SPORTING KANSAS CITY TO HOST THE HOUSTON DYNAMO ON SATURDAY
Following a 2-2 draw with the LA Galaxy, Sporting Kansas City will conclude their nine-game homestand against the Houston Dynamo at 3:00 p.m. CT on Saturday at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. Saturday’s match, presented by Outback Steakhouse, will be nationally broadcast on TeleFutura and locally shown live on KSMO with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Bluegrass band Oriole Post will perform in the Sprint Plaza immediately after the game. Tickets for the match are available at the LIVESTRONG Sporting Park Box Offices or can be purchased online here.
The Dynamo (8-8 -11) sit in third place in the MLS Eastern Conference, two points behind Sporting Kansas City, and most recently fell 1-0 to Vancouver Whitecaps FC in MLS play. The Dynamo won the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007 and feature Brad Davis, who is leading the League in assists with 13 this season.
Please note: Fans are encouraged to arrive early for Saturday’s match and should pay close attention to the parking instructions, specific to Saturday’s match due to the earlier kickoff.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY DRAWS WITH LA GALAXY
A 92nd minute goal from Sporting Kansas City Designated Player Omar Bravo earned a 2-2 draw with the Galaxy at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Monday. Sporting Kansas City remains in second place in the Eastern Conference, three points behind the first place Columbus Crew.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY INJURY UPDATE
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Craig Rocastle was officially removed from the Injured Reserve list this week and is now available for selection in Sporting Kansas City’s upcoming matches. Rocastle suffered an MCL sprain in June while playing for Granada in the Gold Cup.
Additionally, 2011 MLS SuperDraft selection Konrad Warzycha returned to Sporting Kansas City this week to continue his rehabilitation. Warzycha was diagnosed with femoral condyle defect in his right knee during pre-season.
Sporting Kansas City was also boosted by the return of Aurelien Collin (non-displaced fracture of the transverse process of both the L2 and L3 vertebrae in his lumbar spine) and midfielder Davy Arnaud (sports hernia surgery) during the club’s 2-2 draw with the LA Galaxy on Monday.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY MIDFIELDER PETERSON JOSEPH ADDED TO ROSTER
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Peterson Joseph was officially added to the team’s roster on Thursday upon receiving his International Transfer Certificate and P1 Visa this week. He will occupy an international roster spot.
Joseph joins Sporting Kansas City as a discovery signing after an extensive trial period that saw the midfielder appear in two reserve matches as well as theclub’s international friendly with Newcastle United at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on July 20.
Capped at the senior level for Haiti, Joseph earned his first international appearance in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Netherlands Antilles. Joseph has gone on to represent Haiti on five more occasions, most recently in a friendly against El Salvador on February 9. Joseph also captained Haiti at the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea.
KAMARA AND THOMAS REPRESENT NATIONAL TEAM
Sporting Kansas City forward Kei Kamara and defender Shavar Thomas were selected by their respective national teams to represent their countries in upcoming FIFA matches.
Kamara played the full 90 minutes as Sierra Leone defeated Egypt 2-1 on Sept. 3 in a 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifier at National Stadium in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone, ranked No. 92 in the latest FIFA rankings, are currently in third place in Group G and will face South Africa on Oct. 7.
Thomas captained the Reggae Boyz in a 5-2 defeat to Ecuador and a 2-0 loss to Colombia in friendlies over the international FIFA match dates. The veteran central defender has made 43 senior team appearances for Jamaica.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY RESERVE LEAGUE MATCH POSTPONED
The Reserve League match-up between Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo originally scheduled for Saturday has been postponed to October 18. The time and location will be announced at a later date. Keep up to date on the Reserve League on SportingKC.com here.
SPORTING KC TO HOST CLUB DEPORTIVO GUADALAJARA OCTOBER 12
Sporting Kansas City will play Mexico’s most successful soccer team Club Deportivo Guadalajara at 7:30 p.m. CT on Oct. 12 at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. This is the first time the two clubs will meet. Club Deportivo Guadalajara played Mexican side Club America in a friendly in September of 2009 at Arrowhead Stadium. CD Guadalajara won 2-1 in front of 26,119 fans.
Sporting Kansas City Designated Player Omar Bravo starred for Club Deportivo Guadalajara for more than a decade as one of the most decorated players in the team’s history after debuting at age 20 in 2000. He is the club’s second all-time leading scorer with 108 goals for Club Deportivo Guadalajara.
Tickets are available for purchase at the LIVESTRONG Sporting Park Box Offices or online at Ticketmaster.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY LAUNCHES 2012 SEASON TICKET SALES
Sporting Kansas City is now accepting initial payments for new Season Ticket Members for the 2012 season at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.
Fans may reserve their seats to see all the exciting Major League Soccer action and other soccer events at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park next season by making an initial payment of $100 per seat. Those making an initial payment for season tickets in 2012 will also receive priority access for tickets to anyhome playoff matches at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in 2011. Fans ages 21 and older now have the option to purchase season tickets in the Budweiser Corner at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, an all-inclusive terrace area which provides stadium-style food options and draft beer choices.
Another new seating package for 2012 is the Sporting Family Plan. Offered exclusively in the Providence Sporting Zone, the Sporting Family Plan gives fans the option to purchase two season tickets and receive two more for children ages 12 and under for free. Season tickets in the Providence Sporting Zone start at $380 for the entire 2012 season.
Current Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members are encouraged to renew their 2011 season tickets by September 28th. Seating priority for the 2012 seasonwill be available to all current Sporting Kansas City season ticket members who renew their 2011 season tickets before the renewal deadline.
LIVESTRONG SPORTING PARK TO HOST U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team will return to the field for the first time since the conclusion of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup when it faces Canada at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on September 17th. The international friendly will feature the full U.S. Women’s World Cup squad and will begin at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. CT live on FOX Soccer.
The appearance at the brand new, state-of-the art LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas will be the first in that state for the U.S., although the team has played in Arrowhead Stadium on the Missouri side of the state line four times compiling a 2-0-2 record. Two of those meetings came in post-Women’s World Cup tours in 1999 and 2003, and the most recent was a 1-0 win againstMexico in the Fan Celebration Tour following the 2004 Olympics.
Tickets are available for purchase at the LIVESTRONG Sporting Park Box Offices or online at Ticketmaster.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY IN THE COMMUNITY
Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes along with midfielders Luke Sassano and Graham Zusi will be on hand at Blue Valley Northwest High School on Sunday, September 11 from 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. to help out with Soccer Buddies, the latest Sporting 22 program to be implemented since the founding of the initiative in June.
Soccer Buddies, created by BVNW student Garrett Brown, seeks to pair up mentors with youth soccer players. Vermes will be in attendance to speak to the kids about fitness and nutrition from 4:45-5:00 and Sassano and Zusi will be there to talk with the kids and help on their activity of the day, designing soccer T-shirts. The program filled up the day that registration was sent out.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY MATCH GUIDE
When Sporting Kansas City takes the pitch, there are a number of ways to follow the action across a series of different mediums. Excluding nationally televised matches, every Sporting Kansas City match home and away is broadcast live by KSMO.
For those that can’t be near a television at kickoff, Sporting Kansas City provides play-by-play coverage on Twitter and a link to the MLS MatchCenter is available on SportingKC.com.
To keep up-to-date on all independent coverage of Sporting Kansas City, visit www.sportingkc.com/media-recap.