SPORTING KC TO HOST ORLANDO CITY SC ON SUNDAY
Sporting KC (4-6-2, 14 points) returns home Sunday to host Orlando City SC (2-2-5, 11 points) at 2:30 p.m. CT. ESPN and ESPN Deportes will televise the match nationally from Children's Mercy Park, and a limited number of tickets for the interconference clash are available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL. The first 10,000 fans through the gates on Sunday will receive free cinch bags courtesy of match sponsor Rodrock Development. Listeners can follow the contest live on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM, and 810 WHB will air The Final Whistle: Sporting KC Postgame Show immediately after the game.
Winless in seven games, Sporting KC sits seventh in the Western Conference with three consecutive home games on the horizon. Orlando City SC, an expansion club in 2015, is fifth in the Eastern Conference but has a five-game winless streak of its own. Led by Brazilian World Cup veteran Kaka and 2015 MLS Rookie of the Year Cyle Larin, the Lions will make their first-ever visit to Children's Mercy Park on Sunday.
SPORTING KC DROPS 1-0 DECISION TO COLORADO RAPIDS
Sporting KC suffered a 1-0 road defeat to the first-place Colorado Rapids on Wednesday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The result gives Colorado a three-point lead atop the MLS Supporters’ Shield standings and extends Sporting KC’s winless skid to seven matches.
The Rapids (7-2-2, 23 points) secured their fourth successive win over Sporting KC (4-6-2, 14 points) behind Dillon Serna’s 78th-minute goal, which came just two minutes after defender Ike Opara was ejected for what referee Jose Carlos Rivero deemed to be a second bookable offense. (Full story)
TIM MELIA UP FOR MLS SAVE OF THE WEEK
Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia has advanced to the final round of voting for MLS Save of the Week in Week 10. Melia's superb stop in the 33rd minute of Sporting KC's match at Houston Dynamo on Saturday is up against Portland Timbers' Jake Gleeson, with voting open tonight until 10:55 p.m. CT. Now in his second season with Sporting KC, Melia is seeking his first-ever MLS Save of the Week. (Vote here)
SWOPE PARK RANGERS TO HOST TULSA ROUGHNECKS FC ON SATURDAY
The Swope Park Rangers will continue their inaugural season in the United Soccer League this weekend at Children's Mercy Victory Field at Swope Soccer Village. The Rangers (2-3-1, 7 points) will host Tulsa Roughnecks FC (2-5-1, 7 points) at 7:30 p.m. CT Saturday, and tickets for the match, starting as low as $12, can be secured at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL. As part of Youth Soccer Night, anyone who wears a youth soccer jersey to the stadium will receive $5 off their ticket. Saturday's game will also be streamed live on SportingKC.com.
RODROCK FOUNDATION TO COLLECT DONATIONS FOR YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE
In addition to giving away Sporting KC cinch bags to the first 10,000 fans inside Children's Mercy Park on Sunday, the Darol Rodrock Foundation will also be collecting donations for local children in foster care. Donation bins will be set up at the Sprint Plaza and Boulevard Members Club gates as fans enter the stadium. Supporters are encouraged to drop off household items for teenagers transitioning from foster families to independent living. (Full story)
TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR U.S. MNT VS. BOLIVIA IN KANSAS CITY
Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.com for the international friendly between the United States Men's National Team and Bolivia on May 28 at Children's Mercy Park. The U.S. will visit Kansas City for its final tune-up before hosting the Copa America Centenario, a prestigious international tournament headlined by the U.S., Mexico, Argentina and Brazil that includes 16 nations from North, Central and South America.
Sporting KC captain Matt Besler and winger Graham Zusi have both played for the U.S. Men’s National Team this year and are in contention to feature at the Copa America Centenario, which will be played in 10 cities across the U.S. from June 3-26. The competition is a celebration of the 100th anniversary of CONMEBOL and the Copa America, and will be the first edition of the tournament played outside of South America.
PACHUCA AND SANTOS LAGUNA TO MEET IN KANSAS CITY ON JUNE 21
Children's Mercy Park will host a friendly between storied Mexican clubs C.F. Pachuca and Santos Laguna on June 21. Tickets for the match, presented by Kansas City Southern, will go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. CT via Ticketmaster.com. That same day, fans can also purchase tickets at the Children's Mercy Park box office from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT. (Full story)
ERIK PALMER-BROWN AND FC PORTO B WIN LEAGUE TITLE
Sporting KC defender Erik Palmer-Brown and FC Porto B won the 2015-16 LigaPro on Sunday with a 3-1 victory over rival Benfica B. It was the first league title for FC Porto B, the reserve squad of storied Portuguese first division side FC Porto. Palmer-Brown joined the European club on a year-long loan in February. The Sporting KC homegrown defender appeared in 10 games over the second half of the season, helping the club clinch the second-division title. (Full story)
ACADEMY'S JAYLIN LINDSEY MAKES PRO DEBUT AT AGE 16
Sporting KC Academy and U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team defender Jaylin Lindsey made his professional debut for the Swope Park Rangers in the United Soccer League on Saturday, entering in the 85th minute against cross-state rivals Saint Louis FC at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri. At age 16, Lindsey becomes the first American soccer player with a birth year of 2000 or later to make a professional appearance in a competitive match. (Full story)
SPORTING KC ACADEMY IN ACTION ON SATURDAY
The Sporting Kansas City Academy resumes action in the 2015-16 U.S. Soccer Development Academy with a doubleheader Saturday against the Dallas Texans at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The U-18s will kick off at 1 p.m. CT and the U-16s take the field at 3:30 p.m. CT. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for updates as both academy sides make a push for the 2016 USSDA playoffs next month in Frisco, Texas.
SPORTING KC FANS CAN ENTER TO WIN A FREE TRIP TO PORTLAND
Fans can visit amfam.com/sportingkc to enter the sweepstakes for a free, all-inclusive trip to see Sporting KC play at the Portland Timbers on Aug. 7. The winner will receive airfare for four, Sporting KC gear, four game tickets to the Sporting KC vs. Portland Timbers match, a $1,000 bank card, and two hotel rooms for two nights in close proximity to Providence Park. (Register here)
NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR BLUE KC SPORTING SAMARITANS
Sporting KC and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City have teamed up this season to recognize Blue KC Sporting Samaritans, honoring individuals who make the Kansas City community a better place to live. Once a month, a Samaritan will be recognized on the pitch at Children's Mercy Park before a Sporting KC home game. Supporters can nominate members of their community to be the next Blue KC Sporting Samaritan by sharing their first-person experience with the nominee at SportingKC.com/bluekc.
KC STEAK COMPANY MEAT AND GREET SWEEPSTEAKS NOW OPEN
During the entire month of May, supporters can visit SportingKC.com/kcsteak and enter the Kansas City Steak Company Meat and Greet SweepSteaks. A winner will receive a one-year supply of steaks from the Kansas City Steak Company and a dinner with a Sporting KC player for up to six people at the Three Points Club, Sporting KC's rooftop event space in downtown Kansas City.
FOLLOW SPORTING KC
For news, photographs and instant updates throughout the 2016 season, follow Sporting KC on its Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (sportingkc) accounts and visit the club's social media page.
