"The Week in Review,” is a weekly series that highlights the biggest storylines and news updates from Sporting Kansas City.
1. Sporting KC and KC Power & Light District host World Cup Watch Parties at KC Live!
Last Monday, the United States Men's National Team kicked off their FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 campaign against Wales, battling to a 1-1 draw. Sporting Kansas City and the KC Power and Light District partnered to host an official Watch Party at KC Live! and No Other Pub. Fans of all ages came out to cheer on the USMNT as they earned a point in their opening World Cup fixture. The following day, Mexico blanked Poland in a scoreless draw as El Tri fans rooted for their country from KC Live. In the United States' second Group B matchup, taking place last Friday, Gregg Berhalter's side kept soccer powerhouse England off the scoreboard, securing their second point of the tournament. Saturday, Mexico did not fare as well as their northern neighbors, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Lionel Messi and Argentina.
Both the USMNT and El Tri will conclude their group stage competition this week with the US taking on Iran on Tuesday and Mexico set to face Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Both matches will kick off at 1 p.m. CT and watch parties will be hosted at KC Live with doors opening at 11 a.m. CT. Tickets are free and can be secured at SeatGeek.com. Food and drink specials will be available at No Other Pub throughout the World Cup – including $6 wells, $25 domestic beer buckets and 50% off nachos.
2. Sporting KC holds Right of First Refusal on defender Nicolas Isimat-Mirin
Sporting Kansas City selected one of its own players in Stage 2 of the 2022 MLS Re-Entry Draft last Tuesday, taking 31-year-old center back Nicolas Isimat-Mirin. By selecting Isimat-Mirin in the Re-Entry Draft, Sporting holds the Right of First Refusal for the player in MLS. For more information about the Re-Entry Draft, click here.
Tuesday marked the penultimate roster mechanism event of the year, as Sporting will now look ahead to the 2023 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Sporting currently holds the eighth overall pick in the first round and the 37th overall pick in the second round. Sporting’s roster will continue to take shape in the buildup to the 2023 MLS campaign, which will kick off the final weekend of February. For a full list of the team’s offseason roster moves, visit SportingKC.com/news/tracker.
