SPORTING KC TRAVELS TO FACE SAN JOSE ON SATURDAY
Sporting Kansas City (11-12-7, 40 points) battled the LA Galaxy to a 2-2 draw on Sunday at Children's Mercy Park, moving into the sixth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The club now prepares for a three-game road swing that begins Saturday with a visit to the ninth-place San Jose Earthquakes (7-8-13, 34 points). Kickoff at Avaya Stadium is set for 9:30 p.m. CT with three hours of live television coverage on 38 The Spot and SKCTV beginning at 9 p.m. CT. Listeners can also follow the action on ESPN 99.3 FM and La Grande 1340 AM, while The Final Whistle: Sporting KC Postgame Show will air immediately after the match on 99.3 FM.
No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District will host the official watch party for Saturday's match, offering Till Vodka drink specials for supporters in attendance.
Sporting KC is winless in 18 straight visits to San Jose dating back to 2001 (including playoffs), but the Earthquakes have just two wins in their last 15 matches and are six points below the red line heading into the final month of the season. Peter Vermes' men will meet San Jose again in the regular season finale on Oct. 23 at Children's Mercy Park as 10 MLS matches kick off simultaneously on Decision Day.
SPORTING KC BATTLES LA GALAXY TO 2-2 DRAW
Jacob Peterson and Dom Dwyer scored second-half goals as Sporting KC battled the LA Galaxy to a gripping 2-2 draw on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park. A national television audience on FOX saw the Galaxy (11-4-15, 48 points) grab an early lead through Alan Gordon, but Sporting KC surged ahead when Peterson struck in the 50th minute and Dwyer tallied his 50th regular season goal in the 69th. Sunday's remarkable plot twist was provided by Landon Donovan, who came off the bench to score with 14 minutes remaining for his first goal since coming out of retirement.
The result extends Sporting KC’s home unbeaten streak to eight games and leaves the club with the sixth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, five points ahead of seventh-place Seattle. LA’s winless run in Kansas City hit nine games, but the visitors stole a valuable draw to stay within four points of Supporters’ Shield leaders FC Dallas. (Full story)
SPORTING KC SIGNS MIDFIELDER BENJI JOYA
Sporting KC announced that the club has signed 23-year-old midfielder Benji Joya ahead of last Thursday’s MLS roster freeze deadline. Joya will be added to the Sporting KC roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate.
A native of San Jose, California, Joya signed for Mexican powerhouse Santos Laguna in 2011 at age 18. He quickly progressed through the club’s youth ranks and made his Liga MX debut with the senior team in September 2012. Santos Laguna loaned Joya to the Chicago Fire in 2014, where he started nine of 12 regular season appearances. The midfielder scored a goal just one minute into his MLS debut on March 9, coming off the bench in a 3-2 loss at Chivas USA. Joya spent most of 2015 and 2016 on loan at Club Necaxa in the Mexican second division.
At the international level, Joya featured extensively for the United States U-20s. He captained the side to a second-place finish at the 2013 CONCACAF U-20 Championship and was a member of the U.S. squad at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. (Full story)
FORMER KC MIDFIELDER JACK JEWSBURY TO RETIRE
A longtime Kansas City midfielder announced Sunday his intentions to retire at the end of the 2016 MLS season. Jack Jewsbury will step away from the game after an excellent 14-year MLS career highlighted by a 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title and a 2015 MLS Cup championship. The 35-year-old has amassed 29 goals and 40 assists over 367 MLS appearances (including playoffs), playing each of the last six seasons with the Portland Timbers after featuring regularly for the Kansas City Wizards from 2003-2010. (Full story)
SAAD ABDUL-SALAAM LANDS TEAM OF THE WEEK HONORS
Saad Abdul-Salaam is a defender by trade, but he continued to show his worth on the offensive side in Sunday's 2-2 draw against the LA Galaxy at Children's Mercy Park. Sporting KC's right back delivered an inch-perfect cross in the 69th minute, allowing Dom Dwyer to smash home from close range. Abdul-Salaam notched his sixth assist of the season on the play, moving into a tie for first among MLS defenders. The second-year defender was rewarded for his performance on Monday with a spot on Goal.com's MLS Team of the Week.
PLAYOFF-BOUND RANGERS VISIT TULSA TONIGHT
The Swope Park Rangers clinched a playoff berth in their inaugural USL season on Sunday, claiming an emphatic 3-0 road win over Oklahoma City Energy FC. Currently fifth in the Western Conference standings, the Rangers (12-10-6, 42 points) will play two matches this week to close out the regular season, first traveling to face Tulsa Roughnecks FC (5-19-4, 28 points) tonight at ONEOK Field. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT with a live stream on SportingKC.com.
SPR FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT SET FOR SATURDAY
The Swope Park Rangers return to Swope Soccer Village on Saturday for their home finale at Children's Mercy Victory Field, hosting Seattle Sounders FC 2 at 7 p.m. CT. Tickets for the game, starting as low as just $12, are available at Ticketmaster.com. The first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive the fifth and final poster in the club's commemorative series for the inaugural season, and Rangers players will sign the team posters during a postgame autograph session with ticket holders approximately 15 minutes after the match.
Saturday's festivities will also feature great deals for fans, including the return of $1 hot dogs. SPR jerseys, available in youth and adult sizes, will be on sale for 50 percent off at the Sporting Style location while supplies last. Click here for more information about Fan Appreciation Night.
RANGERS CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH WITH 3-0 WIN AT OKC ENERGY FC
The Swope Park Rangers secured a USL Playoff berth after earning a 3-0 victory over OKC Energy FC at Taft Stadium on Sunday night. Three first-half goals in a 20-minute span from Dane Kelly, Mark Anthony Gonzalez and Tyler Pasher earned the Rangers all three points and moves the side up to fifth in the USL Western Conference. (Full story)
DIDIC AND GONZALEZ NAMED TO USL TEAM OF THE WEEK
Swope Park Rangers rookies Amer Didic and Mark Anthony Gonzalez have been named to the USL Team of the Week for Week 26 after their standout performances in the 3-0 win over OKC Energy FC at Taft Stadium on Sunday that clinched a playoff berth for the Rangers.
Didic, 21, earns his fifth Team of the Week recognition – leading all rookies and all defenders in the USL – after helping SPR post their second consecutive shutout and sixth overall in 2016. Gonzalez, 22, is named to the Team of the Week for the second time this season, having also been included in Week 12 after scoring twice against Rio Grande Valley FC on June 8. Gonzalez notched the game-winning assist on Dane Kelly’s goal in Sunday’s contest before adding his team-leading ninth goal of the season in the 24th minute. (Full story)
ACADEMY U-18S AND U-16S OFF TO UNBEATEN STARTS IN USSDA
The Sporting KC Academy U-18s and U-16s have kicked off the 2016-17 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season with a pair of four-game unbeaten streaks.
Both teams continued their excellent form this weekend in Commerce City, Colorado, sweeping a pair of doubleheaders against the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The U-18s are now a perfect 4-0-0, while the U-16s sit at 3-0-1 in the Central Conference’s Frontier Division. (Full story)
ACADEMY SIDES TO FACE DALLAS TEXANS IN OKLAHOMA
The Sporting KC Academy U-18s and U-16s will be in action this Sunday for a doubleheader against the Dallas Texans at Union High School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The U-18s will kick off at 1 p.m. CT before the U-16s take the field at 3:30 p.m. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for live updates throughout the 2016-17 season.
SPR SEASON TICKET RENEWALS NOW UNDERWAY
Swope Park Rangers season ticket renewals for the 2017 campaign are underway, featuring exclusive renewal rewards for supporters from the club’s inaugural season.
Current Season Ticket Members can renew their season tickets for 2017 by logging onto their account manager or calling their client services representative at 888-4KC-GOAL. All season ticket members who renew prior to the Rangers’ regular-season finale against Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Saturday will qualify for the below benefits:
- Opportunity for child(ren) to participate in Walk of Champions on Saturday (limited availability)
- Two complimentary tickets for any Swope Park Rangers 2017 home match
- Opportunity to attend a Swope Park Rangers training session followed by meet and greet with players/coaches
- Autographed Swope Park Rangers team poster
Season tickets start as low as $7 per game for all 16 home matches in 2017. Season ticket member benefits include discounted ticket and merchandise pricing, the right to exchange tickets for future home matches, preferred parking on game days and access to season ticket member events. More information regarding Season Ticket Member benefits is available here.
GAIL'S HARLEY-DAVIDSON SWEEPSTAKES NOW OPEN
Supporters can visit SportingKC.com/gailsharley and enter for a chance to win a brand new Sporting KC-branded Harley-Davidson Street 500 motorcycle and tickets to the club's regular season finale vs. San Jose Earthquakes on Oct. 23.
KC STAYCATION MARRIOTT SWEEPSTAKES NOW OPEN
Kansas City Marriott Downtown and Sporting KC are launching a month-long, enter-to-win sweepstakes which will run during the month of September. Sporting KC fans can enter to win online by filling out the entry form on this page. The KC Staycation sweepstakes is offering up a prize package for one lucky Sporting KC supporter. The grand prize winner will receive the following:
- Two (2) complimentary nights at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown (Dates based on availability)
- One (1) complimentary dinner for two (2) at the MetropolitanKC
- Twenty-five (25) dollar voucher to CoffeeCentral
- Two (2) tickets to a Sporting KC home game
- One (1) VIP Parking pass
- Two (2) Sporting KC jerseys
- Two (2) Sporting KC scarves
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.
