The 2014 FIFA World Cup might be half over, but the Summer in the Soccer Capital, presented by the Sprint Framily Plan, is just beginning.
In less than a month, Sporting Kansas City will welcome Manchester City to Sporting Park for a highly anticipated summer friendly. The reigning English Premier League champions boast a talented roster from top to bottom, including three players - Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko - who finished in the top six of the League's goal-scoring charts during the 2013-14 season.
Eleven players on Manchester City's current roster were named to the final 23-man rosters for their respective countries at the World Cup. Five of those players have advanced with their squads to the Round of 16 including Argentina's Aguero, Martin Demichelis and Pablo Zabaleta, Belgium's Vincent Kompany and Brazil's Fernandinho.
Sporting Kansas City's Matt Besler and Graham Zusi are currently with the U.S. Men's National Team at the World Cup in Brazil. Besler started each of the USMNT's group stage matches, while, while Zusi came off the bench against Ghana before starting the matches against Portugal and Germany. The Sporting KC winger recorded an assist in each of the first two matches including on the game-winning goal over Ghana.
To commemorate the friendly between the reigning champions of Major League Soccer and the English Premier League, Sporting Kansas City announced on Wednesday that the winner of the match will receive the Champions' Shield. Full details on the design of the Shield will be released at a later date.
Manchester City have won England's first division four times including twice in the past three seasons and have qualified for the UEFA Champions League four consecutive years. Kompany and Toure were both named to the English Premier League's Team of the Year after standout seasons with the club. Kompany captained a Manchester City backline that allowed only 37 goals in 38 games. Toure finished the season with 20 goals, the highest among midfielders in the Premier League.
Manchester City's full roster for the friendly will be announced in early July. Limited tickets are available for the match and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL.
