Sporting KC to host Seattle Sounders FC tonight
Kei Kamara returns to Sporting Kansas City
Graham Zusi named MLS Player of the Week
Dom Dwyer named USL PRO Player of the Week
C.J. Sapong up for MLS Goal of the Week
Jimmy Nielsen sets all-time club shutout record
Sporting KC defeats Chivas USA 4-0
Official logo unveiled for 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game
Paulo Nagamura suspended for one game
Single day tickets on sale now for Flatlands Festival
Sporting KC season tickets sold out for 2013 season
Sporting Park to host U.S. MNT in World Cup Qualifier
Sporting Club launches The Victory Project
Single-game tickets on sale for next five matches
Away tickets available now
Follow Sporting KC online
SPORTING KC TO HOST SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC TONIGHT
Sporting Kansas City welcomes the Seattle Sounders FC to Sporting Park at 7:30 p.m. CT tonight in a rematch of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final. The two teams meet for the first time since Sporting Kansas City prevailed in a penalty kick shootout last August at Sporting Park to end the Sounders' three-year reign as U.S. Open Cup champions.
Tickets for the match are available on Ticketmaster.com or at the Sporting Park Box Offices. KSMO-TV will begin coverage at 7 p.m. CT from Sporting Park and the game will be broadcast live on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Gran D 1340 AM.
KEI KAMARA RETURNS TO SPORTING KANSAS CITY
Forward Kei Kamara has returned from his loan stint with English Premier League side Norwich City. Kamara is available to play for Sporting Kansas City tonight. The Sierra Leone international scored 11 goals for Sporting Kansas City last season.
GRAHAM ZUSI NAMED MLS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Graham Zusi was voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week on Monday by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week 10 of the 2013 MLS season. Zusi played a pivotal part in Sporting Kansas City's first three goals on Sunday in a 4-0 victory over Chivas USA at Sporting Park.
The honor is Zusi's second career Player of the Week recognition and first for the team since he last won the award in Week 23 of the 2011 MLS season.The 26-year-old playmaker set up Claudio Bieler's goal in the 41st minute, earning his fourth assist of the season and third game-winning assist of the year (watch here). Both marks are tied for the League lead in 2013. Zusi also moved into sole possession of fifth place on KC's all-time assist chart with 27 regular season assists in his MLS career, breaking a tie with Josh Wolff.
DOM DWYER NAMED USL PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dom Dwyer was named USL PRO Player of the Week for Week 7 on Tuesday. Dwyer -- one of four Sporting Kansas City players currently on loan to USL PRO affiliate Orlando City SC -- had a hat trick in Orlando City's 7-2 victory against Antigua Barracuda FC on Saturday to give him eight goals on the season, most in the league.
The Lions are in first place in the 13-team USL PRO with a 5-1-1 record and a league-best 21 goals scored. They'll next face the Seattle Sounders FC reserves at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday. That match can be seen live on USLNation.com or follow @OrlandoCitySC for updates.
C.J. SAPONG UP FOR MLS GOAL OF THE WEEK
Sporting KC forward C.J. Sapong has been nominated for MLSSoccer.com Goal of the Week. Sapong's goal, his first of the season, was a clinical volley from a Mechack Jerome cross in the 87th minute of Sunday's 4-0 victory over Chivas USA. Vote for Sapong's goal by texting "G4" to 22442 or voting online.
JIMMY NIELSEN SETS ALL-TIME CLUB SHUTOUT RECORD
Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen moved atop the club's all-time shutout chart on Sunday in the team's 4-0 victory over Chivas USA at Sporting Park with the 38th regular season clean sheet of his MLS career.
The 2012 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year breaks a tie with National Soccer Hall of Fame member and former KC goalkeeping great Tony Meola for the most regular season shutouts by a goalkeeper in club history. Nielsen is the 13th goalkeeper in MLS history to record at least 38 career regular season shutouts and he did so in the fewest regular season games played (104) amongst that group.
SPORTING KC DEFEATS CHIVAS USA 4-0
Sporting Kansas City defeated Chivas USA 4-0 on Sunday afternoon in front of a sold-out crowd at Sporting Park. Claudio Bieler opened the scoring in the 41st minute with Graham Zusi claiming the assist. Bieler doubled Sporting KC's lead in the 57th minute after converting a penalty kick drawn by Paulo Nagamura. Zusi added a goal to his tab in the 65th minute while Josh Gardner, in his debut for Sporting Kansas City, provided the assist. C.J. Sapong secured Sporting Kansas City's victory in the 87th minute when he notched his first goal of the season.
Jimmy Nielsen's clean sheet marked his 38th with the club, the most in team history. The win also marked Peter Vermes' 50th as manager for Sporting Kansas City. The victory improved Sporting Kansas City's record to 5-3-2 and puts them in a three-way tie for first place in the Eastern Conference.
OFFICIAL LOGO UNVEILED FOR 2013 AT&T MLS ALL-STAR GAME
The 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game logo was unveiled on Sunday at Sporting Park during halftime of Sporting Kansas City's nationally televised match against Chivas USA.
In conjunction with the logo's launch, the first edition of 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game merchandise was made available to purchase in-stadium at Sporting Park on Sunday. The gear can also be purchased online at shop.sportingkc.com.
The 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game logo, designed by Major League Soccer, features the colors of Sporting Kansas City - Sporting Blue and Dark Indigo - in celebration of the club's avid fan base and the vibrant soccer movement happening in greater Kansas City. Detail of the iconic canopy roof structure at Sporting Park highlights the world-class venue that will serve as the perfect setting for the League's 18th-annual summer showcase.
PAULO NAGAMURA SUSPENDED FOR ONE GAME
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Paulo Nagamura has been suspended by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for one game and fined an undisclosed amount for violent conduct in last Sunday's match against Chivas USA.
Nagamura will not be available for tonight's match against the Seattle Sounders.
SINGLE-DAY TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR FLATLANDS FESTIVAL
Single-day tickets for the Flatlands Country Music Festival at Sporting Park from Sept. 12-14 are on sale to the general public, starting as low as $59 each. The new country music and camping festival, presented by Marquee Events and Sporting Club, will feature performances from several of the most popular artists in country music over three days.
Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Rodney Atkins, Thompson Square and Kevin Fowler will perform on Friday, Sept. 13. Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Kellie Pickler, Love and Theft, and JT Hodges will then take the stage on Sat., Sept. 14.
The 24,000 expected to be in attendance will have the opportunity to camp in nearby areas and enjoy all amenities associated with the state-of-the-art venue. For more information visit flatlandsfestival.com or call 800-493-3378.
SPORTING KC SEASON TICKETS SOLD OUT FOR 2013 SEASON
Sporting Kansas City announced last week that the club's allotment of 14,000 season tickets for the 2013 season at Sporting Park are sold out. Prospective Season Ticket Members may join the club's Season Ticket Member waiting list by placing a $50 non-refundable deposit per season ticket request.
The implementation of the Season Ticket Member waiting list does not affect current Season Ticket Members.
Sporting Kansas City currently lead all MLS teams in the total number of new Season Ticket Members for 2013 and have averaged over a 90% Season Ticket Member renewal rate for the last three seasons.
Sporting Kansas City have also begun sales for new five-game 'Pick Plans.' All plans include the team's match on July 3 against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC as well as four additional Sporting KC matches of the buyer's choice, including U.S. Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions League or any of the remaining MLS regular season games.
SPORTING PARK TO HOST U.S. MNT IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Sporting Park will host the U.S. Men's National Team on Oct. 11 in the team's final home qualifying match for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The United States returns to Sporting Park to play Jamaica, live on the ESPN family, WatchESPN and UniMas. Kickoff time and ticket information will be released at a later date.
Sporting Park, home to Major League Soccer's Sporting Kansas City, will host the U.S. Men's National Team for the third time since opening in June 2011. The state-of-the-art, $200+ million venue will also host the 2013 MLS All-Star Game on July 31.
SPORTING CLUB LAUNCHES THE VICTORY PROJECT
Sporting Club recently announced the launch of The Victory Project, a new community-driven foundation that will meaningfully and tangibly impact children with cancer in the Kansas City region. A key component of The Victory Project is to raise funds to address specific needs of individual children undergoing cancer treatment, where those needs are not supported by insurance. Donors will have the unique opportunity to know exactly how their funds are being used, and for whom. All funds raised will go directly to helping these children, who are here in Kansas City.
In addition to raising money, the organization hopes to provide encouragement to children in their daily battles with cancer. At each Sporting Kansas City home match, Sporting Club welcomes a special guest affected by cancer, and their family, to the Victory Suite at Sporting Park and recognizes the individual in a special pre-match ceremony.
For more information on The Victory Project, visit VictoryKC.org or contact Community Programs Manager Brandi Thomas at 913-235-2101.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR NEXT FIVE MATCHES
Tickets to Sporting Kansas City's next five regular season home MLS matches are on sale to the general public now via Ticketmaster.com. Fans have the opportunity to secure their seats for the next five regular season MLS matches at Sporting Park including the U.S. Open Cup rematch against the Seattle Sounders tonight and an MLS Cup Playoffs rematch versus the Houston Dynamo on May 26.
AWAY TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW
Reserve your free away ticket to Sporting Kansas City's May 19th match at D.C. United at RFK Stadium, June 22nd at FC Dallas at FC Dallas Stadium and July 7th match at the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park by clicking here.
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.
Also, Sporting Kansas City's 2013 media guide is now available online and fans can find all the latest information for Sporting Kansas City matches at SportingKC.com/GameOn.
