Month: May 2014

Sporting KC beaten 2-1 by Philadelphia in first home defeat of 2014 season

Sporting Kansas City suffered its first home loss of the 2014 season on Wednesday, falling 2-1 to the Philadelphia Union at Sporting Park.

The defeat snapped an 11-game home unbeaten streak in all competition dating back to 2013, when the same Philadelphia side were 1-0 winners on Sept. 27.

After a scoreless first half, Danny Cruz opened the scoring in the 49th minute to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Dom Dwyer scored his team-best seventh goal of the season in the 80th minute to level the score, however the Union’s Cristian Maidana scored the game-winning goal less than a minute later.

Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Eric Kronberg made a season-high five saves on Wednesday, including three in a back-and-forth first half. His first came with a routine stop on Leonardo Fernandes in the seventh minute, followed by a more challenging save in 19th minute on a well-taken attempt by Cruz. His final save of the first 45 minutes was recorded in the 29th minute on a long-range effort from Vincent Nogueira.

Manager Peter Vermes’ squad — playing its third of seven matches in the month of May — matched the visitors with three shots on target in the opening stanza and all came from winger Sal Zizzo. Returning after missing two matches with a groin strain, Zizzo was on the end of an exquisite pass from Graham Zusi in the 12th minute and rolled his shot on frame from the right side. The two connected again in the 33rd minute as Zusi’s cross from the left flank found Zizzo, whose header was saved on the goalline off the leg of MacMath from close range.

The Zusi-to-Zizzo combination continued to create chances and nearly gave Sporting KC the lead in the final minute of first-half stoppage time. Zizzo lined up a shot from 10 yards out that forced MacMath into a sprawling stop at the near post to deny Zizzo his first goal of the campaign.

The second half began with more of the same as MacMath, a fourth-year pro at age 22, was called into action again in the 48th minute. Seth Sinovic let loose a dipping half volley from outside the penalty area that was smothered by the Maryland product with a dive to his right.

The save proved crucial when 30 seconds later Philadelphia pulled ahead on the opposite end of the field. Kronberg made the initial save to turn away Maidana’s left-footed strike only to see Cruz pounce on the rebound with a sliding finish from inside the six-yard box for his first goal of the season and 10th of his MLS career.

The Union could have doubled the lead in the 59th minute if not for an important intervention by Kronberg to come off his line. Andrew Wenger, acquired in a trade last month, shrugged off a tackle by Aurelien Collin but couldn’t slip his shot past Kronberg.

Dwyer entered the match in the 71st minute, replacing Designated Player Claudio Bieler who had directed a header on target moments before his exit. The move paid off within 10 minutes via a give-and-go with Paulo Nagamura that setup Dwyer’s thunderous goal into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area. The Generation adidas product now has goals in back-to-back games after scoring twice in a 2-0 victory at Montreal on the weekend and his seven goals are fourth most in MLS this season.

The momentum from the equalizer was ultimately short-lived as Philadelphia responded with a goal of its own from the ensuing kickoff. Cruz played an entry ball inside the area to Wenger and the former No. 1 overall draft pick held off challenges from Benny Feilhaber and Lawrence Olum before laying the ball off to Maidana. The Argentine placed his first-time shot past Kronberg from 12 yards out for his first career MLS goal, which proved to be the difference in the first of three meetings between the two teams this season despite a 90th minute red card to Union midfielder Corben Bone within a minute of entering the match.

Sporting Kansas City remains in first place in the Eastern Conference and will next travel to Chicago for a 2 p.m. match-up with the Fire on Sunday at Toyota Park.

Defender Matt Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi will join the U.S. Men’s National Team on Thursday as part of the 30-player preliminary roster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. While serving as a sendoff for those two, Wednesday’s match was also the debut for Igor Juliao as he became the youngest player in club history to start and play the full 90 minutes in an MLS match at 19 years of age.

– Story from Sporting KC

No-hitter ends KCKCC’s bid for World Series berth

Not only did the Blue Devils of Kansas City Kansas Community College absorb 8-1 and 2-0 losses in the NJCAA super-regional championship games at Wichita Tuesday, they had to suffer through Johnson County’s jubilant on-field celebration. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

by Alan Hoskins
Over the course of 35 years of coaching, Steve Burleson has lost a lot of mind-jarring losses but none quite like Kansas City Kansas Community College’s two losses in the finals of the super-regional at Wichita Tuesday night.
With a berth in the NJCAA World Series on the line, the Blue Devils were forced into a second game by an 8-1 loss to No. 1 seeded and 5th ranked Johnson County in the first game of the double elimination tournament – and then held without a hit in a 2-0 loss in the decisive final game.
“I’ve never taken a bus ride like that one home,” said Burleson. “There literally was not a word spoken. After three good wins over three good teams with a day’s rest and a good workout in between, nothing told me we’d only score one run in 18 innings or that we’d be no-hit and strike out 11 times in the final game of the year.
“I guess as basketball coaches say, we were just not able to finish. We were the hottest team in the conference for a time but were just not able to finish, something I’m sure a lot of players and coaches will be wondering why for a long time. But I don’t want to take anything away from Johnson County. It’s hard to win 50 games in a year. They pushed us around in the first game and dominated us in the second with their pitching.”
KCKCC (39-22) had two early scoring opportunities in the second game. JCCC starter Dalton Gulick walked Christian Arnold and Tyler Raymond with one out in the second but escaped on a ground ball and pop foul and then hit Luke Norton and walked Tanner Thibodeau with one out in the third.
Summoned from the bullpen, sophomore Connor Miller struck out Garrett McKinzie and got Arnold on a fly to center – and then finished with six perfect innings. Retiring all 20 batters he faced, Miller struck out 10 in recording just his second win of the season.
Lost in the no-hitter was a superb pitching effort by KCKCC freshman lefthander Hunter Phillips (9-7), who gave up just five hits, struck out five and walked two – and two tainted runs. Scoreless through four innings, JCCC’s John Fairchild walked to lead off the fifth, moved up to second on a bunt and held there on Alec Alvarez’s fly to Luke Norton in center. However, Norton’s throw to the infield eluded three Blue Devils and then found a 5-foot opening in the JCCC dugout and Fairfield was allowed to score an unearned run.
The Cavaliers’ second run scored in the seventh when Hayden Steele doubled to left and Ben Calvano lobbed a single into short rightfield on which Arnold made a perfect one hop throw to the plate that was dropped. It was one of four outstanding plays by Arnold, who made three spectacular diving catches in the two games.
One bad inning proved the Blue Devils’ downfall in the opener. KCKCC starter Geoffrey Birkemeier, who had beaten JCCC 3-2 in the tournament opener on Friday, pitched hitless ball over the first three innings only to have the Cavaliers bunch two doubles and four singles in the fourth for a 5-0 lead. Two more runs scored after a leadoff error in the seventh after KCKCC had closed to 5-1 in the top of the seventh.
The lone KCKCC run came on a sacrifice fly by Norton after leadoff singles by Alex Thrower and Tanner Foerschler and Zane Mapes’ sacrifice bunt. Southpaw Aaron Schnurbusch (10-2), the pitcher of the year in the Jayhawk East, went the distance on an 8-hitter, walking one and striking out seven.

Facing elimination after the opening loss to KCKCC, JCCC (50-12) won six straight games including the last four in a period of 30 hours – eliminating Garden City 3-1 and Cowley 8-7 in 12 innings Sunday and then KCKCC 8-1 and 2-0. The win advances the Cavaliers to the NJCAA World Series for the first time since 2008.

Alan Hoskins is the sports information director for KCKCC.

Despite the urging of head coach Steve Burleson, KCKCC fell 8-1 and 2-0 in the NJCAA super-regional finals at Wichita Tuesday. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)
One of only four baserunners in a 2-0 loss to Johnson County Tuesday, KCKCC’s Luke Norton dives safely back into first base on a pickoff throw. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

 

Bach to be installed at UG meeting May 15

The Unified Government Commission will hold a special session at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 15 in the Commission Chambers, lobby level, City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan.

The meeting will be an installation ceremony for Doug Bach, county administrator, immediately followed by a discussion on the Community Development Block Grants. Preceding the installation ceremony will be a reception in the lobby from 4:30 to 5 p.m.

After the 7 p.m. commission meeting, a closed session is scheduled on litigation in the ninth floor conference room.

The agenda for the 7 p.m. UG meeting in the Commission Chambers includes:
–    Honorary street name for Bishop Ervin Sims Jr., on 12th Street from Garfield Avenue to Jersey Creek Park.
–    Recommendation to approve an option for a hike and bike trail on Fairfax Drainage District property. It will be on the lower levee maintenance road.
–    Approval of the regional hazard mitigation plan for Wyandotte, Leavenworth and Johnson counties.
–    Approval to submit a grant application to the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City for a Wyandotte River Trails Project, to communicate the importance and benefits of physical activity.
–    Approval to submit a grant application to the Kansas Health Foundation for 2014-2015 Enroll Wyandotte Project, aimed at educating and enrolling Wyandotte County citizens into the Health Insurance Marketplace.
–    Approval to submit a grant application to the Sunflower Foundation for a Document Imaging program, to allow replacement of outdated client data storage and retrieval system to include document interface with the current electronic health record system.
–    A real estate purchase agreement with Loretto Properties regarding property at 736 Minnesota Ave. The company would pay $100,000 and would agree to invest $1 million to $1.5 million in redevelopment projects along Minnesota Avenue. As part of the agreement, the UG would agree to move up the 2017-2018 Minnesota Avenue improvements to 2014 for design and 2015 for improvements to the streetscape.
–    An agreement for Lane4 Property Group to market the former Indian Springs mall site for sale. The property is at 4601 State Ave.
–    An ordinance authorizing the issuance of up to $317,000 of transportation development district sales tax revenue refunding bonds for Happy Foods. The interest rate would be 4.5 percent for 10 years; the previous rate was 7.5 percent.
–    An ordinance authorizing the issuance of up to $1.45 million of transportation development district sales tax revenue refunding bonds for the Prescott Plaza Project. The bonds are at 3 percent for a 10-year term; the previous financing was 4 percent.
–    Resolutions setting two public hearings for June 26 for consider amending the public levee redevelopment district to allow for three separate project areas; consider the redevelopment project plan for project area 1 of the public levee redevelopment district.
–    Plat of Genesis of Piper Phsae 2, 125th and Farrow, developed by Heartland Piper.
–    Consider a public hearing to consider issuing up to $10 million of industrial revenue bonds and 65 percent abatement-payment in lieu of taxes for J.E. Dunn’s project at 240 S. 65th.
–    An ordinance authorizing the issuance of up to $215 million of utility system improvement and refunding revenue bonds, to be used to fund up to $110 million in new projects nad the balance to refund the 2004 bonds and pay costs of issuance. The refunding is expected to generate about $9 million of interest cost savings through 2023.
–    Proclamation of May as Mental Health Awareness Month.
–    Land Bank items.
The agenda is online at www.wycokck.org.