Sporting Kansas City opens 2012 season against D.C. United this Saturday
Media Day set for March 13
2012 home opener set for March 17
New blog launched on SportingKC.com
Individual match tickets for Olympic qualifiers on sale now
Nielsen named captain
Zusi, Kamara to appear at Kansas Sampler
Besler giving back
Kronberg out 4-6 weeks with lower back injury
Single-game tickets available now
Sporting KC unveils boys and girls youth soccer camps for 2012
Follow Sporting Kansas City online
SPORTING KANSAS CITY OPENS 2012 SEASON AGAINST D.C. UNITED THIS SATURDAY
Sporting Kansas City will kick off their 2012 MLS regular season this Saturday when they play D.C. United at 6:30 p.m. CT at RFK Stadium. Live television coverage begins at 6 p.m. CT, on KSMO TV.
Join other Sporting fans for a watch party in the Member’s Club in LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. New merchandise, and a full assortment of food and drinks will be available. Saturday’s watch party is free to attend and open to all ages.
Sporting Kansas City defeated D.C. United twice during regular season play in 2011. The team clinched first place in the Eastern Conference with a 1-0 win over D.C. at RFK Stadium in last year’s regular season finale.
Back to top ^
MEDIA DAY SET FOR MARCH 13
Sporting Kansas City will host the team’s annual media day, as well as a special Season Ticket Member event on Tuesday, March 13 at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. Media members are asked to RSVP to Alice Schroeder at 913-302-1565 or by e-mail at aschroeder@sportingkc.com
As part of the day’s activities, Sporting KC will play an exhibition match against Rockhurst University at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. The game will be the team’s first of 2012 inside their state-of-the-art stadium this season and will serve as a tune-up for the team’s home opener on Saturday, March 17 against the New England Revolution.
Back to top ^
2012 HOME OPENER SET FOR MARCH 17
Sporting Kansas City will play their first home match of 2012 at LIVE
STRONG
Sporting Park on Saturday, March 17 against the New England Revolution. The match comes one week after Sporting Kansas City opens the 2012 season on the road at D.C. United on Saturday, March 10. Visit
SportingKC.com/schedule
to see all 34 games on Sporting Kansas City's regular season slate.
Back to top ^
NEW BLOG LAUNCHED ON SPORTINGKC.COM
Sporting Kansas City has launched a new series of blogs that will offer new exclusive content for fans. The blog will combine insight from Sporting Club CEO Robb Heineman, fan submissions, information on the Juniors, and entries from the communications staff to give fans insight into the daily grind at Sporting Kansas City.
Back to top ^
INDIVIDUAL MATCH TICKETS FOR OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS ON SALE NOW

Individual game tickets for the semifinals and final matches of the 2012 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park are on sale now.
The semifinal matches that determine CONCACAF’s two entrants to the 2012 Olympic Games in London will be played as a doubleheader event on Saturday, March 31, at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. CT. The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team will play in the second semifinal match should the team advance out of Group A. The championship game will take place on Monday, April 2, at 7 p.m. CT.
Fans can order Kansas City individual tickets online at ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at local Ticketmaster ticket centers in Kansas City and at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park’s ticket office (open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT).
Back to top ^
NIELSEN NAMED CAPTAIN
Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen
will captain the club
during the 2012 season. The veteran Danish shot-stopper enters his third MLS season this year following an off-season that saw him
sign an extension to remain with the team through 2013
. An MLS All-Star in his debut season and Team MVP in 2011, Nielsen wore the captain’s armband at times throughout the 2011 season in the absence of then-captain Davy Arnaud.
Back to top ^
ZUSI, KAMARA TO APPEAR AT KANSAS SAMPLER
Graham Zusi and Kei Kamara will make a special appearance at the Kansas Sampler to sign autographs for fans on Wednesday, March 14 from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. The players will be at the Kansas Sampler outlet at the Oak Park Mall at 9750 Quivira, Lenexa, KS 66215.
Back to top ^
BESLER GIVING BACK
Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler is a candidate for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s
Man of the Year campaign
in the Kansas City region.
Fans, friends and family interested in donating to Besler’s Man of the Year campaign may do so by making a donation on Besler’s
LLS webpage
or may bid on five premium items on Besler’s personal
page in early March with new items appearing every two weeks ending on April 26.
Back to top ^
KRONBERG OUT 4-6 WEEKS WITH LOWER BACK INJURY
Sporting Kansas City
goalkeeper Eric Kronberg
is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks with a lower back injury, the club announced last week. The 28-year-old is the longest tenured player for Sporting Kansas City and enters his seventh season with the club in 2012 after being drafted out of the University of California in 2006.
Back to top ^
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW
Single-game tickets for Sporting Kansas City’s first eight home matches of the 2012 MLS season at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park are available now.
Individual match tickets for each of the opening eight home games on the Sporting KC schedule -- beginning with the highly anticipated home opener on Saturday, March 17 and continuing through the visit from rivals Chicago Fire on Friday, June 29 -- will be available for purchase on Ticketmaster.com or at the LIVESTRONG Sporting Park Box Offices (open Monday thru Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT).
Back to top ^
SPORTING KC UNVEILS BOYS AND GIRLS YOUTH SOCCER CAMPS FOR 2012
Sporting Kansas City and the Sporting Kansas City Juniors youth development academy will again offer a series of youth soccer camps in 2012 for boys and girls of all ages. Please see the list of scheduled camps below:
- Spring Break Camp: March 12-14 for boys ages 9-16 ($130)
- Invite-Only Sessions: April 2 – May 1 (Monday’s only) for U11 – U14 boys ($255)
- Pre-Tryout Camp: June 4-6 for U11-U14 boys ($130)
- Boys & Girls Development Camp: June 18-20 for boys and girls ages 8-12 ($130)
- Sporting Youngsters Camp: June 11-14 for boys and girls ages 4-7 ($100)
- Sporting Development Camp: June 11-14 for boys and girls ages 8-12 ($150)
Back to top ^
FOLLOW SPORTING KANSAS CITY 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.
