Category: Sporting KC

Hunt, Vermes, Conrad to be inducted into Sporting Legends

Sporting Club announced on Tuesday the three newest members of Sporting Legends.

Peter Vermes, Jimmy Conrad and the late Lamar Hunt will be inducted into the hall of honor during an on-field ceremony at Sporting Park during halftime of Sporting Kansas City’s match against the Philadelphia Union on Friday.

An initiative launched in 2013, Sporting Legends pays tribute to club icons and provides a platform for inductees to re-engage with the local soccer community. Vermes and Conrad were selected among five finalists via a weighted vote through social media and SportingKC.com.

Sporting Kansas City’s manager for the past six seasons, Vermes is the second-longest serving head coach in team history. He has won two major trophies – the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and the 2013 MLS Cup championship – as well as two MLS Eastern Conference regular season titles (2011, 2012). He owns a .570 winning percentage as manager, best among any coach in club history.

As a player, Vermes was one of the team’s most imposing defenders. He anchored the backline from 2000-2002, starting 78 games and garnering MLS Defender of the Year honors in 2000. Kansas City allowed just 29 goals in 32 regular season games that year with 17 shutouts en route to winning the MLS Cup and MLS Supporters’ Shield. He earned 67 caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team from 1988-1997 and competed at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. Vermes, the only person to win the MLS Cup as both a player and a coach with the same team, was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2013.

“To be honored as a Sporting Legend is not only a proud moment, but a humbling accolade from the perspective of all the great people that have been involved in shaping this organization,” Vermes said. “I thank all those that voted for me and I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of this organization for as long as I have. I have never and will never take the opportunity to represent Kansas City for granted.”

Conrad made 204 appearances for the club from 2003-2010 and scored 17 goals, the most by a defender in team history. He guided Kansas City to the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and an appearance in MLS Cup later that season. The centerback was a six-time MLS All-Star (2004-2009), a four-time MLS Best XI selection (2004-2006, 2008) and the 2005 MLS Defender of the Year. He also captained the club from 2006-2009.

Conrad earned 27 caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team, winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2005 and competing at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. He won MLS Cup in 2001 with the San Jose Earthquakes.

“After plying my trade for eight years in a city that I came to know and love, I am incredibly honored to be recognized as a Sporting Legend,” Conrad said. “I want to thank everyone along the way who gave me the confidence to become that caliber of player and I can’t emphasize enough how much this induction means to me and my family.”

Sporting Club selected Hunt as an honorary inductee for his pivotal role in founding Major League Soccer, the Kansas City professional soccer organization and pioneering the sport’s growth in the United States. The Hunt Sports Group owned the Kansas City Wizards from their inaugural 1996 season until 2006, as well as the Columbus Crew (1996-2013) and Dallas Burn/FC Dallas (2003-present). A 1992 inductee into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Hunt was awarded its Medal of Honor in 1999. Clark Hunt, chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs, will attend Friday’s ceremony on his father’s behalf.

“My family and I are thrilled that my father Lamar will be inducted into the Sporting Legends hall of honor this weekend,” Clark Hunt said. “Although he always shied away from individual accolades, I know that this honor would have been especially meaningful to him, because of his unwavering affection for the sports fans in Kansas City and his unbridled passion for the sport of soccer in the United States. We are very grateful to our partners and friends at Sporting KC for recognizing Lamar, and we look forward to the ceremony at beautiful Sporting Park this Friday.”
– Story from Sporting KC

Red Cross issues urgent call for blood donors

The American Red Cross is facing a looming blood shortage, leading to an urgent need for donors of all blood types to roll up a sleeve and give, according to Red Cross officials.

Donations through the Red Cross are down approximately 8 percent over the last 11 weeks, resulting in about 80,000 fewer donations than expected. The number of donors continues to decline, and the shortfall is significant enough that the Red Cross could experience an emergency situation in the coming weeks.

In addition, the Independence Day holiday falling on a Friday reduced the number of blood drives scheduled in early July. Many sponsors did not hold drives because people took vacations either over the long weekend or for the entire week. In an average summer week, about 4,400 Red Cross blood drives are scheduled, compared to Independence Day week when only 3,450 drives occurred.

“Hospital patients continue to need lifesaving blood this summer, and they’re relying on the generosity of volunteer donors to give them hope in the days and weeks ahead,” said Scott Caswell, CEO for the Red Cross Missouri-Illinois Blood Services Region. “Please, consider giving the gift of life. Each day donations come up short, less blood is available for patients in need – and you never know when it could be your loved one needing blood.”

Eligible donors with types O negative, B negative and A negative blood are especially needed at this time. Type O negative is the universal blood type and can be transfused to anyone who needs blood. Types A negative and B negative can be transfused to Rh positive or negative patients.

There is also an urgent need for platelet donations. Platelets – a key clotting component of blood often needed by cancer patients, burn victims and bone marrow recipients – must be transfused within five days of donation, so it’s important to have a steady supply of platelets on hand, Red Cross officials said.

The summer can be among the most challenging times of the year for blood and platelet donations as regular donors delay giving while they take vacations and participate in summer activities. When school is out of session for summer break, donations from those who normally give on campus tend to drop by more than 80 percent.

Every day this summer is a chance to give hope to patients in need and their network of family and friends. July 13 marked the half-way point for the Red Cross campaign “100 Days of Summer. 100 Days of Hope.” Blood and platelet donations are needed now and for the rest of the summer. Individuals who donated blood earlier this summer may now be eligible to donate again and help patients such as accident victims, heart surgery patients and children with blood disorders.

A Red Cross blood drive will be held from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 29, at Sporting Park, 1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, Kan. To schedule an appointment, call 800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit www.redcrossblood.org/

Sporting KC wins fifth straight road match, 2-1

Jacob Peterson

Sporting Kansas City earned its fifth consecutive road win in improbable fashion on Saturday, coming from behind for a 2-1 victory over Toronto FC at BMO Field.
Graham Zusi’s goal in the 48th minute canceled out Jackson’s 16th-minute strike and — playing with 10 men after a red card to Matt Besler in the 75th minute — the reigning MLS Cup champions secured the full three points when Jacob Peterson scored the decisive game-winner against his former club in the 80th minute.

The win extends Sporting KC’s unbeaten streak to seven consecutive MLS matches, highlighted by six victories over the stretch, and moves the club level with Seattle atop the Supporters’ Shield standings. The five-match road winning streak is tied for the fourth longest in MLS history and second best in the non-shootout era.

Goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum made three saves for his fourth straight victory since replacing the injured Eric Kronberg in net. The Overland Park, Kan., native becomes only the second goalkeeper in MLS history to earn wins in regulation in the opening four regular season appearances for a club and first since Jorge Campos did so with the LA Galaxy in 1996.

Gruenebaum made his first play of the match in the eighth minute, diving low to his right to get a hand on a shot by Dominic Oduro from the right side of the penalty area. Gruenebaum’s counterpart, Toronto FC goalkeeper Joe Bendik, was then called into action minutes later; first to punch away a deflected cross from Igor Juliao and then a sprawling save to turn away the follow-up effort from the Brazilian right back.

Toronto FC, who had lost only once in 10 games entering Saturday, looked set to continue their winning ways when Jackson opened the scoring inside 16 minutes. Oduro’s well-weighted pass put Jackson in prime position to take a touch around Gruenebaum before sending his shot into an empty net for his third goal of the season and 14th of his MLS career.

Oduro, a nine-year MLS veteran, proved to be dangerous throughout and won eight fouls for his efforts. The Ghanaian playmaker nearly doubled Toronto FC’s lead in the 23rd minute when his cross was headed off the post by Nick Hagglund and then in the 33rd minute when an attempt of his own struck the woodwork. Toronto FC has now seen shots hit the woodwork 11 times in 2014, second most among all MLS teams.

Having weathered the rough waters, Sporting KC emerged in the second half and wasted little time in putting the game back on level terms. Zusi began the scoring sequence by working his way past two Toronto FC players and ultimately finished it off after a frantic scramble inside the area. Successive shots from Benny Feilhaber and Dom Dwyer were blocked but the ball eventually fell to Zusi at the top of the 18-yard box. The MLS All-Star expertly picked out the top corner and placed his shot through traffic with 10 players ahead of him in the area.

The goal, his second of the season, ties him for 10th place on the club’s all-time goal scoring chart with 19 in his six-year career.
Toronto FC responded with a trio of scoring opportunities and all coming from the foot of Jackson, who was acquired via a trade with FC Dallas prior to the 2014 season and recorded eight shots on Saturday.
In the 50th minute, Gruenebaum smothered his shot from 12 yards out and then 10 minutes later he showed off a kick save to thwart the Brazilian from even closer range. Jackson had a chance to make amends at the 65-minute mark but sent his shot over the crossbar on a well-whipped cross from Oduro.

Bendik had come up big with a save on Feilhaber in the 59th minute and the home side gained a man advantage when Besler received his second caution of the second half with 15 minutes to play. Referee Ted Unkel, in the middle of his eighth career MLS match, whistled 38 fouls and issued eight cautions on Saturday.

Nevertheless, Sporting Kansas City stunned the sell-out crowd with the decisive goal five minutes later. Just over two minutes after entering the match, Peterson combined with Dom Dwyer before breaking the deadlock with his second goal of the season and 15th of his nine-year career.

Peterson, who played in Toronto during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, snapped a streak of 10 consecutive regular season losses for Sporting KC when conceding the first goal (dating back almost exactly a year to July 27, 2013). In doing so, his goal was the team’s 10th goal after the 75th minute in 2014 (third most in MLS), four of which have been game-winners.

Toronto FC inserted Canadian internationals Jonathan Osorio and Dwayne De Rosario in a mission to rescue a result late. De Rosario, a former MLS MVP and six-time Best XI selection, now moves into a tie with Pablo Mastroeni for most career games played (334) and forced a diving save from Gruenebaum in the 86th minute.

On a night when Toronto FC was without Jermain Defoe because of caution accumulation, fellow Designated Players Michael Bradley and Gilberto were held to only a single shot each. Bradley’s was the final attempt at an equalizer, skipping wide of the post from 20 yards out in the 89th minute.

Manager Peter Vermes again led his side to a positive result against the Canadian club as he is now 8-1-3 in his coaching career against Toronto with wins in seven of the last nine meetings. Moreover, Sporting KC now boasts eight regular season wins in Canada all-time — tied for most among American clubs.

Sporting Kansas City returns home to play host to the Philadelphia Union at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 1, at Sporting Park. A limited number of tickets are available for the match, which will be nationally televised on NBC Sports.
– Story from Sporting KC