Sporting Kansas City captain and MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Jimmy Nielsen was joined by MLS Defender of the Year Matt Besler and MLS W.O.R.K.S Humanitarian of the Year finalist Kei Kamara at the 83rd Annual Plaza Lighting Ceremony on Thanksgiving night.
The trio was selected to flip the switch and light up the town at this years KCP&L Plaza Lighting Ceremony at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. Thousands of people gathered throughout the streets and in the surrounding restuarants and buildings to watch the show. The festivities kicked off during the pre-show which started at 5:00 p.m. CT and the early birds reaped many benefits as including the opportunity to win free gear. Sporting Kansas City midfielder and 2012 Volkswagen MLS MVP candidate Graham Zusi mounted the stage and threw out souvenirs to the crowd.
During the 6 p.m. hour as the long awaited flip grew closer, Highwoods Properties of the Country Club plaza creatively rallied the crowd with a "Plaza Lights Trivia" contest starring two locally raised Sporting Kansas City stars in Seth Sinovic and Kyle Miller.
And shortly there after, Nielsen, Besler and Kamara were in the limelight. A place they often found themselves before, but this time was in much different fashion. The players were joined by Isabella, one of Jimmy Nielsen’s daughters, and A.J., the lucky child selected at random from the crowd as they counted down from ten until it was time to flip the switch! But no words can do justice for the magic of this night. To see for yourself, take a look at the slide show below:
