SPORTING KC OPENS 2014 HOME SCHEDULE TONIGHT
Sporting Kansas City opens their 2014 home schedule tonight as the club faces Mexican opponent Cruz Azul FC in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series. The sold-out match, scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. CT, will be nationally broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 (English) and Univision Deportes Network (Spanish). Fans can also listen to the match locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB.
The CCL quarterfinals will consist of a two-legged home and away series. The decisive second match will be played in Mexico City on March 19 and the team with the lead on aggregate at the conclusion of the second game will advance to the semifinals.
Following Wednesday’s match, Sporting KC will resume league play when they host FC Dallas at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at Sporting Park. Limited tickets are available and can be purchased at SportingKC.com/Tickets or by calling (888) 4KC-GOAL.
MATT BESLER NAMED KANSAS CITY SPORTS COMMISSION SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR
The Kansas City Sports Commission announced Wednesday the winners for their annual Awards Banquet. Sporting KC defender Matt Besler was named the Kansas City Downtown Marriott Sportsman of the Year for his efforts on and off the field.
In 2013, Besler led Sporting KC to their first MLS Cup championship since 2000 and started the MLS All-Star Game at Sporting Park. In addition, the Overland Park native made his debut for the U.S. Men’s National Team in January and featured 12 times total for the U.S. MNT. Besler helped lead the United States to a championship at the CONCACAF Gold Cup and played a crucial role as the U.S. MNT finished first in the Hex and qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
SPORTING KC SIGNS SPANISH MIDFIELDER ANTONIO RODRIGUEZ DOVALE
Sporting Kansas City has signed Spanish midfielder Antonio Rodriguez Dovale, the club announced Tuesday. Dovale will be added to the team's 2014 roster upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P-1 Visa and will occupy the club's fifth of eight available international roster spots.
Dovale began his career in the youth system of Ural CF, a club in his hometown of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. He then played four years in the Barcelona Academy alongside future professionals Jonathan Dos Santos (FC Barcelona), Thiago Alcântara (Bayern Munich) and Bojan Krkic (Ajax FC).
SKCTV EXPANDS REACH TO NINE STATES
SKCTV will feature eight affiliates for the team’s 2014 season with a broadcast area that reaches fans in nine states across the Midwest, the club announced on Monday.
SKCTV will feature the broadcast team of Callum Williams (play-by-play), Diego Gutierrez (commentator) and Jake Yadrich (sideline). On-site coverage for every home and away broadcast will feature 30-minute pre-game and 30-minute post-game shows.
SPORTING KC FALLS TO SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC IN REGULAR SEASON OPENER
Sporting Kansas City fell 1-0 at the Seattle Sounders on Saturday in the opening match of the 2014 Major League Soccer season. Second-half substitute Chad Barrett, acquired by Seattle in the Re-Entry Draft this offseason, scored in the game's final minute to mark his Sounders debut in dramatic fashion in front of more than 39,000 fans at CenturyLink Field. Click here for a full recap.
AURELIEN COLLIN AT KANSAS SAMPLER ON THURSDAY
On Thursday, MLS Cup MVP Aurelien Collin will make a special appearance from 6-7:30 p.m. CT at Kansas Sampler Oak Park (9750 Quivira Rd) in Lenexa, Kan. The two-time MLS All-Star and two-time MLS Best XI selection will meet fans, sign autographs and have his photo taken with customers.
#VOTESPORTING: KC BATTLE OF THE BRANDS
Sporting Kansas City has advanced to the round of 32 in
KCsourcelink.com's Battle of the Brands
. Voting will continue online through 4 p.m. CT on Friday as Sporting Kansas City is paired against Gram & Dun in the Established/Growing portion of the bracket.
OFFICIAL MLS ONLINE PHOTO STORE LAUNCHES
USA TODAY Sports Images and Major League Soccer (MLS) today officially launched
mls.fanphotos.com
, the official online photo product store for MLS fans.
MLS and USA TODAY Sports Images, the exclusive photo provider for MLS and its commercial arm, Soccer United Marketing (SUM), are partnering with Brand Affinity Technologies (Brand Affinity) to operate mls.fanphotos.com. Brand Affinity has extensive experience operating online photo stores with teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball.
The partnership will grant Brand Affinity the rights to produce products across 11 categories. Products will include reprints, greeting cards, mugs, ornaments, magnets, coasters and other compelling photo-enhanced items.
BUY ONE, GET ONE DEAL AVAILABLE AT KC AREA CHIPOTLE LOCATIONS ON SATURDAY
Wear your official Sporting KC apparel into any KC-area Chipotle on Saturday, March 15th and score a buy one, get one deal as part of their March to Soccer promotion.
Chipotle Mexican Grill in partnership with Major League Soccer announced that Chipotle will be the Official Fast-Casual Mexican Restaurant of MLS and 12 MLS Clubs. The sponsorship will be Chipotle’s largest single sports partnership and will feature promotional programs with 12 teams, individual players, and programs across the entire league.
SPORTING KC UNVEILS NEW SECONDARY JERSEY
Sporting Kansas City unveiled the club's 2014 secondary kit last week during Sporting Takeoff at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport as part of Major League Soccer's annual Jersey Week. The jersey features a three-dimentional lenticular Sporting KC shield with a checkered pattern visible that pays tribute to the flags waved by supporters at Sporting Park. Imprinted inside the jersey on the reverse side of the crest is a "For the Glory of this City" badge inspired by the KC Cauldron's banner display at the 2012 U.S. Open Cup final. Two stars are vertically stacked above the shield to represen the team's two MLS Cup championships (2000, 2013), highlighted by the gold star exclusive to Sporting Kansas City as a distinction of Major League Soccer's reigning champion.
The adidas kits are the lightest soccer jersey available with mesh material along the top of the jersey back and upper sleeves and prominently showcase Ivy Funds, Sporting Kansas City's presenting jersey partner and official investment management partner, centrally located in silver on the front of the new uniform. Sporting KC will debut the new uniform on March 19 against Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions League. Read more on the new kit.
SPORTING PARK TO FEATURE NEW FOOD OPTIONS AND CHAMPIONS CLUB OPTIONS IN 2014
Sporting Kansas City and KC American Sportservice, the team's food and beverage partner, have officially unveiled the new menu lineup for the 2014 Major League Soccer season at Sporting Park.
New items will be featured in the concessions area, including the new Champion's Club offering, and will be available for ticket holders to complement the one-of-a-kind game day experience beginning with the team's first home match tonight. Click here for highlights from the 2014 menu.
Throughout the 2014 season, Chipotle will work with MLS and the 12 clubs by executing unique promotions and activations to reach MLS fans across the country.
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 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.
