. The camp is designed for the committed player who wants to work their way into the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and the Sporting Kansas City Juniors. The camp costs $125, which includes a ticket to a Sporting Kansas City home game inside the team’s state-of-the-art new stadium and an adidas Sporting Kansas City t-shirt.
Other camps available in 2011, include:
- Invitation-Only Training Program
- Pre-Tryout Camp
- 2011 Fantasy Camp
For more information on all youth camps and Juniors programs, please contact Betsy Pollard at 913-387-3883.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE LOCALLY AND ONLINE:
Sporting Kansas City merchandise can be purchased at Dick’s Sporting Goods, The Kansas City Store and Kansas Sampler locations throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area, as well as online at MLSgear.com. Dick’s Sporting Goods launched the first line of Sporting Kansas City hooded sweatshirts, as well as short-sleeve and long-sleeve t-shirts following the team’s announcement of their new look in November 2010, while The Kansas City Store made merchandise available prior to the holiday season and continues to carry team items.
