Month: July 2016

Seattle to visit Sporting KC on Sunday

Two teams desperately seeking a win square off Sunday when Sporting Kansas City plays host to Seattle Sounders FC at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan.

The Western Conference tilt will kick off at 2 p.m. with national television coverage on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, while local broadcasts will air on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.

A limited number of tickets for the game are still available at Ticketmaster.com , and the first 10,000 fans through the gates on Sunday will receive a free lunch bag. A heat advisory will also be in effect, meaning all fans can bring one 20-oz. sealed bottle of water into the stadium. For parking and tailgating information, visit http://www.sportingkc.com/post/2016/07/22/update-important-parkingtailgatingweather-information-sunday.

Seventh-place Sporting Kansas City (8-10-4, 28 points) and ninth-place Seattle (6-11-2, 20 points) find themselves in an unfamiliar position entering the final three months of the regular season.

Manager Peter Vermes’ side has qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs every year since 2011, while Sigi Schmid’s Sounders have done so in all seven years of their existence.

Yet both teams currently sit below the red line – Sporting KC a point behind the Portland Timbers for the final playoff spot and Seattle nine points off the pace. The outcome of Sunday’s fixture could go a long way in deciding whether these clubs can extend their respective seasons beyond late October.

After stringing together a five-game unbeaten run, Sporting Kansas City’s resurgence was curbed with a pair of 1-0 road defeats last week to the Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids.

Both losses were emblematic of the club’s struggles in April and May: despite outshooting their opponents and dominating possession for long periods, Sporting KC was unable to find a breakthrough and fell victim to a pair of opportunistic goals from the hosts.

While goals have been hard to come by away from home, Sporting Kansas City returns to a venue in which they have scored eight goals over their last three games. Vermes’ men have won each of those three matches at Children’s Mercy Park, bouncing FC Dallas (2-0), Columbus Crew SC (3-2) and New York City FC (3-1) to recapture a strong home form that has characterized the club for much of the last five years.

The attack will be further bolstered on Sunday by winger Graham Zusi, who is set to return after missing both contests last week with a pulled hamstring.

A perennial MLS Cup contender since their inaugural season in 2009, Sounders FC are 2-7-1 over their last 10 league games and own just one road victory this season.

Seattle showed signs of a revival with a 5-0 demolition of FC Dallas last week, but followed it up with a 3-1 setback at Portland on Sunday and bowed from U.S. Open Cup in a 4-2 loss at LA Galaxy on Wednesday. Schmid fielded a reserve-heavy lineup in Southern California with Sunday’s pivotal trip to Kansas City looming.

Seattle has ground to make up in the West, and may just have the personnel to do it. U.S. international forwards Jordan Morris and Clint Dempsey lead the front line, having combined for 10 of the team’s 20 goals in 2016.

Midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz has a team-high five assists and ranks fifth in MLS with 41 chances created, while veterans Brad Evans and Chad Marshall provide stability in central defense.

Sporting Kansas City is 3-7-3 all-time vs. Seattle, including a 1-4-1 mark in Kansas City. The lone home win came in the most recent meeting at Children’s Mercy Park in June 2015 – a cagey affair decided by Benny Feilhaber’s 84th-minute penalty kick.

Sporting KC is unbeaten in four straight MLS matches against the Rave Green, winning two and drawing two, after claiming just one win in the first nine games of the series. The teams last met in the 2016 season opener on March 6 when Nuno Coelho’s 73rd-minute strike from distance gave Sporting KC its first win in Seattle since 2009.

As many as five Sporting Kansas City players will be sidelined Sunday through injury. Brad Davis is out as he recovers from a left calf strain suffered against Colorado, while Matt Besler (left MCL strain) and Justin Mapp (left calf) will also be absent after sustaining injuries in training this week.

Coelho (left hamstring) and Paulo Nagamura (left quad) are listed as questionable, having already missed most of the last two months.

Meanwhile, a healthy Seattle squad will be without integral midfielder Osvaldo Alonso. The eighth-year veteran leads MLS in duels won and passing accuracy but will serve a one-game suspension on Sunday for caution accumulation.

– Story from Sporting KC

Mojica delivers walk-off win

A single by Jimmy Mojica gave the T-Bones a ninth-inning walk-off, 5-4, win over the Winnipeg Goldeyes on Friday evening at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City, Kan.

With one out in the ninth, Tyler Massey reached on a bunt down the first-base line. Winnipeg brought in pitcher Robert Tasin (0-1) to face Jake Blackwood.

Blackwood singled before a wild pitch allowed him and Massey to advance to second and third, respectively. A single by Anthony Gallas scored Massey, tying the game at 4-4 before Mojica knocked in Blackwood on a single to left field.

After spotting the Goldeyes four runs, the T-Bones’ first run came in the fourth inning after back-to-back singles by Massey and Jake Blackwood.

Massey advanced to second on a wild pitch, before Blackwood’s single gave the T-Bones their first run of the game. A two-run home run by Massey in the sixth inning brought Kansas City within one at 4-3.

Mojica’s walk-off hit came in front of a crowd of 4,350 fans, and was the first walk-off win for the T-Bones since August 31, 2015.

Winnipeg took an early lead on the T-Bones, scoring two runs in the first and another two in the second, giving them a 4-0 lead.

With one out, Maikol Gonzalez singled before stealing second base. A two-run home run by Reggie Abercrombie gave the Goldeyes two early runs. Four singles and a fielders’ choice in the second inning scored another two.

After coming in during the eighth inning, Johnny Shuttlesworth (3-4) gave up only one hit and struck out two batters.

The T-Bones will continue their three-game series against Winnipeg on Saturday night at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618.

– Story from Matt Fulks, T-Bones

Slain KCK captain honored as one who ‘put others first’

Many law enforcement officers participated in Capt. Robert David Melton's funeral today at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. (Photo from Melissa Bynum)
Many law enforcement officers participated in Capt. Robert David Melton’s funeral today at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. (Photo from Melissa Bynum)

At a funeral service today, Capt. Robert David Melton was honored as someone who put others first and paid the ultimate price.

Capt. Melton died in the line of duty on July 19 in Kansas City, Kan., when he was killed after responding to reports of a drive-by shooting. The Rev. Chris Winn of Community Life Church talked about his service and the many lives he touched.

At the funeral service at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan., hundreds of law enforcement officers turned out to pay their respects to Capt. Melton and his family. The service was in the morning, and by 10 a.m. the heat index reached 96.

Scott Kirkpatrick, president of the Kansas City, Kan., Fraternal Order of Police, said that Capt. Melton sometimes came off as gruff to those who did not know him well, but “he had a heart the size of this stadium.”

Police Chief Terry Zeigler said Capt. Melton was a “true hero,” not only in this community but in America. Capt. Melton previously was in the military service, receiving a Bronze Star and other military honors for his service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Capt. Melton had created the guidelines for the funeral service for Detective Brad Lancaster in May, Zeigler noted, and those were used in his funeral today.

Chief Zeigler said Capt. Melton, who served 17 years with the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and nine years with the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department, exemplified values of service, honor, integrity and professionalism.

“His uniform was always crisp, his brass was always shiny, his boots were always polished,” he said. His goal was that his officers always returned safely home to their families.

Larry Melton remembered his younger brother’s sense of humor and his leadership. He said Chief Zeigler’s words on Wednesday morning explained why David Melton was out in the field, when he didn’t have to be. “David believed in leading from the front.”

John Melton read some reminiscences others had of his brother. One of them talked about how he had helped buy food for homeless persons when he noticed they were hungry.

“Today, if you’ve come here to see grown men and women cry, you’ve come to the right spot,” John Melton said. “If you’ve come to pay tribute to a hero, you’ve come to the right spot.”

John Melton recalled that his brother once said he could fix anything with duct tape and radiator hose clamps, and he had made some repairs around John’s home with it.

“I wish I could find the duct tape and the radiator hose clamps to fix this tragedy,” John Melton said. He asked for prayers for all in law enforcement.

Chaplain Ken Nettling said that Sunday, July 24, has been designated as a community day of prayer. He requested prayers for Capt. Melton’s family, for law enforcement and for the community.

Signs were displayed that thanked police officers for their service. A cannon salute was held to honor Capt. Melton. Burial was at Leavenworth National Cemetery.