SPORTING KC SELECTS FIVE PLAYERS IN MLS SUPERDRAFT
Sporting Kansas City selected five college seniors in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft this past week. The club acquired three players in last Thursday’s first round at the Pennsylvania Convention Center—midfielder Connor Hallisey (No. 10 overall), defender Saad Abdul-Salaam (No. 12 overall) and defender Amadou Dia (No. 20 overall)—before adding midfielder James Rogers (No. 53 overall) and defender Tony Rocha (No. 73 overall) in Tuesday’s third and fourth rounds. Additionally, Sporting KC traded its second round selection (No. 30 overall) to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for the rights to midfielder Servando Carrasco.
Hallisey and Abdul-Salaam signed with Major League Soccer prior to the SuperDraft and have been automatically added to the team’s roster.
Hallisey, 21, is a former member of the United States Under-18 Men's National Team and was a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist at the University of California after contributing nine goals and 12 assists as a senior in 2014. He also earned NSCAA Second Team All-American and All-Pac 12 First Team honors during a collegiate career in which he recorded 12 goals and 19 assists in 72 games over four years for the Bears.
Abdul-Salaam, 23, was a top-10 performer at the MLS Player Combine in both the 30-meter dash and vertical jump categories. He logged three goals and 12 assists in 54 games over three seasons at the University of Akron, including a team-high six assists in 2014, and was an All-MAC First Team honoree.
Dia, 21, has represented the United States at the under-14, under-18 and under-20 levels and also holds dual citizenship in his native France. He appeared in 70 games during a four-year collegiate career at Clemson with four goals and six assists.
Rogers, 21, was a member of the United States Under-20 Men’s National Team in 2012 after first representing the U.S. at the under-15 level in 2007. A native of Sierra Leone, he contributed 18 goals and 21 assists in 80 games for New Mexico.
Rocha, 21, recorded seven goals and 10 assists in 76 college appearances for the University of Tulsa. After being named Conference USA Freshman of the Year in 2011, Rocha led the Golden Hurricane to three straight conference championship appearances.
Carrasco, 26, is a four-veteran of Major League Soccer who has appeared in 60 MLS matches (including postseason) for the Seattle Sounders FC (2011-2013) and Houston Dynamo (2013-2014). He was a four-year starter at California, where he provided 13 goals and 13 assists in 73 appearances before being selected in the second round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.
SPORTING KC PARTS WAYS WITH FORWARD CLAUDIO BIELER
Sporting KC announced Tuesday that the club has mutually agreed to part ways with forward Claudio Bieler. The 30-year-old recorded 16 goals and five assists in 54 appearances across all competitions since joining the team prior to the 2013 season as a Designated Player.
Bieler was Sporting KC’s top scorer in 2013 as he led all MLS newcomers with 10 regular season goals, the most by a Designated Player in club history. His departure from the team opens an international roster spot and Designated Player spot. To view a complete list of the club’s transactions in 2015, visit SportingKC.com/tracker.
SPORTING PARK TO HOST FC KANSAS CITY'S 2015 HOME OPENER
FC Kansas City announced today that the club will play its first home match of the 2015 National Women’s Soccer League season at Sporting Park on Sunday, April 12 as the defending champions host Sky Blue FC at 3 p.m. CT.
Single-game tickets for the match will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CT on Friday, Feb. 6 via Ticketmaster.com. FC Kansas City season tickets are now on sale, and fans can call 855-4KC-GOAL for more information.
FC Kansas City announced last Tuesday that Swope Soccer Village will serve as the club's primary home venue for the 2015 NWSL season.
SPORTING KC ACADEMY RESUMES ACTION IN HOUSTON
The Sporting KC Academy resumed play in the 2014-15 U.S. Soccer Development Academy last weekend with six games against the Houston Dynamo at the Houston Sports Park. The Sporting KC U14's posted two victories over their MLS rivals, while the U16's earned a pair of 1-1 draws and the U18's fell twice to the top-ranked team in the country. Visit SportingKC.com for the match reports and follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter and Instagram for all the latest Academy updates.
SPORTING KC EARNS FOUR HONORS AT 2014 MLS CLUB EXECUTIVE AWARDS
Sporting KC was formally recognized with four honors last Thursday during Major League Soccer's 2014 Club Executive Awards Ceremony, held in conjunction with the 2015 MLS SuperDraft and annual NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia.
The year-end awards recognize individuals and clubs for outstanding contributions away from the playing field. The following winners shared the stage with MLS Commissioner Don Garber for their successes during the 2014 MLS season:
Corporate Partnerships Team of the Year – Sporting Kansas City, accepted by Jon Moses and Jamie Guin (photo)
Video of the Year – The Benny Feilhaber Show, accepted by Jonathan Kaplan (photo)
Match Presentation Staff of the Year – Sporting Kansas City, accepted by Jamie Guin (photo)
Supporter Liaison of the Year – Darin Canova (pictured above)
In addition, Sporting Kansas City and the team's sales staff were identified as distinguished members of the below ticketing categories:
Commissioner's Club for Full Season Ticket Sales (over 12,000 season tickets) -- Sporting Kansas City, accepted by Gregg Allen
Commissioner's Club for Full Season Ticket Renewals (over 90%) -- Sporting Kansas City, accepted by Gregg Allen
Bronze Award for Group Ticket Sales (10,000-14,999) -- Beth Brittain
REGISTRATION OPEN FOR SPORTING KC YOUTH CAMPS IN 2015
Sporting KC will again be offering a series of youth camps to foster the next generation of soccer players in the region. Registration for upcoming camp opportunities is now open at SportingKC.com/camps, beginning with the Spring Break Development Camp from March 16-18 at Swope Soccer Village. For more information on the youth camps available to boys and girls, visit SportingKC.com.
SPORTING KC RELEASES 2015 MLS SCHEDULE
Sporting KC has released its 34-game regular season schedule for the 2015 Major League Soccer season. Single-game tickets for the club’s first 10 regular season home games will go on sale to the general public on Feb. 2, and current 2015 Season Ticket Members will have access to an exclusive pre-sale opportunity. Call 888-4KC-GOAL for information on group ticket packages and partial season ticket packages for the 2015 season.
Visit SportingKC.com for more information on the club’s 2015 MLS slate and to download the schedule to eCal.
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.
