Sporting Kansas City moves into first place of the Eastern Conference
Top of the table clash
Graham Zusi up for Best MLS Player at 2013 ESPYS
Claudio Bieler nominated for MLS Goal of the Week
Sporting KC trio named to gameday roster for 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game at Sporting Park
Sporting KC schedule set for 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League group stage
Jerome, Joseph feature for Haiti in CONCACAF Gold Cup
MLS All-Stars to host AS Roma in 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game
Tickets on sale for all Sporting KC home matches in 2013
Single-day tickets on sale now for Flatlands Festival
Sporting KC season tickets sold out for 2013 season
Sporting Park to host U.S. MNT in World Cup Qualifier
Away tickets available now
Sporting KC advances to national #SocialMadness competition
Sporting KC players in the community
Follow Sporting KC online
SPORTING KANSAS CITY MOVES INTO FIRST PLACE OF THE EASTERN CONFERENCE
Sporting Kansas City defeated Toronto FC 3-0 at Sporting Park last Saturday. The victory moved the home side into first place of the Eastern Conference with 33 points.
Twenty-year-old striker Soony Saad opened the scoring in the 21st minute of the match and doubled Sporting KC's lead six minutes into the second half. The brace marked Saad's first multi-goal game of his MLS career and first goals during the 2013 season. Designated Player Claudio Bieler added an insurance goal for Sporting KC in the 63rd minute of the match. Bieler's goal was nominated for the AT&T MLS Goal of the Week: Week 20. Vote here.
TOP OF THE TABLE CLASH
Sporting Kansas City hits the road for back-to-back road games beginning with Western Conference leaders Real Salt Lake on Saturday. RSL is unbeaten in their last eight regular season matches and are coming off a 3-0 victory over FC Dallas at FC Dallas Stadium.
GRAHAM ZUSI UP FOR BEST MLS PLAYER AT 2013 ESPYS
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Graham Zusi is nominated for Best MLS Player at the The 2013 ESPYS. Voting is open at ESPN.com/ESPYS and will continue through the start of the live show tonight at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN.
The U.S. Men's National Team playmaker is up against San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski and New York Red Bulls striker Thierry Henry for the award, which was established in 2006 and has been won by either David Beckham (2008, 2012) or Landon Donovan (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011) each of the last seven years.
Zusi was an MLS All-Star, Best XI selection and MVP finalist in 2012 after leading the League with 15 assists to go along with his five goals on the year. In 2013, Zusi has three goals and five assists to give him 14 goals and 28 assists in his five-year career. The ESPYS gather top celebrities from sports and entertainment to commemorate the past year in sports by recognizing major sports achievements, reliving unforgettable moments and saluting the leading performers and performances. The 2013 ESPYS marks the show's 21st telecast and will be hosted by Missouri native Jon Hamm.
CLAUDIO BIELER NOMINATED FOR MLS GOAL OF THE WEEK
Sporting Kansas City's Claudio Bieler was nominated for AT&T MLS Goal of the Week: Week 20. Bieler's clinical finish against Toronto FC included a series of one-touch passes. Soony Saad broke through pressure from the visitors finding Kei Kamara on the edge of the 18-yard-box. Kamara played the ball to Benny Feilhaber with his first touch and Feilhaber flicked the ball to Bieler for the easy finish. You can cast your vote online atMLSSoccer.com or by texting G3 to 22442.
SPORTING KC TRIO NAMED TO GAMEDAY ROSTER FOR 2013 AT&T MLS ALL-STAR GAME AT SPORTING PARK
Sporting Kansas City's Matt Besler, Aurelien Collin and Graham Zusi are among the 20 MLS All-Stars on the gameday roster, announced on Monday by Sporting KC Manager and MLS All-Star head coach Peter Vermes, for the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game at Sporting Park on July 31.
All three players were voted to the MLS All-Star Fan XI earlier this month and will be available for selection to take on Italy's AS Roma in the summer showcase. Sporting Kansas City's three selections to the MLS All-Star gameday roster are tied for the most among any team.
For more details about the MLS All-Star Game including a schedule of events visit www.SportingKC.com/ASG.
SPORTING KC SCHEDULE SET FOR 2013-14 CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE
Sporting Kansas City learned their schedule for the group stage of the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League. Sporting KC will open up the tournament with a road matches against Real Estelí FC on Wednesday, August 7 and CD Olimpia on Tuesday, August 27. They will then close out the group stage with home matches against Real Estelí on September 17 and Olimpia on October 2. Tickets for the decisive two home games in the CONCACAF Champions League group stage are on sale now. These tickets can be secured online at Ticketmaster.com or at the Sporting Park Box Offices.
JEROME, JOSEPH FEATURE FOR HAITI IN CONCACAF GOLD CUP
Sporting Kansas City defender Mechack Jerome played 90 minutes and midfielder Peterson Joseph featured as a second half substitute as Haiti suffered a 1-0 loss to El Salvador on Monday night. The loss combined with Trinidad and Tobago's 2-0 win over Honduras ended any chance of Haiti advancing to the knockout stage of the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup started in Haiti's 1-0 loss to El Salvador on Monday.
Jerome and Joseph have returned to Kansas City and will be available for selection for Sporting KC's match against Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
MLS ALL-STARS TO HOST AS ROMA IN 2013 AT&T MLS ALL-STAR GAME
This year, Major League Soccer will play Italian giants AS Roma in the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game. The marquee match will be played Wednesday, July 31 at Sporting Park. The annual summer showcase will be broadcast live on ESPN2, UniMás, and in Canada on TSN and RDS starting at 8 p.m. CT.
In conjunction with the game will be five days of festivities featuring KC landmarks including two free concerts - Macklemore and the Silversun Pickups - in the Power and Light District on Monday, July 29 and Tuesday, July 30 respectively.
TICKETS ON SALE FOR ALL SPORTING KC HOME MATCHES IN 2013
Sporting KC announced that individual tickets for the final six regular season home matches are on sale now. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or at the Sporting Park Box Offices.
SINGLE-DAY TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR FLATLANDS FESTIVAL
Single-day tickets for the Flatlands Country Music Festival at Sporting Park from Sept. 12-14 are on sale to the general public, starting as low as $59 each. The new country music and camping festival, presented by Marquee Events and Sporting Club, will feature performances from several of the most popular artists in country music over three days.
Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Rodney Atkins, Thompson Square and Kevin Fowler will perform on Friday, Sept. 13. Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Kellie Pickler, Love and Theft, and JT Hodges will then take the stage on Sat., Sept. 14. The 24,000 expected to be in attendance will have the opportunity to camp in nearby areas and enjoy all amenities associated with the state-of-the-art venue. For more information visit flatlandsfestival.com or call 800-493-3378.
SPORTING KC SEASON TICKETS SOLD OUT FOR 2013 SEASON
Sporting Kansas City announced that the club's allotment of 14,000 season tickets for the 2013 season at Sporting Park are sold out. Prospective Season Ticket Members may join the club's Season Ticket Member waiting list by placing a $50 non-refundable deposit per season ticket request.
Sporting Kansas City currently leads all MLS teams in the total number of new Season Ticket Members for 2013 and have averaged over a 90% Season Ticket Member renewal rate for the last three seasons.
Sporting Kansas City are also selling five-game 'Pick Plans.' All plans include the five Sporting KC matches of the buyer's choice, including CONCACAF Champions League or any of the remaining MLS regular season games.
SPORTING PARK TO HOST U.S. MNT IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Sporting Park will host the U.S. Men's National Team on Oct. 11 in the team's final home qualifying match for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The United States returns to Sporting Park to play Jamaica, live on the ESPN family, WatchESPN and UniMas at 8 p.m. CT. Ticket information will be released at a later date.
Sporting Park, home to Major League Soccer's Sporting Kansas City, will host the U.S. Men's National Team for the third time since opening in June 2011. The state-of-the-art, $200+ million venue will also host the 2013 MLS All-Star Game on July 31.
AWAY TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW
Reserve your free away ticket to Sporting Kansas City's August 18 match against the San Jose Earthquakes at Buck Shaw Stadium and the August 23 match against the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park by clicking here.
SPORTING KC ADVANCES TO NATIONAL #SOCIALMADNESS COMPETITION
Sporting Kansas City was recently dubbed the overall winners in the Kansas City Business Journal #SocialMadness large category. The scores were based on engagement through social channels, meaning that Sporting KC mentions, likes, comments, follows and shares on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ were the most active in the area.
Sporting KC is now competing nationally in the large category of the American City Business Journals' #SocialMadness challenge. One of 41 companies in contention for the $10,000 prize (donated to the charity of the company's choice), Sporting Kansas City is Major League Soccer's lone representative and is up against the likes of the Boston Celtics (NBA), Cincinatti Reds (MLB), and NASCAR from the sports industry.
The national bracket-style tournament kicked off on Tuesday and the top 20 brands as of July 22 will advance to the next round. You can vote online at bizjournals.com/kansascity/socialmadness or by engaging with Sporting KC's social media channels.
SPORTING KC PLAYERS IN THE COMMUNITY
Sporting KC players will be in the local community this weekend. Sporting KC and two area Price Chopper locations are teaming up for special player appearances. One Sporting KC player will be at the Price Chopper in Raymore, Mo. (900 W. Foxwood) from 2-3:30 p.m. CT on Saturday and one Sporting KC player will be at the Price Chopper in Platte City, Mo. (2600 Ensign Hill Dr.) from 2-3:30 p.m. CT on Sunday.
FOLLOW SPORTING KC ONLINE
Sporting Kansas City fans looking to keep up with the club on the worldwide web 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 available online.
Also, Sporting Kansas City's 2013 media guide is now available online and fans can find all the latest information for Sporting Kansas City matches at SportingKC.com/GameOn.
