Category: Sporting KC

Sporting KC opens playoffs tonight with Red Bulls rematch in New York

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Watch party to be tonight at Boulevard Members Club at Sporting Park in KCK

Sporting Kansas City begins its quest to repeat as MLS Cup champions in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round against the New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Red Bull Arena.

The one-game, single-elimination playoff match will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. The match will also be available on La Gran D 1340 AM and simulcast on Sports Radio 810 WHB, followed by The Final Whistle: Sporting KC Postgame Show.

The club’s official watch party will be held in the Boulevard Members Club at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. The doors will open one hour prior to kickoff and the watch party will be free for fans of all ages to attend. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Sporting Kansas City finished the 2014 MLS regular season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference (14-13-7, 49 points), one point behind New York (13-10-11, 50 points) after the Red Bulls defeated Sporting KC 2-0 at Sporting Park on Sunday.

The two teams – both charter members of Major League Soccer — will now meet for the first time in the postseason in a rematch that comes just four days after the regular season finale.

Bradley Wright-Phillips scored in all three matches against Sporting KC this season, including both goals in New York’s victory on Sunday. Wright-Phillips tied the MLS single season scoring record with 27 goals in 2014 and became the first player in Red Bulls history to win the MLS Golden Boot.

Sporting KC’s Dom Dwyer finished the regular season with 22 goals, second most in MLS.

Sporting KC led all MLS teams with eight road wins in 2014 and conceded only 20 goals away from home, fewest in MLS.

However, the club is 2-12-1 all-time in road playoff games and will face a New York Red Bulls squad that ranked second in MLS with 38 home goals in 2014.

New York — seeking its first MLS Cup title — is 0-4-0 at Red Bull Arena in the postseason since the stadium’s opening in 2010 and has not won a home playoff game since October 2005, going 0-5-2 in seven home playoff matches since.

Thursday’s winner will advance to take on No. 1 seed D.C. United in the two-leg Eastern Conference Semifinals. If the score is tied at the end of regulation on Thursday, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety followed by a penalty kick shootout if necessary.
– Story from Sporting KC

Sporting KC to join Western Conference in 2015

Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo will re-join Major League Soccer’s Western Conference in 2015, MLS announced on Monday as part of conference re-alignment plans for the league’s highly anticipated 20th season.

Expansion clubs Orlando City SC and New York City FC will be added to the Eastern Conference for their inaugural MLS seasons.

“We’ve established some great rivalries in the East. Now we have to re-establish new rivalries in the West,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said. “This move is a product of the League’s great growth and continued success.”

One of 10 charter members of Major League Soccer, Sporting Kansas City played the team’s first nine seasons (1996-2004) in the Western Conference and reached the postseason on seven occasions. The club shifted to the Eastern Conference prior to the 2005 season and has played each of the past 10 seasons in the East.

As it currently stands, 13 of the past 15 MLS Cup champions will compete in the Western Conference in 2015. Among the 10 teams, five reside in the Pacific Time Zone, three in the Central Time Zone and two in the Mountain Time Zone.

2015 Eastern Conference (10): Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, Montreal Impact, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC

2015 Western Conference (10): Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas,Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City, Vancouver Whitecaps

Chivas USA will cease operations effective immediately and the league will play with 20 clubs in the 2015 season, according to the announcement. On Thursday, Oct. 30, the league will announce a new MLS Los Angeles club — and ownership group — that will begin play in 2017.

For the 2015 season, the 20 teams will each play 34 games during the regular season. Clubs will play each team in the opposing conference once for five home and five away matches. Clubs will play each of their nine conference opponents at least twice (one home, one away), plus six additional intra-conference games — three home and three away.

Major League Soccer will fully introduce a new identity and crest in 2015 while beginning eight-year media agreements with ESPN, FOX and Univision. San Jose will open the newest soccer-specific stadium in the United States and international stars Kaka (Brazil), Frank Lampard (England) and David Villa (Spain) will all join MLS.

Sporting KC will begin the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs at 7 p.m. on Thursday against the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. The winner will advance to be the host of No. 1 seed D.C. United at 3 p.m. on Sunday in Leg 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
– Story from Sporting KC

Blue Devil golfers third in final fall tournament

by Alan Hoskins
Kansas City Kansas Community College closed out its fall golf schedule with a solid third place finish in the tough South Central Kansas Fall Invitational.

Host Southwestern College edged Jayhawk Conference power Hutchinson by six shots (586-592) while the Blue Devils and Barton County deadlocked for third at 613 in the 10-team tournament played at the Winfield Country Club Oct. 20-21.

Freshman Marc McClain of Bonner Springs led the Blue Devils, finishing in a tie for fifth (72-76-148) with sophomore Seve Sikes of SM West 13th (77-75-152).

Sophomore Lane Pauls of Newton finished 24th (79-79-158), Piper sophomore Montana Fasching (77-82-159) and SM Northwest freshman Colton Allen 30th (85-78-163).

Alan Hoskins is the sports information director from KCKCC.