CHILDREN'S MERCY AND SPORTING KC ANNOUNCE MAJOR PARTNERSHIP
Children’s Mercy Kansas City and Sporting KC on Thursday launched a long-term partnership to promote health and fitness among Kansas City-area school children and provide specialized sports medicine to a youth athlete market that has experienced a substantial increase in sports-related injuries.
The 10-year partnership, which will kick off with Sporting Kansas City’s 2016 training camp/preseason, focuses on three components:
- Improving access to pediatric-trained sports medicine
- Strengthening the community
- Protecting youth athletes and educating parents and coaches
As part of the partnership, Children’s Mercy will have exclusive naming rights to Children’s Mercy Park (currently Sporting Park), as well as Sporting KC’s training center and the championship field at Swope Soccer Village. In addition, Children’s Mercy will become the official healthcare and sports medicine partner of the National Training Center, which will break ground in Kansas City, Kansas, in the spring of 2016.
Visit SportingKC.com for more information on the new partnership between Children's Mercy and Sporting KC.
TIM MELIA NAMED MLS COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia has been voted the 2015 MLS Comeback Player of the Year, Major League Soccer announced last Wednesday.
The Comeback Player of the Year is selected through league-wide voting of media members, MLS players and MLS executive staff. The award honors a player who has overcome injuries or adversity in order to achieve success during the regular season.
Melia, 29, was a breakout performer during his sixth MLS season in 2015 after previously backing up MLS All-Stars Nick Rimando at Real Salt Lake and Dan Kennedy at Chivas USA. He did not appear in any regular season matches for Real Salt Lake from 2010-11 and started five games for Chivas USA from 2012-2014. Melia was waived by Chivas USA in July 2014 and served as a League Pool Goalkeeper during the latter half of the year, receiving emergency call-ups from Sporting KC (August), FC Dallas (October) and D.C. United (November).
Melia signed for Sporting KC ahead of the 2015 season and earned a starting role in May. He notched his first career MLS win on his club debut and became the first goalkeeper in MLS history to record six shutouts in his first nine League matches for a new team. He ended the year with nine clean sheets and a 15-8-5 record in all competitions as Sporting KC made its fifth straight appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs. He also made two saves in a penalty shootout win over the Philadelphia Union in the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final.
MARC DOS SANTOS UNVEILED AS SWOPE PARK RANGERS HEAD COACH
The Swope Park Rangers introduced head coach Marc Dos Santos on Friday and also announced Christian Duke as the first player signing for the team's inaugural USL season in 2016.
The North American Soccer League Coach of the Year in 2015, Dos Santos led the Ottawa Fury FC to the NASL Championship Final this month after a first-place finish in the Fall Season. The 38-year-old Montreal native enters his 10th season as a manager in 2016 with a distinguished coaching career in which he has developed players at the professional and amateur levels.
Dos Santos was first hired by the Montreal Impact in January 2007 to lead the club’s reserve team, Trois-Rivieres Attak FC, in the Canadian Soccer League. After leading the squad to titles in their initial two seasons – first as 2007 Open Canada Cup champions, then as 2008 CSL National Division champions – Dos Santos was added to the Impact’s technical staff as an assistant coach in June 2008 and became head coach in May 2009.
During his tenure, the Impact won the inaugural Canadian Championship in 2008 to claim the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League. Dos Santos then led Montreal through three different leagues in consecutive campaigns, winning the USL First Division title in 2009 before transitioning into USSF Division 2 in 2010 and the North American Soccer League in 2011.
Dos Santos moved to Brazil in 2012 to focus on youth initiatives with FC Primeira Camisa (U-20’s) and SE Palmeiras (U-15’s), culminating with a Copa do Brasil Sub-15 championship and a technical director position with Desportivo Brasil. Dos Santos then returned to Canada in July 2013 as the head coach of the Ottawa Fury FC ahead of their 2014 expansion season in the North American Soccer League.
KRISZTIAN NEMETH UP FOR MLS GOAL OF THE YEAR
Sporting Kansas City forward Krisztian Nemeth is one of four finalists for the AT&T Goal of the Year, MLS revealed on Tuesday.
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 Seattle’s Obafemi Martins in the semifinal round of the bracket-style competition. Fans can vote for both semifinal matchups through Friday, Nov. 27. The other side of the bracket features strikes from Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco and Real Salt Lake’s Olmes Garcia.
The 2015 Goal of the Year winner will be announced on Dec. 3 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.
SPORTING KC HEADING TO TUCSON FOR 2016 PRESEASON
Sporting KC announced on Tuesday that the club will head to Arizona for its 2016 preseason and participate in the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup. The tournament will take place at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, beginning on Feb. 17 with the final matches scheduled for Feb. 27. It marks the sixth straight year Peter Vermes' side will travel to Tucson for preseason training.
Sporting KC is one of nine MLS teams training in Tucson during the 2016 preseason along with Seattle Sounders FC, Portland Timbers, Houston Dynamo, San Jose Earthquakes, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids.
Sporting KC’s new USL team, the Swope Park Rangers, will also compete in the tournament in advance of their inaugural campaign along with PDL side FC Tucson to round out the playing field.
Sporting KC will spend both phases of the 2016 preseason in Arizona, first reporting from Jan. 24 – Feb. 8 and then returning for the Desert Diamond Cup. The Rangers will join Sporting KC for the second phase on Feb. 14.
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, Grouponis now offering a limited-time deal for passes to both the semifinal doubleheader as well as the championship match.
The NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship continued Sunday in the second round. Two matches went to penalty kick shootouts, two went to extra time and an additional six were decided by one goal. Heading into this weekend's third round, 16 of the 48 teams remain in a tournament that will culminate at Sporting Park.
Of the 12 Sporting KC Academy products who entered the tournament, six remain, including University of North Carolina sophomore forward Zach Wright, whose game-winning goal propelled the Tar Heels to a 2-1 victory over Coastal Carolina. UNC will now play No. 12 seed Creighton, who defeated Drake 5-1 on Sunday. Creighton’s defense is led by Sporting KC Academy product and team co-captain Eric DeJulio, who has played 19 games for the Blue Jays this year.
The third round of the tournament will resume Saturday and Sunday at the site of the higher seed. 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 first round complete, the NCAA Division II Football Championship tournament is down to 16 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 competition continues with Saturday's second round. 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, Dec. 4. 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, Dec. 5.
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 will be co-hosted by the Kansas City Sports Commission and Fontbonne University.
SPORTING KC ACADEMY SWEEPS DOUBLEHEADER VS. TEXANS SC HOUSTON
The Sporting Kansas City Academy claimed a pair of shutout victories over Texans SC Houston on Saturday at Swope Soccer Village. The U-18s kicked off the day with a 1-0 result before the U-16s won 2-0 to complete the U.S. Soccer Development Academy doubleheader.
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.
