As the Kansas City T-Bones prepare for their next home stand, which begins Friday, July 18, the club is on pace to welcome its 3-millionth fan during the second half of the six-game stretch at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
Heading into the July 18-23 home stand against Winnipeg and Grand Prairie, 154,195 people have attended games in 2014, which brings the total of fans who have seen games at CommunityAmerica Ballpark since the team began play in Kansas City, Kan., in 2003 to 2,977,929. With an average attendance this season of 5,317, the club is projected to hit the 3-million mark on Monday, July 21, or Tuesday, July 22.
“Before I moved here, I knew from afar that Kansas City is a great baseball town,” said T-Bones President Adam Ehlert, who spearheaded the organization’s move from Duluth, Minn. “Now that I’ve lived here for more than a decade, I appreciate first-hand the knowledgeable and enthusiastic fans. Our team is thrilled with how well the fans have embraced the T-Bones’ brand of affordable, family-friendly entertainment.”
Although the exact date is unknown, the lucky fan that night, which is being sponsored by 7th Street Casino, will receive a prize pack that includes: four T-Bones season tickets; an autographed, game-used base from CommunityAmerica Ballpark; a baseball autographed by T-Bones coach and legendary Royals player Frank White; $300 toward a savings account from CommunityAmerica Credit Union; a phone from Verizon; and a one-night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kansas City, Kan.
“Hitting the 3-million mark in just our 12th year is very special,” said T-Bones vice president and general manager Chris Browne, who has been with the club since before day one. “It’s a tribute to our fans, partners, staff, players and ownership. This is a proud moment for all.” – Story from T-Bones
Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi are members of the Fan XI for the 2014 MLS All-Star Game, Major League Soccer announced.
The U.S. Men’s National Team duo were among the top players at their positions during fan voting and each receive MLS All-Star recognition for the third time in their professional careers.
Besler (21 career caps) and Zusi (27 career caps) have each earned nine international appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team this year, more than any other players in 2014.
The Sporting Kansas City teammates both played in all four matches for the United States at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil as the U.S. finished runners-up in Group G behind eventual champions Germany and advanced to the Round of 16.
An Overland Park native, Besler became the first player from the state of Kansas to play in a FIFA World Cup. The 2012 MLS Defender of the Year made his debut for the United States in January 2013 and helped lead the United States to the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup title.
Besler twice collected MLS Best XI (2012, 2013) and MLS All-Star (2011, 2013) honors prior to being named captain of the reigning MLS Cup champions for the 2014 season. The 27-year-old has made 147 MLS appearances (including postseason) with two goals and seven assists since being drafted by Kansas City in the first round of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft out of Notre Dame.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by the fans,” Besler said. “As always, I’m looking forward to representing my Sporting Kansas City teammates and showcasing MLS. I’m excited to travel to Portland and play against Bayern Munich.”
Zusi earns All-Star accolades for a third straight year on the heels of a strong performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He appeared in all four games for head coach Jurgen Klinsmann and contributed assists in back-to-back group stage games against Ghana and Portugal.
Taken in the second round of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft as a two-time national champion at the University of Maryland, Zusi has recorded 18 goals and 40 assists in 144 MLS matches (including postseason) over six professional seasons with Sporting KC.
He was named to the MLS Best XI each of the last two years and was an MLS MVP finalist in 2012 after leading the League with a career-high 15 assists in the regular season.
“It is always nice to be recognized by the fans,” Zusi said. “With the tremendous support we get in Kansas City, the great crowds we see on the road in MLS and the number of Americans who cheered from home or travelled to Brazil for the World Cup, this is truly a great time for soccer in this country. We look forward to playing in the All-Star Game and I am honored to be included with the players who were selected.”
The 2014 MLS All-Star Game will be held at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 6 at Providence Park in Portland, Ore. The MLS All-Stars, led by Portland Timbers head coach Caleb Porter, will take on 23-time German Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in a nationally televised match-up live on ESPN2 and UniMas in the United States.
The 20 players chosen to participate in the 2014 MLS All-Star Game, along with MLS Commissioner Don Garber’s two All-Star selections, will be announced when the game day roster is revealed live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes at halftime of Saturday’s match between Sporting Kansas City and the LA Galaxy at Sporting Park. Kick off is at 5 p.m. and a limited number of tickets are available to purchase via Ticketmaster.com.
A total of 32 All-Stars (four goalkeepers, eight defenders, 13 midfielders and seven forwards) will be named per the collective bargaining agreement. MLS player voting will determine the inactive roster announced on Aug. 6.
As part of the 2014 MLS All-Star festivities at Providence Park, the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game will debut on Aug. 4. Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jon Kempin and defender Erik Palmer-Brown were chosen to the 20-player roster last week to join the League’s top Homegrown players in a showcase against the Portland Timbers U-23s.
Sioux City, Iowa – Kyle DeVore pitched one of the best games of the season for Kansas City as he led the T-Bones to a 5-2 win over Sioux City on Wednesday night.
Sioux City got a leadoff double in the bottom of the first inning from Oscar Mesa, who scored two batters later on a deep fly ball by Rene Tosoni. That basically sums up the offense for Sioux City against DeVore (3-2), who picked up the win with eight-plus dominating innings.
The T-Bones backed DeVore with a three-run second inning off of the Explorers starting pitcher Kyle Allen (0-1) who was making his first professional start in more than a year. Ray Sadler and Vladimir Frias both scored on wild pitches, and Nick Schwaner came around to score on a T.J. Mittelstaedt groundball to shortstop Chris Escobar.
Kansas City took a 5-1 lead with two additional runs in the fourth inning, thanks to back-to-back RBI doubles by Robby Kuzdale and Mittelstaedt.
After Sioux City added a run in the eighth on a solo home run by Escobar, DeVore got the first out in the ninth inning. Tosoni then reached on an error credited to DeVore when Schwaner collided with him on a pop up. That ended DeVore’s night, after giving up three hits and being two outs shy of Kansas City’s first nine-inning complete-game win since 2012.
T-Bones All-Star closer Kris Regas came in and picked up his 13th save of the season.
The T-Bones (29-30) begin a six-game homestand starting with Winnipeg on Friday night at 7:05 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Tickets are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618.
Box score: http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscoretext.html?gameid=177983 – Story from T-Bones
