SPORTING KC RELEASES 2015 MLS SCHEDULE
Sporting Kansas City released its 34-game regular season schedule on Wednesday for the 2015 Major League Soccer Season.
Single-game tickets for Sporting KC'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.
An MLS charter member, Sporting KC will kick off the club's 20th season on Sunday, March 8 against the New York Red Bulls at Sporting Park. The match features the top two goal scorers from 2014 as All-Stars Dom Dwyer and Bradley Wright-Phillips will go head-to-head on FOX Sports 1, marking Sporting KC's first of 10 nationally televised contests during the 2015 regular season.
Every Sporting KC regular season game will again be televised live in 2015. KMCI-TV (38 the Spot), a member of the SKCTV Network, will serve as the team's local broadcast partner and will carry all regular season matches not nationally televised on FOX Sports 1 or ESPN2.
FOX Sports 1, ESPN2 and UniMas - each of which will carry MLS matches through 2022 as part of new eight-year agreements -- will collectively air seven regular season games live from Sporting Park in 2015, along with a pair of 2013 MLS Cup rematches at Real Salt Lake (June 21, July 24) and the club's first-ever match against Orlando City SC at the Citrus Bowl (Sept. 13).
Sporting KC rejoins the Western Conference in 2015, due to the addition of expansion sides Orlando City SC and New York City FC, and will play all 10 Eastern Conference foes once over the course of the campaign. The remaining 24 matches are played within the West, as follows:
Two Games Versus: LA Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes, Vancouver Whitecaps
Three Games Versus: Seattle Sounders, Houston Dynamo, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake.
Visit SportingKC.com for more information on the club's 2015 MLS slate and to download the schedule to eCal.
ROGER ESPINOZA RETURNS TO SPORTING KC
Sporting KC has signed midfielder Roger Espinoza, the club announced Tuesday. The 28-year-old Honduran began his professional career in Kansas City (2008-2012) before moving to England to join Wigan Athletic FC (2013-14).
In his final season with Sporting KC, Espinoza was an MLS All-Star and helped lead the club to the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title. He played 130 matches for the club in all competitions with two goals and 12 assists over five seasons.
Espinoza has earned 45 appearances for the Honduras Men's National Team, scoring four goals while representing his country at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2012 Summer Olympics and 2014 FIFA World Cup. He becomes one of only three players currently under contract with MLS to have appeared in two or more World Cups and an Olympic Games, alongside Tim Cahill and Michael Bradley.
Kansas City drafted Espinoza in the first round of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft as a Generation adidas signing. He led Ohio State to the 2007 NCAA Division I Championship match before garnering Kansas City Rookie of the Year honors in 2008.
In the 2011 and 2012 seasons combined (including playoffs), Espinoza ranked in the top 10 among MLS players with 358 duels won (fifth) and 128 tackles won (seventh). Among players at his position, Espinoza’s 134 interceptions over those two seasons ranked sixth-best by a midfielder.
Espinoza played 57 matches for Wigan Athletic across all competitions during his two years with the club, including a 90-minute performance in Wigan's historic 1-0 win over Manchester City in the 2012/13 FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
JACOB PETERSON SIGNS NEW CONTRACT WITH SPORTING KC
Sporting Kansas City has signed forward Jacob Peterson to a new contract, the club announced today.
A nine-year MLS veteran, Peterson has 15 goals and 14 assists in 199 regular season appearances over the course of his professional career. He enters his fourth season with Sporting KC in 2015 after recording eight goals and six assists in 80 games across all competitions for the club since 2012.
Drafted in 2006 out of Indiana University, Peterson is one of only two players in MLS history -- alongside former Kansas City defender Nick Garcia -- to have won an NCAA Division I Championship (2003, 2004), Canadian Championship (2010, 2011), U.S. Open Cup (2012) and MLS Cup (2013).
Peterson represented the United States at the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championships and the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He was a two-time NCAA champion at Indiana, scoring goals in the finals of the 2003 and 2004 College Cups. After stints with the Colorado Rapids (2006-09), Toronto FC (2010-11) and the San Jose Earthquakes (2011), Peterson joined Sporting KC ahead of the 2012 season. His 199 regular season appearances are second most on Sporting KC's roster, trailing only midfielder Paulo Nagamura (222).
SEA LIFE AQUARIUM KANSAS CITY NAMES OCTOPUS AFTER SPORTING KC CAPTAIN MATT BESLER
SEA LIFE Aquarium Kansas City has named its octopus after Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler. The United States Men's National Team defender interacted with the octopus during a special event at the aquarium on Monday.
In conjunction with the event, a silent auction is available online that includes a jersey and soccer ball signed by Besler and a downtown Kansas City overnight package. All funds raised will go toward SEA LIFE Aquarium Kansas City's charity SEA LIFE Trust, which is dedicated to the conservation of marine wildlife and the environment.
To encourage kids to maintain healthy lifestyles, SEA LIFE Aquarium Kansas City also donated Fisher Price Soccer Sets that Besler delivered to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City.
SKC ACADEMY DEFENDER CAMERON DUKE JOINS U.S. U-14'S
Sporting KC Academy defender Cameron Duke was one of 36 players selected to the U.S. Under-14 Boys' National Team for a training camp from Jan. 3-10 in Bradenton, Florida. The U14's played two matches (versus France's FC Metz and the U.S. Soccer Development Academy's Weston FC) at the IMG Academy stadium field today and will conclude with an intrasquad scrimmage on Friday.
Duke joined the U.S. Under-14 Boys' National Team in October for a training camp in Carson, California and started in a 2-1 loss to the U14's from Arsenal FC (England). The Olathe, Kansas native was a member of the Sporting Kansas City U14's that won Kansas State Cup and the United States Youth Soccer Region II Tournament in 2014 en route to appearing at the 2014 U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships in Maryland.
The United States U14's are led by head coach Brian Johnson, a member of Kansas City's 2000 MLS Cup team who played five season for the club from 1997-2001. Follow @ussoccer_ynt on Twitter for updates from the training camp.
NINE SKC ACADEMY PLAYERS REPRESENT U.S. FUTSAL NATIONAL TEAMS
Nine players from the Sporting KC Academy were among 27 members of the United States' first-ever boys youth futsal national teams which traveled to Toronto, Canada for three games from Dec. 29-31.
Under-14: David Merola (Overland Park, Kan.), Luke Rafanan (Overland Park, Kan.), Max Rugova (Overland Park, Kan.)
Under-16: Steven Tekesky (Raymore, Mo.), Fernando Borges (Olathe, Kan.), Alex Kaddah (Blue Springs, Mo.), John Leisman (Kansas City, Mo.), Andrew McLeod (Overland Park, Kan.), Paul Whitener (Kansas City, Mo.)
Rafanan (U14) and Leisman (U16) captained each of the two squads, which went unbeaten in six international matches against top Canadian teams at the brand new, $205 million Toronto Pan American Sports Centre. The U.S. Youth Futsal teams were selected after a year-long sequence of regional and national identification camps.
FOLLOW SPORTING KC ONLINE
Sporting KC fans looking to keep up with the club online now have a place to go. The Social Media page on SportingKC.com features Twitter account information for the club, its players and several staff members. Fans may also take advantage of the Media Recap page for all the latest independent news coverage.
