Sporting KC to face D.C. United at 5 p.m., watch live
Mikey Lopez named to U.S. U-20 roster
Sporting KC debuts 2013 commercial
Kei Kamara makes EPL Debut
Sporting KC falls 2-1 to Montreal Impact
Single-game tickets on sale now for first nine matches
Match times finalized for four Sporting KC matches
Sporting KC to host open tryouts June 15-16
Sporting KC 2013 media credential application available
MLS, Sporting Innovations in new reality TV show
Sporting KC enters into affiliation with Orlando City SC
Vermes on ballot for veteran U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame
Pre-sale now open for Sporting KC's 2013 home uniforms
Sporting Park to host 2013 MLS All-Star Game, Vermes named coach
Partial season ticket packages on sale now
Pre-Academy Spring Break Camp registration open to the public
Follow Sporting KC online
SPORTING KC TO FACE D.C. UNITED AT 5 P.M., WATCH LIVE
Sporting KC will continue their preseason in Orlando with a match against D.C. United at 5 PM C.T. tonight. The match will be streamed live online at SportingKC.com/live.
MIKEY LOPEZ NAMED TO U.S. U-20 ROSTER
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Mikey Lopez was named to the United States Under-20 Men's National Team roster for the 2013 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, U.S. Soccer announced. The 12-team regional championship will be held in Puebla, Mexico from Feb. 18 - March 2 with the top four teams qualifying for the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Turkey.
Lopez, 19, was selected by Sporting Kansas City in the first round of the 2013 MLS SuperDraft last month out of the University of North Carolina. The Generation adidas signing appeared in all three of the team's pre-season matches in Tucson, Ariz. and he will re-join the club at the conclusion of tournament for the United States Under-20 Men's National Team.
SPORTING KC DEBUTS 2013 COMMERCIAL
Sporting Kansas City's new television spot for the 2013 MLS season debuted on Sunday, airing twice during the 55th annual Grammy Awards on KCTV5. The commercial, created locally as a joint collaboration between Sporting Kansas City and Liquid 9, will continue to air in the KC broadcast market throughout the season. Watch here.
KEI KAMARA MAKES EPL DEBUT
Sporting Kansas City forward Kei Kamara, on loan from Sporting Kansas City to Norwich City FC, made his EPL debut today in a scoreless draw against Fulham FC. Kamara replaced Luciano Becchio in the 86th minute in front of the Canaries home crowd at Carrow Road and directed a header narrowly high of goal less than a minute into his appearance. "He's produced the biggest cheer of the afternoon from the Norwich support," the FOX Soccer commentator remarked.
The 28-year-old Sierra Leone international arrived in Norwich mid-week after securing his work visa and conducted his first training session with the squad on Thursday.
SPORTING KC FALLS 2-1 TO MONTREAL IMPACT
Sporting Kansas City suffered their first loss of the preseason with a 2-1 result against the Montreal Impact in the Disney Pro Soccer Classic.
The match marked the first preseason minutes for Graham Zusi, Benny Feilhaber, and Matt Besler; all who were with the United States Men's National Team for the January training camp.
Sporting KC will continue their preseason in Orlando with a match against D.C. United on Wednesday, February 13 at 5 PM C.T. The match will be streamed live online at SportingKC.com/live.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR FIRST NINE MATCHES
Tickets to Sporting Kansas City's first nine regular season MLS matches are on sale to the general public now via Ticketmaster.com.
Fans have the opportunity to secure their seats for the first nine regular season MLS matches at Sporting Park, including the highly anticipated home opener on March 16 against rivals Chicago Fire, the U.S. Open Cup rematch against the Seattle Sounders on May 8 and an MLS Cup Playoffs rematch versus the Houston Dynamo on May 26.
MATCH TIMES FINALIZED FOR FOUR SPORTING KC MATCHES
Match times were announced last week for Sporting Kansas City's three regular season games in Canada for 2013, as well a new start time for the club's July 3rd home match against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC as part of the TSN and RDS national broadcast schedule.
The following four matches will be played at the times listed:
- Sat., March 9 at 12:30 p.m. CT vs. Toronto FC (Rogers Centre)
- Wed., July 3 at 8 p.m. CT vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Sporting Park)
- Sat., July 27 at 6 p.m. CT vs. Montreal Impact (Stade Saputo)
- Sat., Sept. 21 at 3 p.m. CT vs. Toronto FC (BMO Field)
Originally scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT
TSN and RDS, the official national broadcasters of Major League Soccer in Canada, unveiled a broadcast schedule that includes three Sporting Kansas City matches. The club will now have 15 of their 34 regular season matches broadcast nationally in the United States or Canada.
Visit SportingKC.com/schedule for the team's full 2013 match schedule.
SPORTING KC TO HOST OPEN TRYOUTS JUNE 15-16
Sporting Kansas City will hold open tryouts for prospective players on Saturday, June 15 and Sunday, June 16 at the team's Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park, the club announced. The tryouts are open to players who are 18 years of age and older, and are among the first 200 registrants.
This year's event marks the sixth consecutive year the club has held an organized open tryout. The previous occasions have drawn hundreds of players from more than a dozen different countries.
Interested individuals can register for the 2013 open tryouts at SportingKC.com. Players must pay the $208 tryout fee for the opportunity to participate and also must be able to provide their own transportation, lodging and food for the weekend.
SPORTING KC 2013 MEDIA CREDENTIAL APPLICATION AVAILABLE
Media members planning to cover Sporting Kansas City during the 2013 Major League Soccer season may now apply for full-season media credentials for Sporting Kansas City home MLS matches at Sporting Park.
• Apply Now: Download the 2013 media credential application
Media members may also request single-game credentials through the Sporting Kansas City communications department on a game-by-game basis. Please visitwww.sportingkc.com/media-info for more information.
All media members are asked to download and return the 2013 media credential application by Saturday, Feb. 16 to Kurt Austin either by email atkaustin@sportingkc.com or by mail:
Attn: Kurt Austin, Sporting KC Communications
1 Sporting Way
Kansas City, KS 6611
Media credential applications are evaluated on an annual basis and credentialed media from previous seasons are not guaranteed full-season credentials in 2013. Applicants must be 18 years or older to be considered for a full-season credential. Single-game credentials for those under the age of 18 will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Sporting Kansas City will accommodate as many media outlets as possible, but it may be necessary to credential some media on a single-game basis.
MLS, SPORTING INNOVATIONS IN NEW REALITY TV SHOW
MLS is the featured company in the fourth episode of THE JOB, airing on March 1 from 7-8 p.m. CT on the CBS Television Network, and Sporting Innovations will be one of the three guest companies for the episode, along with Modell's Sporting Goods and FC Harlem. Representatives from the guest companies will have the opportunity to make an on-the-spot offer to one of the candidates, who must decide if they will accept the offer or remain in the running for the episode's dream job.
For this episode, the five candidates will be vying for an associate producer position at MLSSoccer.com and will participate in several rounds of elimination challenges before a panel of MLS executives that will include Kathy Carter (President of Soccer United Marketing), Howard Handler (Chief Marketing Officer), Nelson Rodriguez (Executive Vice President of Competition, Technical and Game Operations) and Greg Lalas (MLSSoccer.com Editor-in-Chief).
Hosted by Emmy Award nominee Lisa Ling, THE JOB is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Embassy Row. Emmy Award winners Michael Davies, Mark Burnett and Jay Bienstock are executive producers. For more information, visitwww.cbs.com/thejob and follow them on Twitter at @TheJobCBS.
SPORTING KC ENTERS INTO AFFILIATION WITH ORLANDO CITY
Sporting Kansas City (Major League Soccer) and Orlando City (USL PRO) have entered into a two-year partnership, with the Lions becoming the official USL PRO affiliate of Sporting KC. The landmark agreement made by the two clubs kicks off an important stepping stone in the U.S. Soccer pyramid, with MLS reserve players to be integrated into USL PRO play beginning in 2013.
Starting with an announcement via the two leagues, MLS teams now have the chance to partner with USL PRO clubs. As an official affiliate, Orlando City will retain a minimum of four Sporting KC players for development throughout the USL PRO regular season. Those players would then get playing time, in preparation to be called up by their MLS club. The four reserve players Sporting will send to Orlando for the 2013 season have not yet been announced.
In addition to providing loan opportunities for select Sporting Kansas City reserve players, the technical staffs from both teams will pursue several strategic initiatives such as joint coaching seminars, business endeavors, scouting mechanisms and access to facilities. These efforts would strive to be mutually beneficial for both clubs and serve to build upon the foundation that has been established.
VERMES ON BALLOT FOR VETERAN U.S. SOCCER HALL OF FAME
Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes is among 15 nominees on the National Soccer Hall of Fame Veteran Ballot. Also appearing as Class of 2013 candidates are former Kansas City players Chris Henderson and Roy Lassiter (final year of eligibility) on the Player ballot, as well as Mike Burns and Mike Sorber on the Veteran ballot.
Vermes represented the United States in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, and was named 1988 Chevrolet U.S. Male Soccer Athlete of the Year for his efforts. He also starred for the bronze-medal winning U.S. team at the World Five-a-Side Tournament in Holland in 1989, where he was the tournament's leading scorer with six goals.
He was next an integral part of a young U.S. team that qualified for their first World Cup in 40 years and appeared in every U.S. match at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, where he nearly scored a sensational goal against the host Azzurri. Over the course of eight years with the U.S. Men's National Team, Vermes earned 66 appearances with 11 goals and three assists.
Following his retirement at the end of the 2002 season, Vermes now enters his seventh season as Sporting Kansas City's technical director and fifth season as manager in 2013. He has been a finalist for MLS Coach of the Year each of the last two seasons after leading Sporting KC to back-to-back first place finishes in the Eastern Conference.
PRE-SALE NOW OPEN FOR SPORTING KC'S 2013 HOME UNIFORMS
Sporting Kansas City's new 2013 home uniform will launch on Feb. 26. Prior to the official launch, fans may access a special pre-sale for 2013 authentic home jerseys atshop.sportingkc.com and be among the first to order the team's newest gear.
The officially licensed MLS product is manufactured by Adidas and can be customized with your favorite personal or player name and number.
SPORTING PARK TO HOST 2013 MLS ALL-STAR GAME, VERMES NAMED COACH
Kansas City will be the host city for the 2013 MLS All-Star Game . The annual showcase event will feature three days of festivities, culminating in a match between the League's top players and a renowned international club on Wednesday, July 31 at Sporting Park, home of Sporting Kansas City.
The 2013 MLS All-Star Game will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. CT on the ESPN, Univision, TSN and RDS family of networks. Exact networks will be announced at a later date. Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes, a finalist for MLS Coach of the Year each of the last two seasons, will coach the 2013 MLS All-Stars.
The 2013 All-Star Game will mark the 10th time that an elite international club has played the MLS All-Stars, who are 6-2-1 in those matches. In addition to honoring the best players in MLS, the game has featuredsuccessful, world-famous clubs such as Manchester United (2010 & 2011), Everton FC (2009), Chelsea FC (2006 & 2012), and Chivas de Guadalajara (2003). The opponent for this year's game will be announced at a later date.
PARTIAL SEASON TICKET PACKAGES ON SALE NOW
Sporting Kansas City partial season tickets (10-game packs) plans are now available for the 2013 season at Sporting Park. Fans may choose between two options, each of which feature eight MLS regular season home games and both CONCACAF Champions League group stage matches.
More information can be found on our 2013 Partial Season Ticket Plans page or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL.
PRE-ACADEMY SPRING BREAK CAMP REGISTRATION OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
The 2013 Pre-Academy Spring Break Camp is open to all boys (8-16yrs old) who are looking to play for the Sporting KC Academy program in the future. All players will have the opportunity to be trained by and be evaluated by Sporting KC Academy coaching staff members. This camp is offered to the committed player who wants to be part of U.S. Soccer's Development Academy as well as the Sporting KC Academy. The training sessions will be challenging, fun and will allow players to improve technically, tactically, physically, and psychologically.
- When: March 18th-20th (Monday-Wednesday)
- Who: Boys ages 8-16 years old
- Schedule:
9-10:30am: 14-16 years old
11am-12:30pm: 11-13 years old
1:30-3pm: 8-10 years old
- Where: Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park
- Cost: $125 (includes adidas Sporting KC shirt)
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 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.
Additional news and notes leading up to the team's opening MLS match on March 2 can be found at sportingkc.com/preseason and sportingkc.com/tracker.
