SPORTING KC HOSTS FC DALLAS TONIGHT IN U.S. OPEN CUP ROUND OF 16
Riding a six-game home winning streak, Sporting Kansas City resumes their 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign at 7:30 p.m. CT tonight against MLS rival FC Dallas. A limited number of tickets for the Round of 16 matchup at Sporting Park are available via Ticketmaster.com and the game is included as Special Game A in season ticket packages.
SportingKC.com will provide a live stream of the match, presented by Ivy Funds, and @SKCGameday on Twitter will provide in-game updates. Tonight's winner will advance to play the Houston Dynamo in the tournament quarterfinals on July 21 or 22.
Tonight's contest will be the third competitive meeting between Sporting KC and FC Dallas in 2015, with both sides previously claiming a league victory on home soil. Sporting KC last reached the quarterfinal round in 2012 and has suffered home losses in the Round of 16 each of the past two years, while FC Dallas are aiming to advance into the final eight for a third straight season.
Both teams are past champions in the competition, making tonight's encounter the only match-up of the round to feature two teams with their name on the Dewar Challenge Trophy. Sporting KC are two-time trophy holders (2004, 2012) while FC Dallas were the tournament's top team in 1997.
SPORTING KC WINS SIXTH STRAIGHT AT HOME WITH WIN OVER COLORADO RAPIDS
Sporting KC stretched the club's undefeated streak at Sporting Park to nine MLS games, matching the longest home unbeaten start to a regular season in team history, with a 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday in front of the 62nd consecutive sold out crowd. Krisztian Nemeth scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season as Chance Myers marked his MLS return with a game-winning assist and Benny Feilhaber extended his single-season career high with his ninth assist of the year.
Defensively, Sporting KC earned their eighth clean sheet in 16 matches—most among all MLS teams—and Tim Melia lowered his MLS-leading goals against average to 0.63. With Saturday's win, the 250th regular season victory in club history, Sporting KC stretched the team's unbeaten streak against Colorado to 11 MLS matches (6-0-5) under Peter Vermes dating back to 2009 and 15 straight in the series at home (11-0-4) since 2002.
GOALKEEPER ALEX RIGGS JOINS SPORTING KC ON LOAN
Sporting KC has acquired goalkeeper Alex Riggs on loan from St. Louis FC for tonight's match against FC Dallas in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16.
Riggs, 27, played collegiately at Missouri State University from 2006-2010 and earned Missouri Valley Conference honors as Defensive Player of the Year (2009) and Goalkeeper of the Year (2010).
He began his professional career with the Columbus Crew in 2011 and most recently signed with St. Louis FC prior to the start of the 2015 United Soccer League season. Riggs was on the bench during Sporting KC’s 1-0 victory over St. Louis FC two weeks ago at Sporting Park in the U.S. Open Cup fourth round.
CHANCE MYERS MAKES TEAM OF THE WEEK IN FIRST MLS MATCH BACK FROM INJURY
Sidelined since May 2014 with an Achilles injury, defender Chance Myers made a seamless return to the Sporting KC lineup on Sautrday to earn Team of the Week recognition from MLSsoccer.com and Bleacher Report. Myers delivered the game-winning assist to Krisztian Nemeth in Sporting KC’s 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids and led all players with three chances created before being substituted to a standing ovation in second-half stoppage time at Sporting Park.
An eight-year MLS veteran and the longest tenured player on Sporting KC’s roster, Myers exploited open space down the right wing in the 32nd minute before sliding a cross into the path of Nemeth, who buried a one-time shot to put the hosts ahead. It was Myers' 16th assist for Sporting KC in all competitions since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft.
FAN VOTING CLOSES FRIDAY FOR 2015 AT&T MLS ALL-STAR GAME
Major League Soccer has released the fan ballot for the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game featuring eight representatives—as nominated by media—from all 20 teams. Sporting KC’s eligible players for fan voting are as follows:
- Goalkeeper (1): Tim Melia
- Defenders (2): Jalil Anibaba and Matt Besler
- Midfielders (3): Roger Espinoza, Benny Feilhaber and Graham Zusi
- Forwards (2): Dom Dwyer and Krisztian Nemeth
Voting is open through 2 p.m. CT on Friday via MLSsoccer.com, social media and EA SPORTS FIFA 15. Eleven total players (one goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders and three forwards) with the highest combined votes will be named to the All-Star Fan XI.
In addition to votes cast online at MLSsoccer.com, fans can also vote through social media by mentioning an eligible player’s first and last name along with the hashtag #MLSAllStar on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Users may only vote for one player per post and votes are limited to one per account each day for up to 10 different players.
The 2015 MLS All-Stars will play Barclays Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur at 8 p.m. CT on July 29 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. Four of Sporting KC’s eight nominees are in contention for the first All-Star honors of their MLS careers, including World Cup veteran Benny Feilhaber who has a career-high nine assists and first-year forward Krisztian Nemeth who leads the team with seven goals. Besler and Zusi have each been named MLS All-Stars on three occasions while Dwyer (2014) and Espinoza (2012) have also received All-Star recognition during their respective careers.
KCP&L DISTRICT TO HOLD USWNT WORLD CUP FINAL WATCH PARTY ON SUNDAY
In partnership with Sporting KC, FC Kansas City and WIN for KC, the Kansas City Power and Light District and KC Live! will host a free watch party for fans of all ages as the U.S. Women's National Team takes on England or Japan at 6 p.m. CT Sunday in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final at BC Place in Vancouver.
The U.S. prevailed 2-0 over Germany in Tuesday's semifinal match at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. Carli Loyd and Kelley O'Hara scored in the second half as the U.S. advanced to its second straight World Cup Final.
Sports Radio 810 WHB host and SKCTV commentator Nate Bukaty will serve as the event emcee. Food and beverage will be available for purchase throughout the watch party, which will also feature opportunities to win Sporting KC tickets and merchandise. Sporting Club Network and FC Kansas City followers can enter a social media contest by posting pictures to Twitter/Facebook while watching World Cup games in their branded gear. The grand prize package includes a signed FCKC jersey, four Sporting KC tickets and a "For Club and Country" scarf.
FC Kansas City has four players represented on the U.S. Women's National Team in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup: Lauren Holiday, Heather O'Reilly, Amy Rodriguez and Becky Sauerbrunn. The reigning NWSL champions will continue their home schedule on July 3 at Swope Soccer Village against the Washington Spirit.
USMNT TO VISIT SPORTING PARK IN CONCACAF GOLD CUP DOUBLEHEADER ON JULY 13
Sporting KC winger Graham Zusi and the United States Men's National Team will feature in a 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup doubleheader at Sporting Park on July 13. The U.S. will face Panama at 8:30 pm. CT in the Group A finale after Haiti takes on either Honduras or French Guiana at 6 p.m. CT.
Jurgen Klinsmann's squad, ranked No. 27 in the world, returns to Sporting Park for the fourth time since the state-of-the-art stadium first hosted the U.S. during the 2011 Gold Cup.
The Gold Cup is the region’s marquee national team tournament and the headline competition for the United States Men’s National Team in 2015. This year’s competition carries additional significance as it will determine CONCACAF's representatives at the Centennial Cup America in 2016 and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017.
Zusi and the U.S. will face Guatemala in an international friendly at 5:30 p.m. CT on Friday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee live on FOX Sports 1, UniMas and Univision Deportes Network. The match comes four days before the start of the Gold Cup, when the U.S. opens Group A action against Honduras at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
SPORTING KC ACADEMY U-15'S CLAIM US YOUTH SOCCER REGION II CHAMPIONSHIP
The Sporting Kansas City Academy U-15's were crowned champions at US Youth Soccer's Region II Championships last Wednesday with a 3-1 victory over the Des Moines Menace at the USA Youth Sports Complex in Appleton, Wisconsin. Jackson Wood opened the scoring in the 15th minute, Abdu Kikhia provided the game-winning goal and Roman Knox sealed the victory with a late penalty kick.
Last Wednesday's championship match was the fifth game in five days for the U-15's, who were a perfect 3-0-0 in the group stage before advancing past Ohio Premier Soccer Club in a penalty shootout in the semifinals.
Saturday, June 20: 7-0 win vs. DASC Impact (SD)
Sunday, June 21: 2-1 win vs. Madison FC Gold (WI)
Monday, June 22: 3-0 win vs. Minneapolis United (MN)
Tuesday, June 23: 2-2 tie (3-1 in penalties) vs. OP Green 1 (OH)
Wednesday, June 24: 3-1 win vs. DM Menace Red (IA)
Max Rugova was the competition's top scorer in the U-15 age group with seven goals. The U-15's, led by head coach Jon Parry, will now advance to the 2015 US Youth Soccer National Championships at Mohawk Soccer Complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma from July 21-26.
Three teams from the Sporting KC Academy have qualified for the USYS National Championships since the program's launch in 2007: U15's in 2015, U14's in 2014 and U19's in 2008. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter and Instagram for all the latest updates at the national tournament later this month.
BESLER NAMED ADULT PLAYER OF THE YEAR DURING 2015 KEVIN GRAY AWARDS
The 2015 Kevin Gray Awards were held in the Boulevard Members Club at Sporting Park on Monday. The annual event, hosted in honor and memory of the late Kansas City Sports Commission president Kevin Gray, brought together 100 guests to recognize the best players, coaches and ambassadors for soccer in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Sporting KC captain Matt Besler was awarded Adult Player of the Year, while U-18 Academy defender Zane Moxley won Male Youth Player of the Year. Visit SportingKC.com for full details on the 2015 Kevin Gray Awards.
VOTING OPEN FOR WESTLAKE ACE HARDWARE HELPFUL MOMENT OF THE MONTH
Fans can vote online at SportingKC.com for the Westlake Ace Hardware Helpful Moment of the Month through July 6. All voters will receive a $5 off coupon to be redeemed at area Westlake Ace Hardware locations and one random entry will be selected to receive a $300 gift card for home improvement purchases.
SPORTING KC ANNOUNCES MOBILE CONCESSIONS ORDERING IN BOULEVARD MEMBERS CLUB
Sporting KC announced last Thursday a new service designed to enhance the fan experience at Sporting Park. Fans with tickets in the Boulevard Members Club now have the ability to order and pay for concessions on their smartphones and then pick up their orders via a fast lane.
The new service, created in partnership with Kansas City-based Lantern Software, is simple. Fans download the Gameday™ app from the App Store or Google Play, choose the items they want and pay with a credit card or PayPal. The app provides an alert when the concessions staff has begun working on the order as well as another once the order is ready. Users will then pick up their order from a separate fast lane to expedite the concession process.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE FOR SECOND HALF OF SPORTING KC'S SEASON
Single-game tickets for Sporting KC home matches from July through October are now on sale via Ticketmaster.com. Tickets will be available for the first time for the following matches:
- Saturday, July 18: Sporting KC vs. Montreal
- Saturday, Aug. 1: Sporting KC vs. Houston
- Saturday, Aug. 15: Sporting KC vs. Vancouver
- Wednesday, Aug. 19: Sporting KC vs. San Jose
- Friday, Sept. 18: Sporting KC vs. FC Dallas
- Sunday, Sept. 27: Sporting KC vs. Seattle
- Sunday, Oct. 25: Sporting KC vs. LA Galaxy
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.
