SPORTING KC STARS TO FLIP THE SWITCH AT PLAZA LIGHTING CEREMONY
Sporting Kansas City players Matt Besler, Kei Kamara and Jimmy Neilsen will "Flip the Switch" as honored guests at the Plaza Lighting Ceremony. 41 Action News Chief Meteorologist Gary Lezak will host the ceremony, which will feature a performance by The Elders, followed by a free hour-long concert from The Elders immediately after the ceremony ends. The ceremony is held on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 22nd, from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. at a new location on Country Club Plaza.
SPORTING KC TO FACE NEW YORK ON THE ROAD SATURDAY
Sporting Kansas City will return to MLS action at 6 p.m. CT this Saturday when they travel to Red Bull Arena to face the New York Red Bulls. Sporting KC is currently in first place in the Eastern Conference, six points clear of the Red Bulls. The two sides have met twice this year, with Sporting KC defeating the Red Bulls 2-0 in September and drawing 1-1 in August.
The Members' Club in LIVESTRONG Sporting Park will host a watch party for the game, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and parking available in Lot D. Fans can take advantage of the $3 Pick Special for chips and their choice of a hamburger, hot dog or bratwurst and Sporting Style will offer a promotion for buy one, get one 50% off jerseys.
The match will be broadcast live on KSMO-TV, with coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m.
ZUSI IMPRESSES IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIER AT LIVESTRONG SPORTING PARK
Sporting KC midfielder Graham Zusi started his third consecutive game for the U.S. Men's National Team on Tuesday in a FIFA World Cup Qualifier at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. He started the match and played 78 minutes in the 3-1 victory against Guatemala. Zusi also played a pivotal role in the United States 2-1 victory at Antigua and Barbuda on Friday, providing an assist on the team's opening goal in the 20th minute.
The win over Guatemala pushes the U.S. into the final stage of World Cup qualifying next year and Zusi has now appeared in six matches -- all wins -- for the U.S. this year.
KAMARA REPRESENTS SIERRA LEONE IN QUALIFYING
Sporting Kansas City striker Kei Kamara was on international duty as the only MLS representative in African Cup of Nations qualifying. Kamara started and played the full 90 minutes for Sierra Leone on Saturday in a scoreless draw at Tunisia. Wearing No. 18 for the Leone Stars, Kamara was active against the Carthage Eagles despite his side playing with 10 men after a red card in the 25th minute.
The match, held at Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet in Monastir, was the second leg of the home and away series and came a month after the teams played to a 2-2 draw in the opener. With the aggregate scoreline even after 180 minutes, Tunisia advances to the 2013 African Cup of Nations - to be held in South Africa in January -- on the away goals tiebreaker for their 11th consecutive AFCON appearance. The Leone Stars, No. 67 in the latest FIFA rankings, last qualified for the continental championship in 1996.
The two sides will meet again on March 22 in the second round of World Cup qualifying. Tunisia lead Group B with six points, two more than Sierra Leone with four games remaining.
NBC SPORTS NETWORK TO TELEVISE REGULAR SEASON FINALE ON OCT. 24
Sporting Kansas City's regular season finale on Oct. 24 against the Philadelphia Union at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park will be nationally broadcast on the NBC Sports Network, the club announced Tuesday. The match, sponsored by Garmin, will be shown live on KSMO-TV in Kansas City with Callum Williams and Jake Yadrich providing commentary and the NBC Sports Network broadcast will be blacked out in the local viewing area.
Four Sporting Kansas City home matches have been shown on the NBC Sports Network already this season, including each of the team's last two matches at state-of-the-art LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. With the addition of the Oct. 24 match, Sporting Kansas City will have been featured on U.S. national television nine times - all at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park - during the 2012 season.
SPORTING KC IN THE COMMUNITY
- Oct. 18 from 5:30-7 p.m. - Neven Markovic will be signing autographs at Mission Foods (1231 E. Santa Fe Olathe, KS 66061).
- Oct. 20 at 6:00 p.m.- Jon Kempin will be mingling with fans at the Sporting KC watch party in the Member's Club at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.
SPORTING KC RECOGNIZED IN BEST OF KANSAS CITY
Sporting Kansas City was recognized with multiple honors in The Pitch's annual Best of Kansas City edition. In the Sports and Recreation category, Sporting Kansas City was chosen for Best Win for their victory in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final. Sporting KC beat the Seattle Sounders FC 3-2 in penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw at the end of regulation.
Sporting Kansas City defender Kyle Miller earned best debut score in The Pitch awards. The Overland Park native scored the equalizer in 1-1 draw with English Premier League side Stoke City FC to keep Sporting KC undefeated against EPL clubs all-time.
Kei Kamara was awarded best Sporting Kansas City player. Kamara currently leads the team in goals (11), shots (131) and shots on goal (48).
The Pitch also opened up several categories for a readers vote. LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, two additional players and one of the team's broadcast personalities all received top-three finishes. See the full list of Readers Choice accolades below:
Best Area Attraction:PLAYOFF TICKETS GO ON SALE TO GENERAL PUBLIC ON FRIDAY
1. Sporting Kansas City
2. The Sprint Center
3. Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet
Best Soccer Field
1. LIVESTRONG Sporting Park
2. Overland Park Soccer Complex
3. Legacy Park
Best Sporting KC Player
1. Aurelien Collin
2. Kei Kamara
3. Chance Myers
Best Sports Radio Broadcaster:
1. Bob Fescoe
2. Carrington Harrison
3. Callum Williams
Best Stadium
1. Kauffman Stadium
2. Kansas Speedway
3. LIVESTRONG Sporting Park
Sporting Kansas City playoff tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CT on Friday. Tickets will be available to purchase online at Ticketmaster.com or at the LSP Box Offices.
STATE LINE SOCCER SHOW ON THURSDAY ON 610 SPORTS RADIO
Callum Williams will host the State Line Soccer Show from 6-7 p.m. CT on Thursday on 610 Sports Radio. Listeners can tune in online at 610sports.com and call into the show by dialing 913-576-7610 to share their thoughts.
ACADEMY REMAINS UNBEATEN IN USSDA
The Sporting Kansas City under-16 and under-18 Academy teams are in first place in the Central Conference's Frontier Division for the 2012-13 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season. Led by Jon Parry, the Academy teams are a combined 9-0-1 this season.
The under-16 Academy team is 4-0-1 after a scoreless draw against Real Colorado on Saturday at the Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park. The under-18 Academy team is 5-0-0, earning a 3-2 win on Saturday over Real Colorado with goals from Cole Stevenson, Seo-In Kim and Eduardo Moreno.
SPORTING KC NOW TAKING DEPOSITS FOR 2013 RESERVED SEATING
Sporting Kansas City supporters can now place 2013 Season Ticket Deposits for all Reserved Seating at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park by calling 888-4KC-GOAL or visiting www.SportingKC.com.
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.
