KRISZTIAN NEMETH UP FOR MLS GOAL OF THE YEAR
Sporting Kansas City forward Krisztian Nemeth has advanced to the final round of 2015 AT&T Goal of the Year voting.
Nemeth’s spectacular solo run and finish—the difference maker in a 1-0 win over Portland on Oct. 3—is up against a goal from Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco in the championship of the bracket-style competition. Fans can vote Nemeth for Goal of the Year through 11:55 p.m. CT tonight.
The 2015 Goal of the Year winner will be announced on Thursday ahead of the 2015 MLS Cup. Sporting Kansas City is seeking its first Goal of the Year recipient in club history.
Nemeth had an excellent first season in Kansas City, recording 16 goals and seven assists across all competitions. On the international front, he featured eight times for Hungary in 2015 and helped the Magyars qualify for Euro 2016, the nation's first berth in the European Championship since 1972. Nemeth scored twice against Greece on Oct. 11 and played both matches in Hungary's two-legged Euro 2016 playoff victory over Norway earlier this month.
BENNY FEILHABER SELECTED TO 2015 MLS BEST XI
Sporting KC midfielder Benny Feilhaber was named to Major League Soccer's Best XI on Sunday in recognition of his outstanding performance throughout the 2015 season. The 30-year-old veteran had a record year setting career-highs in goals (10) and and assists (15) during the regular season. The Landon Donovan MLS MVP finalist was one of four players to register double-digits in both goals and assists and became just the third player in Kansas City history to reach that milestone in a single season.
Feilhaber's 15 MLS assists in 2015 ranked second behind only Toronto FC Designated Player Sebastian Giovinco (16) and tied with Philadelphia Union midfielder Cristian Maidana. The Rio de Janeiro-born midfielder set the club record with 20 assists in all competitions, adding five en route to Sporting KC's third Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship.
In his fifth MLS season and third with Sporting KC, Feilhaber earned his first MLS All-Star selection and was named Etihad Airways MLS Player of the Month recognition in April, recording two goals and three assists during the month.
Voting for the 2015 MLS Best XI was conducted through write-in votes from MLS players, club leadership and media members, with all players who appeared in a 2015 MLS regular season match eligible for nomination.
SPORTING KC ANNOUNCES 2016 ROSTER MOVES
Sporting KC announced last Wednesday that the following players will be out of contract with the club as of Dec. 31, 2015: Jon Kempin, Mikey Lopez, Soni Mustivar, Paulo Nagamura and Seth Sinovic. The club will extend offers to each of those players and contract negotiations are ongoing.
Additionally, Sporting KC has picked up contract options on the following players: Saad Abdul-Salaam, Amadou Dia, Kevin Ellis, Benny Feilhaber, Connor Hallisey, Jimmy Medranda, Tim Melia, Chance Myers, Krisztian Nemeth, Ike Opara, Erik Palmer-Brown and Jordi Quintilla.
Sporting KC currently has 20 players under contract for next year. That includes those players whose options were picked up as well as players already under contract for next year: Bernardo Anor, Matt Besler, Marcel de Jong, Dom Dwyer, Roger Espinoza, Amobi Okugo, Jacob Peterson and Graham Zusi.
Jalil Anibaba’s 2016 contract option was declined. The 27-year-old defender is eligible to participate in Major League Soccer’s Re-Entry Draft. Stage One of the Re-Entry Draft is Dec. 11 with Stage Two set for Dec. 17.
Sporting KC has the No. 11 pick in the Re-Entry Draft as well as the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, which will be held Jan. 14, 2016, in Baltimore. Sporting KC will spend both phases of the 2016 preseason in Tucson, first reporting from Jan. 24 – Feb. 8 and then returning for the Desert Diamond Cup from Feb. 17-27.
THIRD ANNUAL TRUCE TOURNAMENT SET FOR DEC. 26
Sporting Club and the National World War I Museum and Memorial will host the third annual Truce Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 26. The Kansas City soccer community is invited to participate in the 3-v-3 tournament — which will be played on Liberty Hill — attend an English Premier League Watch Party inside the WWI Museum and enjoy the official Truce after-party at The Soccer Lot (2525 Jefferson St.), located just minutes from the museum.
For more information on the Truce Tournament or to register a team, visit www.TheTruceKC.com. Registration ($250 per team) is open through Dec. 20. In addition, participants can visit this link to RSVP to the English Premier League watch party.
Following a tradition that began in 2013, the 2015 Truce Tournament comes on the 101st Anniversary of World War I and pays homage to the time-honored story of the Christmas Truce. According to legend, WWI battles temporarily ceased around Christmas 1914 as members of both warring armies ventured into No Man’s Land to exchange gifts, sing carols and play soccer.
TICKETS ON SALE FOR 2015 NCAA MEN'S COLLEGE CUP AT SPORTING PARK
Tickets for the 2015 NCAA Men's College Cup at Sporting Park are now on sale via Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL. The semifinal rounds of the 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship will take place on Dec. 11, while the championship match is slated for Dec. 13. In addition, Groupon is now offering a limited-time deal for passes to both the semifinal doubleheader as well as the championship match.
Senior defender Eric DeJulio and freshman forward Bryce Gibson are the lone Sporting Kansas City Academy products remaining as the tournament enters the quarterfinal round this weekend. DeJulio’s Creighton Blue Jays upset the No. 5 seed North Carolina Tar Heels 1-0 on Sunday to advance to their fourth quarterfinal in the past five years.
Creighton will travel to face Akron on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT, while the other three matchups feature Maryland vs. Clemson (Saturday), Boston College vs. Syracuse (Sunday) and Wake Forest vs. Stanford (Sunday). Each winner will advance to the NCAA Men's College Cup in Kansas City, Kansas. Follow @SportingPark on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates throughout the tournament.
TICKETS ON SALE FOR NCAA D-II FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP AT SPORTING PARK
With last Saturday's second round complete, the NCAA Division II Football Championship tournament is down to eight teams competing for a berth in the title game at Sporting Park on Dec. 19. Tickets for the national championship are on sale via Ticketmaster.com and fans can also purchase passes for access to the Boulevard Members Club or Ameritas Shield Club.
The 2015 NCAA Division II Football Championship at Sporting Park will be co-hosted by the Kansas City Sports Commission and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The MIAA will welcome all fans to a pep rally for the championship teams, featuring spirit squads and pep bands, at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 18, on the KC Live! stage in Kansas City's Power and Light District.
2015 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Nov. 21: First Round
Nov. 28: Second Round
Dec. 5: Quarterfinals
Dec. 12: Semifinals
Dec. 19: Championship at Sporting Park
The single-elimination tournament continues with four quarterfinal matchups on Saturday, headlined by No. 1 Northwest Missouri State (12-0) hosting No. 7 Emporia State (11-2). Higher-seeded schools will host games on campuses across the country leading up to the national championship in Kansas City, Kansas, at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 19.
FINAL FOUR FIELDS SET IN NCAA D-III SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS
After 117 matches in an 11-day span on college campuses across the country, the semifinals matchups are set for the 2015 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Soccer Championships at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri on Friday. Division III's only two unbeaten teams, Messiah College (women's) and Calvin College (men's), both headline the final four fields with winners advancing to the national championship matches on Saturday.
Tickets are now available for these matches and can be purchased in advance by calling 816-389-4193 or on gameday at the Swope Soccer Village box office.
Friday, Dec. 4 at Swope Soccer Village:
12 p.m.: Messiah College vs. Washington University in St. Louis (women's)
2:30 p.m.: Centre College vs. Williams College (women's)
6 p.m.: Amherst College vs. SUNY Oneonta (men's)
8:30 p.m.: Calvin College vs. Loras College (men's)
Saturday, Dec. 5 at Swope Soccer Village:
2:30 p.m.: Women's Championship Match
6:30 p.m.: Men's Championship Match
The 2015 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Soccer Championships are co-hosted by the Kansas City Sports Commission and Fontbonne University.
SKC ACADEMY'S JAYLIN LINDSEY JOINS U.S. U-15 NATIONAL TEAM
Sporting KC Academy defender Jaylin Lindsey has been named to the U.S. U-15 Men’s National Team roster for this week’s Nike International Friendlies at Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Lindsey will join a group of 21 players born in 2000 who will play matches against England on Wednesday, the Netherlands on Friday and Brazil on Sunday.
Lindsey, a sophomore at Blue Valley West High School, has been a regular starter for the SKC Academy U-16s this year after appearing in nine games during the 2014-15 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season. The Charlotte native debuted with the U.S. U-15s last December and last month participated in a week-long training camp in Bradenton, Florida.
In addition to the Nike Friendlies, the Sporting KC Academy U-16 and U-18 teams will play matches in Florida at the annual Winter Showcase. The U-16s will play the New England Revolution (Friday), New York Red Bulls (Saturday) and Crossfire Premier (Dec. 7). The U-18s will play Crew SC Academy Wolves (Thursday), Portland Timbers (Friday) and LA Galaxy (Sunday).
Follow @SKCAcademy throughout the week on Twitter and Instagram for full updates and behind-the-scenes photos.
FOLLOW SPORTING KC ONLINE
Sporting KC fans looking to keep up with the club online have a place to go. The Social Media page on SportingKC.com features Twitter account information for the team, its players and several staff members. Supporters may also take advantage of the Media Recap page for all the latest independent news coverage.
