SPORTING KANSAS CITY TIES COLUMBUS 2-2 ON SATURDAY:
Sporting Kansas City faced their first competition of the 2011 pre-season on Saturday, playing to a 2-2 draw against the Columbus Crew at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix, Arizona. Midfielder Jack Jewsbury and forward Kei Kamara each scored for Sporting in the team's first of nine scheduled pre-season matches in Arizona.
Jewsbury opened the scoring inside of ten minutes as Kansas City hit the ground running with a lineup featuring a mix of six returning players and five new faces. Columbus, preparing for the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals later this month, equalized before the first of three 30-minute periods expired, on a header from Brazilian trialist Alex Fraga.
Sporting rotated in 11 new guys to start the second session, with Designated Player Omar Bravo getting his first competitive minutes in a Kansas City uniform and MLS SuperDraft pick Konrad Warzycha entering against a Crew team coached by his father, Robert Warzcyha. Bravo paired up top with forwards Teal Bunbury and Kei Kamara, who combined for the only goal of the period. Kamara, a member of the Sierra Leone National Team and Kansas City's leading scorer last season, received a through ball from Bunbury and finished the scoring opportunity to regain the lead for KC.
The final thirty minutes allowed Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes to introduce some of the team's young players alongside veteran captain Davy Arnaud. The Crew notched the game's final goal as referee Alex Prus awarded a penalty kick to Columbus and Robbie Rogers stepped up to the spot to put his shot past goalkeeper Jon Kempin, Kansas City's first Homegrown Player, with approximately five minutes remaining.
WEDNESDAY’S INTRA-SQUAD MATCH MARKS SECOND MATCH OF 2011 PRE-SEASON:
Sporting Kansas City played the second match on their pre-season schedule on Wednesday, completing an intra-squad scrimmage at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix, Arizona. The pre-season roster, more than 30 strong in the early stages of preparation for the 2011 MLS season, was divided into three teams, who each faced off in a series of three, 30-minute matches. Team Blue, featuring eight pre-season trialists, walked away winners with a victory and a draw in their two matches.
Korede Aiyegbusi scored the lone goal in the opening 30-minute session to give Team Blue a 1-0 victory over Team Orange. Aiyegbusi, who played in five games in 2010 after being drafted out of North Carolina State, scored on a ball played across the goalmouth with a well-struck shot into the upper-right corner from a difficult angle near the endline. Goalkeeper Jon Kempin made several saves in the shutout, including two stops early on efforts from Kei Kamara and Teal Bunbury.
Team Orange stayed on the field for the second session against Team Yellow, which consisted of a well-balanced mix of returning players, 2011 draft picks and pre-season trialists. Kamara scored in his second straight pre-season match, receiving a pass from Designated Player Omar Bravo and burying his shot past Eric Kronberg. On the opposite end, 2010 MLS All-Star Jimmy Nielsen kept the clean sheet as Team Orange finished 1-1-0 on the day.
The day’s final session between Team Orange and Team Blue ended in a scoreless draw despite scoring chances from both squads.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY FACES COLORADO ON SATURDAY:
Kansas City will play their third match in a week’s time when they take on the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, February 12th in a pre-season scrimmage at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix, Arizona, where the club is training for the second consecutive pre-season. Saturday’s game will be the first competitive action for the Rapids, who opened pre-season on January 24th in Colorado and will arrive in Arizona on February 11th.
Sporting Kansas City opened the pre-season camp on January 24th and will go through nearly eight weeks of preparation for the start of the 2011 campaign, with the team’s season opener coming on March 19th at Chivas USA. The team arrived in Phoenix last week for the first of a pair of two-week training stints in the Arizona capital.
The Reach 11 Sports Complex in suburban Phoenix is a 33-acre complex opened in 2007 and features 18 lighted fields. The U16 and U18 Sporting Kansas City Juniors recently competed at the facility in the 2010 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase.
Sporting Kansas City and Major League Soccer are entering their 16th season in 2011, which will feature two new expansion teams in the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers, as every club plays each team twice in a 34-game season. See below for the 2011 pre-season schedule, subject to change:
Sporting Kansas City 2011 Pre-Season Schedule:
- Feb. 15th – Team returns to Kansas City
- Feb. 21st – Team departs for Phoenix
- March 11th – Team returns to Kansas City
- March 19th – Season opener at Chivas USA
<strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Date</span></strong> |
<strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Opponent</span></strong> |
<strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Time/Result</span></strong> |
<strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Location</span></strong> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Saturday, February 5th</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Columbus Crew</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="//www.sportingkc.com/news/2011/02/2-2-draw-vs-columbus-preseason-opener" target="_blank">2-2 T</a></span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Phoenix, AZ (Reach 11)</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Wednesday, February 9th</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Intra-Squad</span> |
<a href="//www.sportingkc.com/news/2011/02/intra-squad-game-shows-promising-signs" target="_self">Recap</a> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Phoenix, AZ (Reach 11)</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Saturday, February 12th </span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Colorado Rapids</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">10:00am</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Phoenix, AZ (Reach 11)</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tuesday, February 15th</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Houston Dynamo</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">10:00am</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Phoenix, AZ (Reach 11)</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tuesday, February 15th</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">U.S. Under-18 MNT</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">11:00am</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Phoenix, AZ (Reach 11)</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Saturday, February 26th</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Portland Timbers</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">11:00am</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Casa Grande, AZ (Grande Sports World)</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Saturday, February 26th</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Montreal Impact</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">12:30pm</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Casa Grande, AZ (Grande Sports World)</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Friday, March 4th</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Arizona Sahuaros</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">7:00pm</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tucson, AZ (Hi Corbett Field)</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Saturday, March 5th</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">New York Red Bulls</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">7:00pm</span> |
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tucson, AZ (Hi Corbett Field)</span></span> |
2011 MLS SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED ON THURSDAY:
Major League Soccer will unveil the 2011 regular season schedule on Thursday, with all dates and opponents for Sporting Kansas City’s historic first season at the team’s state-of-the-art stadium in Kansas City, Kansas.
The 2011 MLS season will feature a balanced schedule, with each team playing every other team once at home and once away. With the addition of two new expansion clubs, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps, each club will now play a total of 34 regular-season matches, four more than a season ago.
The League announced home openers for every club in December, setting Kansas City’s home opener for June 9th against the Chicago Fire. The match will mark Kansas City’s first game inside their own stadium, which will seat 18,467 soccer supporters and features a dramatic canopy roof that covers every seating section of the stadium. It will also include two high definition video boards, with a 2,016-square-feet screen on the south end and a 550-square-feet screen on the north end.
Sporting Kansas City will play the first part of its 2011 MLS schedule on the road while final touches are made on the stadium ahead of its opening on June 9th. Sporting will open the 2011 MLS season at Chivas USA at 9:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 19th at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California and then travel to Chicago for the Fire’s home opener the following weekend on Saturday, March 26th at 3 p.m. CT at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois.
The Fire’s return trip to Kansas City in June will mark a momentous date in Kansas City soccer history as the city’s first professional soccer-specific stadium opens less than a year-and-a-half after breaking ground on the site near Village West in Wyandotte County in January 2010. The stadium is designed as one of the best in the world for its size and has world-class accommodations, such as the innovative Members Club, the first of its kind in MLS, for Members Section ticket holders.
Sporting Kansas City season ticket packages 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).
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 for 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.
NINE SPORTING KANSAS CITY U18 JUNIORS COMMIT TO COLLEGE PROGRAMS:
The Sporting Kansas City U18 Juniors academy team will send nine players to college programs across the country as part of incoming recruiting classes announced over the last week. February 2nd marked the official National Signing Day, when high school seniors can send in their Letters of Intent for the first time to commit to college programs to continue their playing careers.
The following nine players are part of the Sporting Kansas City U18's and will now be pursuing college opportunities as freshman in the fall.
- Marques Mayoras -- Ohio State
- Konner Knoll and Jordan Rideout – University of Missouri – Kansas City
- Paul Oliver and Tom Adams – Oral Roberts
- Will Witherspoon – Virginia Tech
- Shane Bowlen and Michael Oakley – William Jewell
- Asher Herbet -- Long Island University (Brooklyn Campus)
SPORTING KANSAS CITY MAKES FOUR ROSTER MOVES:
Sporting Kansas City announced four player moves on Monday, confirming the departure of forward Sunil Chhetri and defender Nick Kounenakis, as well as pre-season cuts that end the stays of 2011 draft picks J.T. Murray and Sam Scales.
Sporting did not pick up the option for Chhetri, 26, who was signed in March 2010 and appeared in two matches for Kansas City. He debuted in the team’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play-in match on April 13 against the Colorado Rapids, and entered as substitute against Manchester United on July 25th. Chhetri was then loaned to the India National Team for preparation leading up to the 2011 Asian Cup, in which he scored two goals last month.
Kounenakis was released by mutual consent ahead of the 2011 season. The 32-year-old central defender was signed in July 2010 to add depth to Kansas City’s backline but did not appear in any matches for the club in the 14 games he was available for selection during the regular season. Kounenakis wore No. 32 for Kansas City and made the 18-man roster in three consecutive matches after officially being added to the team.
Murray, 22, joined Kansas City after being selected 32nd overall in the 2nd Round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft last month. The defender was drafted from the University of Louisville, where he helped lead the Cardinals to the 2010 NCAA College Cup national championship.
Scales, a 21-year-old midfielder out of Ohio State University, was the fourth college player taken by Sporting Kansas City in the 2011 MLS draft process. Scales was added through the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft in January, the second college draft held by MLS, with the 10th overall pick in the 1st Round.
KANSAS CITY TO HOST 2011 CONCACAF GOLD CUP DOUBLEHEADER ON JUNE 14:
Sporting Kansas City’s state-of-the-art new stadium will host a first round doubleheader for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup™ on June 14, 2011. 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. CONCACAF will announce the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup™ groups, schedule and ticket information in early March.
The Gold Cup doubleheader in Kansas City will be 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 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.
JUNIORS ANNOUNCE 2ND ANNUAL PRE-ACADEMY CAMP MARCH 14-16:
The Sporting Kansas City Juniors will host their 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. The schedule for the 2011 Pre-Academy Camp is as follows:
- 14-16 year olds: 9-10:30am
- 11-13 year olds: 11-12:30pm
- 9-10 year olds: 1:30-3pm
If interested, click here to register for the 2011 Pre-Academy Camp.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE LOCALLY AND ONLINE:
Sporting Kansas City merchandise can be purchased at Dick’s Sporting Goods and The Kansas City Store 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.
Additionally, Sporting Kansas City supporters can visit the official online store of Major League Soccer for scarves, towels, soccer balls and hats with the new logo and Sporting Blue color.
