SPORTING KC ENDS SEASON WITH 1-0 KNOCKOUT ROUND LOSS IN SEATTLE
Sporting Kansas City’s season ended last Thursday with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Seattle Sounders FC in the Western Conference Knockout Round at rainy CenturyLink Field. (Full story)
Second-half substitute Nelson Valdez nodded home the decisive goal amidst controversy in the 88th minute, propelling Seattle to the conference semifinals and eliminating Sporting Kansas City from the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs. Despite totaling seven shots on target to Seattle’s one, Sporting Kansas City suffered an agonizing road defeat in the single-elimination knockout round for the third straight year.
Sporting Kansas City now enters the offseason and will begin preparations for the 2017 MLS campaign in late January when the team departs for preseason in Tucson, Arizona. Vermes’ men will look to extend their club record with a seventh straight appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs while also competing for the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP KICKS OFF TODAY AT SWOPE SOCCER VILLAGE
The 2016 Big 12 Soccer Championship kicks off today with four quarterfinal matches at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri.
The annual tournament features three teams currently ranked in the latest NSCAA Top 25 poll — No. 1 West Virginia, No. 24 Oklahoma and No. 25 Kansas. Today’s slate begins with top-ranked West Virginia hosting Texas Tech at 11:30 a.m. CT, followed by Oklahoma vs. Iowa State at 2 p.m., Kansas vs. TCU at 5:30 p.m. and Baylor vs. Oklahoma State at 8 p.m.
The four quarterfinal winners will then advance to Friday’s semifinals, featuring a doubleheader at 4:30 and 7 p.m. CT. The championship match will kick off Sunday at 2:30 p.m. CT with an automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship on the line.
Tickets for the 2016 Big 12 Soccer Championship are available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL. Day passes are on sale for $10 and three-day passes are on sale for $15. A 15-ticket team pack is also available for $100 (use BIG12 promo code).
MLS RELEASES 2016-17 OFFSEASON CALENDAR
Last Wednesday, Major League Soccer released its 2016-17 offseason calendar, outlining important offseason events and timetables as teams begin to make preparations for the 2017 MLS season.
Highlighting the offseason, the 2017 adidas MLS Player Combine returns to Los Angeles in January for the first time in 10 years, accompanied by the MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas. In addition, expansion clubs Atlanta United and Minnesota United FC will look to capitalize on five player acquisition mechanisms through December and January as they build competitive rosters for 2017.
Click here for more details and to view the 2016-17 offseason calendar.
SPORTING KC TO SPEND 2017 PRESEASON IN TUCSON
Sporting KC will visit Tucson, Arizona for its 2017 preseason campaign, participating in the Desert Friendlies in early February before competing in the Desert Diamond Cup from Feb. 15-25 at Kino Sports Complex. (Full story)
ACADEMY SPLITS PAIR OF DOUBLEHEADERS IN COLORADO
The Sporting Kansas City Academy U-18s and U-16s visited Colorado this weekend for a two-game road trip in the 2016-17 U.S. Soccer Development Academy, emerging with one win and one loss apiece.
The U-18s fell 2-1 to the Colorado Rush on Saturday at Aurora Sports Park, but coach Jon Parry’s men responded Sunday with a last-ditch 3-2 victory over Real Colorado at Real Colorado Sports Complex in Highlands Ranch. The U-16s made a winning start with a 4-1 defeat of the Colorado Rush on Saturday — sparked by Gianluca Busio’s hat-trick — then slipped to a 3-1 loss at first-place Real Colorado the next day.
The U-18s and U-16s have next weekend off before meeting the Dallas Texans on Saturday, Nov. 12, in a doubleheader at Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma. The U-18s kick off at 1 p.m. CT before the U-16s take the field at 3:30 p.m. CT. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for live updates throughout the season. (Full story)
ACADEMY DEFENDER JAYLIN LINDSEY JOINS U.S. U-17 NATIONAL TEAM
Sporting KC Academy defender Jaylin Lindsey has traveled with the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team to Kingston, Jamaica, this week for training camp and a pair of friendlies. The U-17 MNT will square off against Jamaica today at 2 p.m. CT at the National Stadium East and on Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. CT at St. Georges College.
Lindsey joined the U.S. Under-17 Residency program in August after spending the previous three months with USL side Swope Park Rangers. The 16-year-old defender signed an Academy contract with the Rangers on May 6, making his professional debut the following day against Saint Louis FC to become the first American player born in the 2000s to play in a professional game. After representing the Sporting KC Academy in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs over the summer, Lindsey made his first Rangers start at Rio Tinto Stadium against the Real Monarchs on Aug. 13.
Following the week-long camp in Jamaica, Lindsey and the U.S U-17s will return to Florida to prepare for the 2016 Nike International Friendlies, which kick off Nov. 30 in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Qualifying for the 2017 U-17 World Cup will begin in April.
ACADEMY DEFENDER CAMERON DUKE FEATURES FOR U.S. U-16 BNT
Sporting Kansas City Academy defender Cameron Duke helped the United States U-16 Boys’ National Team to a third-place finish at the 2016 Val-de-Marne Tournament in France last week.
Led by head coach Shaun Tsakiris, the United States opened the competition with a 2-1 win over England on Oct. 25 before falling 3-0 to Russia last Thursday. Duke and the U.S. ended their stay with a 2-0 defeat to tournament champion France on Saturday.
Duke earned starts against England and France to gain further international pedigree, having previously featured in eight U.S. BNT training camps at the U-14, U-15 and U-16 levels. A native of Olathe, Kansas, Duke first joined the United States U-16s in September for a training camp in Davis, California. (Full story)
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