SPORTING KC TO HOST RIVALS HOUSTON DYNAMO ON SATURDAY AT SPORTING PARK
Sporting KC will put the team's home unbeaten record (10-0-3 in all competitions in 2015) on the line when they host rivals Houston Dynamo at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at Sporting Park. A limited number of tickets for the match are available on Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL.
The Western Conference clash will air live on KMCI-TV 38 the Spot locally and across the Midwest on SKCTV affiliates with three hours of coverage beginning at 7 p.m. CT. Immediately following the match, all fans are invited to "Sporting Kansas City Extra Time" at Turn 2 Sports Bar and Restaurant inside Hollywood Casino for $2 well drinks and wine by the glass, $3 Boulevard drafts and $7 appetizers.
Saturday marks the third meeting between the Sporting KC and Houston this season. The clubs played to a thrilling 4-4 regular season draw in Houston on April 25 before Peter Vermes' side claimed a 3-1 home win on July 21 in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals at Sporting Park.
Sporting KC has faced Houston 18 times in all competitions since the beginning of 2011, more than any other MLS opponent. This stretch includes five postseason games — the clubs squared off in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs — and two Open Cup contests. Sporting KC has just one loss in their last 10 games against the Dynamo in all competitions with a 5-1-4 record.
BESLER, FEILHABER AND ZUSI ON GAMEDAY ROSTER FOR TONIGHT'S MLS ALL-STAR GAME
Sporting KC's Matt Besler, Benny Feilhaber and Graham Zusi are on the 22-player squad for tonight's AT&T MLS All-Star Game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. The MLS All-Stars will face English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur at 8 p.m. CT on FOX Sports 1 and UniMas.
Besler and Zusi each earn MLS All-Star honors for the fourth time, including Zusi's distinction as the only field player to be an MLS All-Star each of the last four seasons. Feilhaber is a first-time MLS All-Star during a career-year in which he ranks second in MLS with 10 assists while also contributing a joint team-high seven goals.
ERIK PALMER-BROWN FEATURES IN 2015 CHIPOTLE MLS HOMEGROWN GAME
Sporting KC defender Erik Palmer-Brown started and played 71 minutes on Tuesday against the Club America U-20's in the 2015 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. The 18-year-old central defender returned to the summer showcase for the second straight year — after playing 90 minutes in a scoreless draw against the Portland Timbers U-23's in the inaugural 2014 event — and becomes one of only three players to start in the first two editions of the competition, along with Vancouver's Russell Teibert and the LA Galaxy's Bradford Jamieson IV.
Led by head coach Landon Donovan, the MLS Homegrown Team took a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute on Tuesday before the Club America U20's drew level from the penalty spot in the 68th minute. With the score tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, the exhibition advanced directly to a penalty kick shootout in which the Mexican youth side prevailed 5-4 in six rounds.
Palmer-Brown has appeared in nine matches for Sporting Kansas City across all competition — including the team's 2015 season opener and most recent MLS match — since signing as a Homegrown Player in August 2013. He made his MLS debut in 2014 at age 17 and remains the youngest player to appear in an MLS match in club history. Last month, he represented the United States at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
SPORTING KC ACADEMY U15'S CROWNED NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
The Sporting KC Academy U15's claimed the U.S. Youth Soccer Cup on Sunday with a 3-1 win over Fewster FC (Maryland) in the final of the 2015 US Youth Soccer National Championships at Mohawk Soccer Complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Sporting KC U15's become the first boys team from Kansas at any age level to be crowned USYS national champions in the competition's 80-year history.
Cameron Duke, an active member of the United States Under-14 Boys' National Team, scored the game's opening goal in the 22nd minute on an assist from Roman Knox. Fewster FC equalized in the 46th minute before Abdu Kikhia scored the game-winning goal three minutes later on an assist from Max Rugova. Jacob Hall then clinched the national championship with his goal in the 76th minute on Kikhia's assist.
Following the match, three of the teams top performers — Hall, Rugova and Mason Visconti — were each named to the US Youth Soccer National Championships Best 11 for the under-15 boys age division.
The Sporting KC Academy U15's cap off a historic campaign in which the team went a perfect 9-0-0 in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy while finishing second in the Midwest Regional League (5-1-1) and fourth in the National League Blue Division (4-3-0). In order to reach the 2015 USYS National Championships, the Sporting KC U15's won Kansas State Cup in May and USYS Region II Championships in June.
BENNY FEILHABER UP FOR MLS GOAL OF THE WEEK
He may not have been in the starting lineup last Friday, but Benny Feilhaber made his presence felt just a few minutes after stepping onto the pitch at Rio Tinto Stadium.
With Sporting KKC trailing Real Salt Lake 1-0, Feilhaber entered the match as a halftime substitute and conjured an equalizer at the 50-minute mark. The All-Star midfielder received a pass from Roger Espinoza, took a touch to his right and sent a 30-yard shot into the corner of the net to earn an MLS Goal of the Week nomination.
Feilhaber’s strike — one of a season-high 39 goals scored across the league in Week 21 — is nominated for the award alongside efforts from Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC), David Villa (New York City FC), Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC) and Leonel Miranda (Houston Dynamo). Voting for MLS Goal of the Week opened Monday and will run through Friday morning at 1:59 a.m. CT.
SPORTING KC HAS FIVE-GAME WINNING STREAK SNAPPED IN LOSS AT REAL SALT LAKE
Sporting KC lost 2-1 at Real Salt Lake on Friday in the opening match of MLS Week 21. Benny Feilhaber scored in his third straight match with a stunning 30-yard strike in the 50th minute that fell between Real Salt Lake goals from Javier Morales (34') and Joao Plata (73').
The defeat — only the team's second in 15 matches across all competition, both of which have come by 2-1 scorelines at Rio Tinto Stadium — leaves Sporting KC tied for third in the Western Conference entering MLS All-Star week. Though Friday's match concludes the regular season series between Sporting KC and Real Salt Lake, the two sides will meet again on Aug. 12 at Sporting Park in the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals.
TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR U.S. OPEN CUP SEMIFINAL MATCH ON AUG. 12 AT SPORTING PARK
Tickets for Sporting KC's semifinal match in the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Aug. 12 at Sporting Park are now on sale via Ticketmaster.com.
Sporting KC earned a 3-1 quarterfinal victory over Houston Dynamo last Tuesday and will now play budding rival Real Salt Lake for the fourth time this season with a berth in the final at stake. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT.
TICKETS: Click here to purchase
Sporting KC kicked off the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 1-0 win over Saint Louis FC on June 16 before routing FC Dallas 6-2 on July 1. Both matches were played before sellout crowds at Sporting Park, which has now attracted the largest attendance in the Round of 32, Round of 16 and quarterfinal round of this year's tournament.
THREE ACADEMY PLAYERS SELECTED TO GENERATION ADIDAS ESP ALL-STAR EVENT
Three Sporting KC Academy U16 players are in Carson, California this week for the 2015 Generation adidas Elite Soccer Program (ESP) All-Star Event. Jared Crist, John Klein and Jaylin Lindsey are among 54 of the top MLS youth academy players invited to join FC Bayern Munich's U16 Academy team for a week of training, development and high-level matches in a professional atmosphere.
Sporting KC's three representatives are on the 18-player Central squad, which opened the round robin gameplay with a 1-1 draw against FC Bayern Munich U16's on Tuesday. Lindsey, an active member of the U.S. Under-15 Boys' National Team, scored Central's lone goal against the international opposition. Visit SportingKC.com for more information about the week-long event.
SPORTING KC PLAYERS TO APPEAR AT FAT BRAIN TOYS' "DAY OF PLAY" ON THURSDAY
On Thursday, Fat Brain Toys (5661 W. 135th St.) in Overland Park, Kansas will host a free "Day of Play" from 6:30 - 8 p.m. CT for kids six and under in partnership with The Victory Project and Mimi Z's Yoga. Sporting KC players Marcel de Jong, Jon Kempin and Ike Opara will be joined by head fitness coach Mateus Manoel to help educate children on the value of active play during the event, which will feature healthy snacks from Fresh Market, an autograph session, Sporting KC's mascot Blue and yoga with Mimi Z's Yoga instructors.
KC STEAK COMPANY'S MEAT AND GREAT SWEEPSTEAKS CLOSES ON FRIDAY
This week is the final opportunity for Sporting KC fans to enter the Kansas City Steak Company's Meat and Greet SweepSTEAKS before the entry process closes on Friday. Fans can enter online at SportingKC.com to win a prize pack that includes dinner for six with a Sporting KC player and a one-year supply of steak products.
SPORTING KC OFFERS MOBILE CONCESSIONS ORDERING IN BOULEVARD MEMBERS CLUB
Sporting KC has announced 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.
AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE OFFERING FREE ROAD TRIP TO SPORTING KC ROAD GAME
A partnership between Sporting KC and American Family Insurance now allows fans to register for a free road trip to see Sporting KC face the San Jose Earthquakes on Oct. 16. The match will be played at Avaya Stadium, San Jose’s new state-of-the-art venue that opened in March.
The contest is open to all Sporting KC fans 21 years of age and older who live in Kansas or Missouri and will run through Sept. 13. Supporters can register by visiting https://contests.amfam.com/sportingkc and filling out the entry form or by visiting the American Family Insurance booth at the following Sporting KC home matches: Aug. 1, Aug. 15 and Aug. 19.
One contest will reward one grand prize winner who will receive free airfare, four game tickets, a $1,000 bank card and more. Visit SportingKC.com for additional information.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE FOR FINAL THREE MONTHS OF SPORTING KC'S SEASON
Single-game tickets for Sporting KC home matches from August through October are now on sale via Ticketmaster.com. Tickets will be available for the first time for the following matches:
- 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.
