Month: March 2014

Sporting Kansas City opens its 2014 home schedule on Wednesday as the club faces Mexican opponent Cruz Azul FC in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series.

The match, scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m., will be nationally broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 (English) and Univision Deportes Network (Spanish). Fans can also listen to the match locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB.

Sporting Kansas City was the first team to qualify for the 2013-2014 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League after winning the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in a penalty kick shootout against the Seattle Sounders FC at Sporting Park. Sporting KC’s Champions League berth was the first for the club under the tournament’s new format. The team previously qualified for the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2002 and 2005.

Sporting KC was drawn into Group 2 of the tournament alongside Real Esteli FC (Nicaragua) and CD Olimpia (Honduras), and opened the group stage with back-to-back road victories against each opponent. The defending MLS Cup champions then secured consecutive draws at Sporting Park to finish atop the group standings and advance to the quarterfinal round.

Goalkeeper Eric Kronberg started all four group stage matches for Sporting KC, recording a 0.25 goals against average to date in the competition. Forward Soony Saad leads Sporting KC for goals in the 2013-2014 tournament with two.

Cruz Azul qualified for the 2013-14 edition of the tournament after finishing as runner-up in the 2013 Liga MX Clausura Liguilla in a match also decided in a penalty kick shootout. Cruz Azul held a perfect 4-0-0 record in Group 3, beating Herediano (Costa Rica) and Valencia (Haiti) two times each en route to outscoring its opponents 10-2 in the group stage.

The CCL quarterfinals will consist of a two-legged home and away series. The decisive second match will be played in Mexico City on March 19 and the team with the lead on aggregate at the conclusion of the second game will advance to the semifinals.

Cruz Azul currently leads Liga MX with a 8-1-1 record in 2014. Mexican national team goalkeeper Jesus Corona leads La Maquina with six shutouts in 10 matches and a 0.60 goals against average to start the Clausura campaign. The club’s lone loss came in Cruz Azul’s last outing as the Mexican side fell 3-0 on Saturday at Tigres UANL.

Striker Marco Fabian, who joined Cruz Azul on loan from CD Guadalajara in December, is tied for the team lead with four goals scored. Fabian and Corona were both members of the Mexican Under-23 National Team that won the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. That squad was managed by current Cruz Azul head coach Luis Fernando Tena.

Fans can follow the match online via @SKCGameday on Twitter and visiting SportingKC.com/GameOn.

– Story from Sporting KC

Sporting Kansas City has signed Spanish midfielder Antonio Rodriguez Dovale , the club announced.

Dovale will be added to the team’s 2014 roster upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P-1 Visa and will occupy the club’s fifth of eight available international roster spots.

“We are happy to be able to add a player of his quality to our roster,” manager Peter Vermes said. “He can play multiple positions within our system and we hope that we can help him to adapt to our team and to Major League Soccer as quickly as possible.”

“I am very excited to be in Kansas City,” Dovale said. “Sporting KC is a very ambitious and successful club and I look forward to helping them achieve their goals. My motivation is high to come here and improve as a player and help this club any way possible.”

Dovale began his career in the youth system of Ural CF, a club in his hometown of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. He then played four years in the Barcelona Academy alongside future professionals Jonathan Dos Santos (FC Barcelona), Thiago Alcântara (Bayern Munich) and Bojan Krkic (Ajax FC).

The Spanish midfielder signed a professional contract with second division club Celta de Vigo when he was 16 years old and played there for three years before going on a year-long loan to SD Huesca. Dovale returned to Celta de Vigo prior to the 2011-12 season and helped the club earn promotion to LigaBBVA with two goals in 30 appearances.

Sporting Kansas City will continue its run through the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday when it plays host to Mexican club Cruz Azul FC at Sporting Park. Limited tickets are available and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL

– Story from Sporting KC