Sporting KC vs Colorado Rapids
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Sporting Park | Kansas City, Kansas
English TV: 38 the Spot and SKCTV
English Radio: Sports Radio 810 WHB
Spanish Radio: La Grande 1340 AM
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Sporting Kansas City hosts the Colorado Rapids in the team's 100th match at Sporting Park since its opening on June 9, 2011. The match will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. CT on KMCI’s 38 the Spot and SKCTV with pregame coverage beginning at 7 p.m. CT.
A limited number of tickets are still available, including Standing Room Only tickets which can be purchased for $20 each at Ticketmaster.com or at the Sporting Park box offices on gameday.
Sporting Kansas City is undefeated against the Rapids in the past 10 meetings between the two clubs (including postseason) under Manager Peter Vermes and Colorado last won a match in Kansas City during the 2002 season. In the previous match-up in 2014, Dom Dwyer notched the game-winner in the 92nd minute. Graham Zusi and Benny Feilhaber also added goals in the 3-2 stoppage time victory.
Last weekend, Sporting KC earned a 1-1 draw at Supporters' Shield leaders D.C. United. It was D.C. United’s Jairo Arrieta who opened the scoring for the home side in the 42nd minute of play before Dwyer equalized three minutes later. The goal was Dywer’s team-leading third of the season (tied with Hungarian striker Krisztian Nemeth).
Colorado is also coming off a 1-1 come-from-behind draw thanks to James Riley's equalizer in the 93rd minute against San Jose last week. The draw was Colorado's fourth straight 1-1 draw after starting the year with three consecutive scoreless draws.
Sporting KC will be without key contributors on Saturday as Graham Zusi recovers from a concussion suffered against D.C. United last weekend and Marcel de Jong continues treatments on a left hip muscle strain. Paulo Nagamura (lower back sprain) is also listed as questionable. The Rapids will be without Marcelo Sarvas who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in April.
Vermes will have 18-year-old homegrown defender Erik Palmer-Brown available for selection this weekend. On Sunday, the Lee's Summit, Missouri native will graduate from high school and depart for Australia to join the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Fans are encouraged to head to the stadium early on Saturday due to a Kansas City T-Bones exhibition game at CommunityAmerica Ballpark and the 98th Street construction project. The first 5,000 fans inside the gates will receive cooling neck wraps courtesy of match sponsor Providence Medical Center.
After the final whistle, fans are welcome to move closer to the pitch as Special Olympics Kansas faces Special Olympics Colorado in a unified soccer exchange game. One fan in attendance will be randomly selected to win an all-expenses paid trip for two (transportation, hotel, food and match tickets) to Colorado to see Sporting KC play the Rapids on August 29.
In-game updates can be found online at SportingKC.com/GameOn, via at Twitter @SKCGameday and through the Sporting Club Uphoria mobile app. Additionally, The Final Whistle: Sporting KC Postgame Show will air immediately following the conclusion of Saturday's match on Sports Radio 810 WHB.
