Category: Sports

Sporting KC plays host to Cruz Azul in first leg of CCL

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 KC signs Spanish midfielder Antonio Dovale

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

Embiid’s back injury rare among basketball players, doctor says

It is big news among sports fans that Kansas University star freshman center Joel Embiid is benched for the Big 12 tournament while he recovers from a stress fracture in his back.  It’s also of interest that this type of injury is rare among basketball players.

“Basketball players make up only 4 percent of stress fractures diagnoses and even less of lumbar stress fracture diagnoses,” Dr. Barbara Semakula, sports rehabilitation director at The University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City, Kan. She is also an assistant professor.  Stress fractures of the back are more common among athletes who do repetitive hyperextension of the spine such as gymnasts, cheerleaders, and divers.  Runners suffer 69 percent of stress fractures.

Diagnosing stress fractures can take time as the fracture needs time to show up on x-rays and MRIs.  Two-thirds of initial X-rays are negative. Bone scans are the gold standard in making the proper diagnosis when a stress fracture of the back is involved.

“Lumbar stress fractures can present initially with lumbar spasms,” Dr. Semakula said. “A stress fracture can take up to three weeks to show on an X-ray which can lead doctors to initially diagnose pain as lumbar spasms or lumbar strain.”  Even then, doctors must consider the athletes history of injury and training along with medical exams including special maneuvers and radiology testing.

Embiid was seen by the medical staff of the KU basketball program in Lawrence, and subsequently decided to seek a second opinion in California.

No doctor at The University of Kansas Hospital examined Joel Embiid, but Dr. Semakula has experience and knowledge in helping athletes like Embiid recover from stress fractures.

Dr. Semakula said treatment has three phases.  Phase one lasts 10 to 14 days and is dedicated to pain control and rest.  Some elite athletes are given a bone stimulator to help with bone healing.  Phase two can last several weeks. Athletes begin slowly resuming physical activity at a level that is dependent on the severity of the fracture.  Phase three the athlete begins preparation for a return to competition. Treatment lasts until the patient is symptom free and cleared for play using a CT scan.

Lumbar stress fractures often present as low back pain that eventually grows worse despite short periods of rest.  Dr. Semakula said to help prevent stress fractures athletes should train properly including adequate rest periods and eating right.  Stress fractures have been linked to lower caloric and fat intake.

To see a KU Hospital video on the subject, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlfa4jePEvg.

– Story from KU Hospital