SPORTING KC FACES NEW YORK AT RED BULL ARENA ON SATURDAY
Sporting Kansas City concludes its East Coast road trip with a meeting against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday. The contest will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network with radio coverage available on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Gran D 1340 AM (Spanish). Supporters are invited to attend watch parties at the Johnny's Tavern locations at the KC Power & Light district (1310 Grand Boulevard) and in Overland Park (6765 W. 119th Street). Select Boulevard draft specials will be available, as well as the "Blue Believer" signature cocktail (Dragon Berry, Lemon-Lime Red Bull and Blue Curacao).
The defending MLS champions (12-9-6, 42 points) have lost four of their last five matches but enter Saturday just four points behind Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United. Sporting KC will receive boosts from Dom Dwyer and Benny Feilhaber, who return to the squad after serving one-game suspensions on Wednesday (yellow card accumulation). Peter Vermes' men are tied for the MLS lead with seven road victories and have experienced recent success at Red Bull Arena, where they are unbeaten in three games (2-0-1) and have not allowed a goal in 338 minutes.
The New York Red Bulls (7-8-10, 31 points) are currently seventh in the conference standings, but a win at home could catapult them into playoff position. New York has a plethora of attacking options -- including MLS Golden Boot leader Bradley Wright-Phillips (20 goals), French superstar Thierry Henry (seven goals, 11 assists) and English winger Lloyd Sam (two goals, seven assists) -- but have posted just three clean sheets all year, a League low.
Following the match, Red Bull Arena will host a Special Olympics Exchange Match between Special Olympics Kansas and Special Olympics New Jersey. In 2013, Special Olympics Kansas partnered with Sporting Kansas City through the Sporting Club Network and formed the Kansas Unified Soccer League earlier this year. Saturday's match will feature two 20-minute halves and is part of the New York Red Bulls annual 11 Days of Service.
SPORTING KC ENTERS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH BRAZILIAN CLUB FLUMINENSE FC
Sporting KC announced on Friday a formal partnership with four-time Brazilian champion Fluminense FC extending through 2016 that will facilitate cooperation between the two clubs for player loans/transfers, academy exchanges and commercial opportunities.
As part of the alliance, Fluminense FC will loan at least one player per MLS season to Sporting KC, as well as other players to Sporting KC's USL PRO affiliate club(s). Moreover, the clubs will collaborate on the exchange of youth players, academy staff and training/coaching methodologies over the course of the partnership.
Sporting KC and Fluminense FC have also committed to hosting an international friendly between the teams inside their home venue and providing access to training facilities for pre-season trips.
Sporting KC played Fluminense’s Under-23 squad at the 2014 Disney Pro Soccer Classic in February's preseason campaign. Among the players to feature for Fluminense in the match was Brazilian Under-20 Men’s National Team defender Igor Juliao, who Sporting KC then acquired in April on loan for the 2014 season.
ERIK PALMER-BROWN JOINS U.S. U-20 MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM
Sporting KC homegrown defender Erik Palmer-Brown has joined the United States Under-20 Men's National Team for a training camp in Buenos Aires, Argentina from Sept. 1-10. The U.S. squad, coached by former American international Tab Ramos, will face the Argentina U-20s in a friendly on Sept. 9.
Palmer-Brown, 17, is the youngest of 19 players selected for the team's first international trip of 2014. He returns to the U-20 squad after appearing in four wins at the 2014 Dallas Cup in April.
Palmer-Brown signed a homegrown player contract with Sporting KC in August 2013 and has logged five appearances for the club in all competition this season. The Lee's Summit, Missouri native made his professional debut in May, becoming the youngest player in MLS history to start a regular season match as a defender, for the first of three MLS games played to date. He also appeared in the 2014 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game and this summer’s Champions Shield against Manchester City.
JIMMY MEDRANDA RETURNS FROM LOAN TO OKC ENERGY FC
Sporting KC announced on Monday that the club has recalled midfielder Jimmy Medranda from his loan to OKC Energy FC. The 20-year-old will be available for Saturday’s match at the New York Red Bulls.
Medranda, 20, joined OKC Energy FC on July 9 and made nine appearances during their inaugural season in USL PRO. He has made five career MLS appearances since joining Sporting KC from Deportivo Pereira (Colombia) in August 2013.
SPORTING KC SUFFERS 3-1 DEFEAT AT NEW ENGLAND
Sporting KC fell to the New England Revolution 3-1 on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium. Despite dropping their third consecutive match, Peter Vermes' men remained in second place in the Eastern Conference, while New England (11-12-3, 36 points) consolidated their spot in third.
Soony Saad scored his third goal of the season to put the visitors ahead in the ninth minute, placing a header into the bottom corner following a Matt Besler throw-in.
The Revolution replied on the stroke of halftime when former Sporting KC striker Teal Bunbury scored his fourth goal of the 2014 campaign and his second against his previous club. Lee Nguyen disposed two impressive strikes in the second half to give the hosts all three points.
SWOPE PARK TO HOST STATE AND PRESIDENTS CUPS IN NOVEMBER
Sporting Club announced on Tuesday that Swope Soccer Village will host the top Under-15 through Under-18 girls soccer teams from Missouri and Kansas during the fall 2014 editions of the Missouri State Cup, Missouri Presidents Cup, Kansas State Cup and Kansas Presidents Cup.
The semifinals of each competition will take place on Saturday, Nov. 8 and will determine the championship matches, to be held on Sunday, Nov. 9 in the lead-up to the 2014 Big 12 Soccer Championship on the Swope Soccer Village championship field.The Big 12 Tournament will take place from Nov. 5-9, marking the second year that the event will be held at Swope Park.
Swope Soccer Village is located at 63rd and Lewis Road in Kansas City, Missouri’s Swope Park. The complex is currently undergoing a $15.5 million expansion and features nine full-sized soccer fields – three natural grass and six synthetic turf -- with surrounding amenities. The facility will also host the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships for Division II (2016-17) and Division III (2014-15) in the next four years.
PARK UNIVERSITY TO PRESENT SPORTING KC'S "SALUTE TO TROOPS" PLATFORM
Sporting KC and Park University are partnering to honor those who serve their community and country as part of the club's season-long "Salute to Troops" armed forces military appreciation platform.
The partnership strives to raise awareness and appreciation for current and retired U.S. military members in the Kansas City area. The program provides game tickets in Sporting Park's "Zone of Courage" section and VIP experiences for the game's honoree and his/her family. In addition, those recognized will be featured on the Salute to Troops homepage at SportingKC.com.
TICKETS ON SALE FOR CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE MATCHES
Single-game tickets for Sporting KC’s two group stage matches at Sporting Park in the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League are available to purchase through Ticketmaster.com. The MLS Cup champions will host Costa Rica's Deportivo Saprissa on Thursday, Sept. 18 before a meeting with Nicaraguan club Real Esteli five days later on Tuesday, Sept. 23. Both matches will kick off at 7 p.m. CT and are included in Sporting KC Season Ticket Member packages.
2014 CONCACAF WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE
Series tickets to see all four games during the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship at Sporting Park are on sale via Ticketmaster.com. The tournament features eight countries, headlined by the No. 1 ranked U.S. Women's National Team, and will send three nations to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Sporting Park will host two doubleheaders on Oct. 15-16. The Final Draw for the competition will be held tomorrow in Miami, Florida, determine the groups and match-ups.
BUZZ BEACH BALL HITS SPORTING PARK TOMORROW
Sporting KC and 96.5 The Buzz present Buzz Beach Ball 2014 tomorrow at Sporting Park. Tickets for the concert start as low as $30 and are still available on Ticketmaster.com. Buzz Beach Ball acts include Arctic Monkeys, Weezer and The 1975. For more information, visit BeachBallKC.com.
SPORTING CLUB ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF NEW CLOTHING LINE
Sporting Club has released its new fashion line for the MLS champions, providing supporters an extensive selection of new clothing and merchandise. The Sporting Club brand is available for purchase on Sporting Style's website and will be available for purchase at all Sporting KC home games, while supplies last.
JOSTENS UNVEILS SPORTING KC FAN COLLECTION
Jostens, the leading national custom jewelry designer and producer, has unveiled a fan collection to celebrate the team's 2013 MLS Cup championship. Items available in the collection are: fan ring (men's and women's), championship fan paperweight, fan pendant, key ring and a championship poster. All can be purchased online at jostens.com/sportingkc.
ZAC BROWN BAND HITS SPORTING PARK ON SEPT. 11
Three-time GRAMMY winners and multi-platinum artists Zac Brown Band will visit Sporting Park on Sept. 11 as part of The Great American Road Trip Tour 2014. Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000.
TICKETS ON SALE FOR NCAA D-II FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP AT SPORTING PARK
Tickets are now on sale to the general public for the NCAA Division II Football Championship to be held at Sporting Park on Dec. 20. Hosted by the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Associations and the Kansas City Sports Commission, the championship game will be played inside the state-of-the-art stadium for the next four years. Tickets are be available via Ticketmaster.com while supplies last.
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 as well as many staff members. Additionally, fans may take advantage of the Media Recap page for all the latest independent news coverage.
