Weekly Update: July 24, 2013

Kurt Austin

Limited number of tickets released for MLS All-Star Game
One week until MLS All-Star Game at Sporting Park
All-Star Jersey tour kicks off in Kansas City today
Off the Pitch with Sporting KC airs on Thursday
All-Star Game media tasting on Friday at Sporting Park
Sporting KC preps for top of table match-up with Montreal
Besler and U.S. MNT in Gold Cup semifinals tonight
Sporting KC advances in #SocialMadness challenge
Volkswagen 5k Jersey Run on Sunday
Sporting KC extends lead in East with 2-1 win at RSL
Sporting KC players in the community this week
Sporting KC in the media this week
Sporting KC Show airs on Sports Radio 810 WHB
Sporting KC extends contract for Peter Vermes
Sporting KC recalls C.J. Sapong from loan
Sporting KC Academy joins Pro Youth Clubs Affiliates Division
Sporting KC schedule set for CONCACAF Champions League
Single-game tickets on sale for all Sporting KC home matches
Tickets on sale for inaugural Flatlands Festival at Sporting Park
Free away tickets available for Sporting KC road matches
Sporting Park to host U.S. MNT FIFA World Cup Qualifier
Follow Sporting KC online

LIMITED NUMBER OF TICKETS RELEASED FOR MLS ALL-STAR GAME
Major League Soccer has released the final allotment of tickets for the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game to be played at Sporting Park on July 31. This year's All-Star Game marks the 18th MLS All-Star Game in league history and the 10th to be played in the format where the MLS All-Stars take on an international opponent. This year, the All-Stars will take on Serie A club AS Roma featuring U.S. Men's National Team midfielder Michael Bradley and Italian World Cup veteran Francesco Totti.

Sporting Kansas City has three representatives on the squad with defenders Matt Besler and Aurelien Collin and midfielder Graham Zusi being named to the gameday roster. In addition, Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes will manage the MLS All-Stars against Roma.

The All-Star Game will be the culmination of a week's worth of events that kicks off today at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas.

ONE WEEK UNTIL MLS ALL-STAR GAME AT SPORTING PARK
Major League Soccer will play Italian giants AS Roma in the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game on July 31 at Sporting Park. The marquee match 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, there 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. Visit SportingKC.com/ASG for all the latest information.

ALL-STAR JERSEY TOUR KICKS OFF IN KANSAS CITY TODAY
A 30-foot, inflatable replica of the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star jersey was unveiled today in conjunction with the Kansas City Soccer Week kick-off event held at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas with Mayor Sly James of Kansas City, MO and Mayor Mark Holland of Kansas City, Kansas. The jersey will tour Kansas City leading up to the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game at Sporting Park on July 31. Review the schedule below:

Ilus Davis Park from 1-5 p.m. CT on Thursday, July 25
Schlitterbahn Kansas City Waterpark from 12-4 p.m. CT on Friday, July 26
Legends Outlets Kansas City from 3-8 p.m. CT on Sat., July 27
Power & Light District from 6:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. CT on Sun., July 28
Kansas City Kansas Community College from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. CT on Mon., July 29
Barney Allis Plaza from 3-8 p.m. CT on Mon., July 29
Wyandotte High School from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. CT on Tues., July 30
CommunityAmerica Ballpark from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. CT on Wed., July 31
Nebraska Furniture Mart from 4-8 p.m. CT on Wed., July 31

Visit SportingKC.com/ASG for all the latest, including a schedule of events for the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game.

OFF THE PITCH WITH SPORTING KC AIRS ON THURSDAY
Sporting Kansas City's monthly television show, Off the Pitch with Sporting KC, airs from 7-8 p.m. CT on Thursday on KSMO-TV. Co-hosts Jake Yadrich and Callum Williams sit down with Sporting KC forward Dom Dwyer and defender Aurelien Collin for interviews and the hour-long episode will also feature the return of the popular Vantage Point series to recap the last month's action.

Visit SportingKC.com/videos for segments from previous Off the Pitch episodes.

ALL-STAR GAME MEDIA TASTING ON FRIDAY AT SPORTING PARK
Sporting Kansas City and the team's food and beverage partner American Sportservice will host a MLS All-Star Game media tasting at 11 a.m. CT on Friday in the Victory Suite at Sporting Park. Media are invited to sample signature food items added to the Sporting Park menu for the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game, including Flamin' Hot Cheetos Chicken Slider, Sporting Blue Cheese Bacon and Smoked Tequila Blackberry Beef Brisket Slider. Chef and culinary management interviews will be available.

SPORTING KC PREPS FOR TOP OF TABLE MATCH-UP WITH MONTREAL
Sporting Kansas City will return to the road to take on the Montreal Impact at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday at Stade Saputo, live on KSMO-TV, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Gran D 1340 AM. The match-up features the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, with Sporting KC holding a four-point lead over the Impact heading into the third and final meeting in the regular season series.

A watch party for Saturday's match will be held in the Power & Light District in downtown Kansas City, MO and all fans are encouraged to attend the free event.

BESLER AND U.S. MNT IN GOLD CUP SEMIFINALS TONIGHT
Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler is with the U.S. Men's National Team for their match against Honduras at 6 p.m. CT tonight in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals live on FOX Soccer and UniMas. Besler started and played 75 minutes on Sunday for the United States in the team's 5-1 win over El Salvador.

The American Outlaws - Kansas City will be hosting two watch parties for tonight's match at Johnny's Tavern in the Power & Light District and Johnny's Tavern in Overland Park, KS (8719 W. 95th St).

SPORTING KC ADVANCES IN #SOCIALMADNESS CHALLENGE
Sporting Kansas City is among the top 20 companies remaining in the American City Business Journals #SocialMadness Challenge for the large category. After being crowned champions at the local level by the Kansas City Business Journal, Sporting KC qualified for the national competition as one of 41 brands in the initial round of voting. Sporting KC advanced on Tuesday to the current round, which will see the top 8 organizations move forward in contention for the $10,000 grand prize. The competition's scoring is based on an algorithm that calculates engagement on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

VOLKSWAGEN 5K JERSEY RUN ON SUNDAY
Fans are invited to wear their favorite soccer kit for the Volkswagen 5k Jersey Run, starting at 8 a.m. CT on Sunday in the Kansas City Power & Light District. The cost of entry is $30 and interested participants can register online here.

Sporting Kansas City's Paulo Nagamura, Kyle Miller, Aurelien Collin and Josh Gardner will be appearing at the event's launch. Nagamura and Collin will then sign autographs immediately afterward.

SPORTING KC EXTENDS LEAD IN EAST WITH 2-1 WIN AT RSL

Sporting Kansas City earned a come-from-behind 2-1 victory at Real Salt Lake on Saturday night to extend the team's unbeaten streak to six games and increase their lead in the Eastern Conference race to four points. Soony Saad's second half goal drew Sporting KC level and Ike Opara's stoppage-time goal gave the visitors three points in a tightly-contested battle of first-place teams at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Read the full match recap on SportingKC.com and visit SportingKC.com/GameOn for highlights, photos, quotes, fast facts and more.

SPORTING KC PLAYERS IN THE COMMUNITY THIS WEEK

Several Sporting Kansas City players will be meeting with fans to sign autographs and take photos throughout the community this week. Review the schedule below (subject to change) for a list of upcoming appearances:

Graham Zusi and Chance Myers at Sprint (11788 W. 95th St., Overland Park, KS) from 4-6 p.m. CT on Wed., July 24
Lawrence Olum at Price Chopper (2101 East Santa Fe, Olathe, KS) from 5:30-7 p.m. CT on Wed., July 24
Josh Gardner at Price Chopper (7000 75th St., Overland Park, KS) from 5:30-7 p.m. CT on Thurs., July 25
Josh Gardner at O'Reilly Auto Parts (400 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, KS) from 12-2 p.m. CT on Fri., July 26
Kyle Miller at Valvoline Express Care (1513 South Main St., Ottawa, KS) from 4-5:30 p.m. CT on Fri., July 26
Paulo Nagamura at O'Reilly Auto Parts (4235 North Oak Trafficway, Kansas City, MO) from 12-2 p.m. CT on Sat., July 27
Aurelien Collin at O'Reilly Auto Parts (5200 Harry S. Truman Drive, Grandview, MO) from 12-2 p.m. CT on Sun., July 28
Josh Gardner at O'Reilly Auto Parts (15115 West 133rd St., Olathe, KS) from 12-2 p.m. CT on Sun., July 28

For more information, visit SportingKC.com and follow @SportingKC on Twitter and Facebook.

SPORTING KC IN THE MEDIA THIS WEEK
Sporting Kansas City continues to make headlines both locally and nationally, with a sampling of coverage compiled below:

For all the latest media clippings, visit SportingKC.com/media-recap.

SPORTING KC SHOW AIRS ON SPORTS RADIO 810 WHB
Sporting Kansas City assistant coach Kerry Zavagnin and Montreal Impact captain Davy Arnaud were special guests on The Sporting KC Show on Sports Radio 810 WHB last night with co-hosts Callum Williams and Andy Edwards. The hour-long show recapped Sporting Kansas City's 2-1 road win at Real Salt Lake on Saturday and previewed the marquee match-up on Saturday between first place Sporting KC and second place Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo in Quebec, Canada.

Listen to the full podcast online . A special two-hour Sporting KC Show will air next week from 6-8 p.m. CT live from the Power & Light District.

SPORTING KC EXTENDS CONTRACT FOR PETER VERMES
Sporting Kansas City announced on Tuesday the extension of Peter Vermes' contract as manager and technical director of the club through the 2017 MLS season.

Vermes has overseen all soccer operations for the club since being named technical director in November 2006 and is the longest tenured technical director in MLS. In 2009, Vermes became the team's manager and his .557 winning percentage over five seasons is the best in team history and sixth best all-time among MLS coaches with a minimum of one full season on the sidelines.

He has led Sporting Kansas City to first place finishes in the Eastern Conference each of the past two years and currently has the club in contention for the Supporters' Shield with a four-point lead atop the East in 2013. Under Vermes direction, Sporting Kansas City claimed the team's first trophy in eight years with the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship and qualified to represent Major League Soccer in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League.

An MLS Coach of the Year finalist in 2011 and 2012, Vermes was selected to lead the MLS Generation adidas tour in 2011 to the Netherlands and will serve as the head coach for the MLS All-Stars against Italy's AS Roma during the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game at Sporting Park on July 31.

SPORTING KC RECALLS C.J. SAPONG FROM LOAN
Sporting Kansas City has recalled forward C.J. Sapong from his loan to Orlando City Soccer Club, the club announced last week. Sapong, 24, was loaned to the team's USL PRO Affiliate on July 11 and recorded a goal and an assist in the team's 3-3 draw against the Dayton Dutch Lions.

Three Sporting Kansas City players -- goalkeeper Jon Kempin, defender Kevin Ellis and midfielder Christian Duke -- are currently on loan with the Lions.

SPORTING KC ACADEMY JOINS MRL'S NEW PRO YOUTH CLUBS AFFILIATES DIVISION
The Sporting KC Academy and its official Academy affiliates are among the inaugural members of the new Midwest Regional League's Pro Youth Clubs Affiliates Division . The exclusive division will see Sporting KC Academy and its affiliates compete alongside the youth teams from fellow MLS academies Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew, as well as their youth affiliated clubs.

SPORTING KC SCHEDULE SET FOR CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Sporting Kansas City is preparing 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. The team 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.

SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE FOR ALL SPORTING KC HOME MATCHES
Tickets for all remaining Sporting KC home matches during the 2013 season are now on sale at Ticketmaster.com or at the Sporting Park Box Offices. Sporting Kansas City currently sits in first place in the Eastern Conference and are in contention for the Supporters Shield, just one point back of Real Salt Lake. Sporting Kansas City's next home match comes on Saturday, Aug. 3 against the New York Red Bulls.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR INAUGURAL FLATLANDS FESTIVAL AT SPORTING PARK
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.

FREE AWAY TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR SPORTING KC ROAD MATCHES
Reserve your free away ticket to Sporting Kansas City's three upcoming away matches by visiting SportingKC.com. Registration is currently open for Sporting Kansas City's August 18 match against the San Jose Earthquakes at Buck Shaw Stadium, August 23 match against the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park and September 21 match against Toronto FC at BMO Field.

SPORTING PARK TO HOST U.S. MNT FIFA 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.

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.

Kurt Austin -

@kaustin01

CCL All-Star MLS Regular Season Team

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