SPORTING KC SCRIMMAGES ROCKHURST
Sporting Kansas City defeated Rockhurst University 8-0 on Wednesday in an exhibition at Sporting Park. Matt Besler opened the scoring in a competitive first 45 minutes.
The second half featured a new Sporting KC squad that produced seven goals, including five from striker Soony Saad. Mikey Lopez, who recently returned from the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team, was also on the scoresheet for Sporting KC.
Sporting KC:
Starting Lineup: Jimmy Nielsen; Seth Sinovic, Matt Besler, Ike Opara, Mechak Jerome; Oriol Rosell, Benny Feilhaber, Paulo Nagamura, C.J. Sapong, Claudio Bieler, Graham Zusi
2nd Half: Eric Kronberg; Josh Gardner, Yann Songo’o, Michael Thomas, Kevin Ellis, Lawrence Olum, Christian Duke, Mikey Lopez, Bobby Convey, Soony Saad, Kyle Miller
Rockhurst University:
Starting Lineup: Ryan Bass; George Skevington, Joe Zang, Luke Moore, Jon Schreiber; Jake Grimes, Paolo Scoppola, Ruben Perez; Sean Verbanic, Nick McDonald, Lucas De Rossi
2nd Half: Ryan Bass; Oussie Gueye, George Skevington, Luke Moore; Paolo Scoppola, Ruben Perez, Jake Grimes, Keith Williams; Sean Verbanic, Nick McDonald, Kevin Thomas
*In-game subs not available
SPORTING KC HOME OPENER THIS SATURDAY, STANDING ROOM ONLY TICKETS AVAILABLE
Sporting Kansas City will host the team's highly-anticipated home opener, sponsored by Pepsi, against the Chicago Fire at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday at Sporting Park. Standing-room only tickets are available for $20 through Ticketmaster.com and at the Sporting Park Box Offices.
The match will be broadcast nationally on the NBC Sports Network and available over the airwaves locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Gran D 1340 AM. Visit SportingKC.com for all the latest news and notes ahead of Saturday's match.
#RIVALRYWEEK IN MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
It's Rivalry Week in Major League Soccer, which is highlighted by three matches on the NBC Networks this Saturday. The triple-header kicks off with the New York Red Bulls hosting D.C.
United (11:30 a.m. CT on NBC) followed by Sporting KC hosting the Chicago Fire (2 p.m. CT on the NBC Sports Network) and concludes with Seattle Sounders FC against rivals Portland Timbers (7 p.m. CT on the NBC Sports Network).
Be sure to check out #RivalryWeek on Twitter for all the coverage for this weekend's MLS matches.
FAN ADVISORY: PARKING AT SPORTING PARK
New parking information for the 2013 season has been released. All Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members will have access to free priority parking in the “STM” lots located at Kansas Speedway and CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
Lot D, accessible via France Family Drive, will be reserved for premium ticket holders (Field Club and Suite Levels) and media members, while Lot F will also provide parking for Shield Club guests. ADA parking is available in designated lots at Nebraska Furniture Mart, with drop-off locations in the eastbound lanes of Village West Parkway.
All single-game ticket holders will be directed to park in Lots I, J, K, L and M at Kansas Speedway. Shuttle service will be available for Season Ticket Members parked at CommunityAmerica Ballpark and also for those parking in Lots I, J, K, L and M.
Supporters are encouraged to arrive early for Sporting Kansas City home matches in 2013 to allow for traffic delays. All lots open three hours prior to kick off and will close two hours after the conclusion of the match.
Updated parking instructions for each match at Sporting Park can be found online at SportingKC.com/parking.
SPORTING KC FALLS 2-1 TO TORONTO FC
Sporting Kansas City fell 2-1 to Toronto FC on Saturday at the Rogers Centre, suffering the team's first defeat in 14 MLS regular season games dating back to last August. Designated Player Claudio Bieler scored his second goal in as many games for the club off of a volley in the 77th minute, but a pair of first half goals from Toronto FC forward Robert Earnshaw earned the full three points for Toronto FC in their first home match of 2013.
UNIVISION DEPORTES NETWORK TO AIR TWO SPORTING KC MATCHES
Major League Soccer announced last week that the Univision Deportes Network will air 23 MLS regular season matches, including two Sporting Kansas City games this summer. Sporting Kansas City's match on June 22nd at FC Dallas and July 3rd against Vancouver Whitecaps FC will both air live nationwide on UDN.
With the addition of these two games, 17 Sporting Kansas City's 34 regular season MLS matches will be nationally broadcast in the United States or Canada. Click here to see the full announcement on MLSSoccer.com.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR FIRST NINE MATCHES
Tickets to Sporting Kansas City's first nine regular season MLS matches are on sale to the general public now via Ticketmaster.com. Fans have the opportunity to secure their seats for the first nine regular season MLS matches at Sporting Park, including the highly anticipated home opener on March 16 against rivals Chicago Fire, the U.S. Open Cup rematch against the Seattle Sounders on May 8 and an MLS Cup Playoffs rematch versus the Houston Dynamo on May 26.
AWAY TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW
Reserve your free away ticket to Sporting Kansas City's April 17th match at the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena, April 20th match at the LA Galaxy at The Home Depot Center and May 12th match at the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium by clicking here.
SPORTING PARK TO HOST 2013 MLS ALL-STAR GAME, VERMES NAMED COACH
Kansas City will be the host city for the 2013 MLS All-Star Game . The annual showcase event will feature three days of festivities, culminating in a match between the League's top players and a renowned international club on Wednesday, July 31 at Sporting Park, home of Sporting Kansas City.
The 2013 MLS All-Star Game will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. CT on the ESPN, Univision, TSN and RDS family of networks. Exact networks will be announced at a later date. Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes, a finalist for MLS Coach of the Year each of the last two seasons, will coach the 2013 MLS All-Stars.
The 2013 All-Star Game will mark the 10th time that an elite international club has played the MLS All-Stars, who are 6-2-1 in those matches. In addition to honoring the best players in MLS, the game has featured successful, world-famous clubs such as Manchester United (2010 & 2011), Everton FC (2009), Chelsea FC (2006 & 2012), and Chivas de Guadalajara (2003). The opponent for this year's game will be announced at a later date.
REGISTRATION OPEN FOR SPORTING KC YOUTH CAMPS
Sporting Kanas City and the Sporting Kansas City Academy announced a series of eight camps for youth soccer players of all ages to take place in 2013. The camps offered will provide opportunities for varying skill and experience levels.
For more information on Sporting Kansas City youth camps, please click here or contact Jon Farrell at jfarrell@sportingkc.com.
FOLLOWING 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.
