Category: Sporting KC

Sporting KC to play today at Columbus

Sporting KC looks to regain first place in the Eastern Conference Wednesday night when it travels to Ohio to take on the Columbus Crew.

The midweek match is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning at 6 p.m. on KMCI’s 38 the Spot and SKCTV. The match is also on 1510 AM and La Gran D 1340 AM.

Supporters are invited to Sporting KC’s official watch party on Wednesday at the Turn 2 Sports Bar and Restaurant at Hollywood Casino. Doors will open at 4 p.m.
Sporting Kansas City (8-5-5) is just two points behind D.C. United (9-5-4) in Eastern Conference standings and has won three consecutive road matches including a 2-1 win over the Montreal Impact on Saturday night at Stade Saputo.
Sporting KC leads MLS with five wins away from Sporting Park in 2014 and has won at least three straight road matches four times since 2000. Should Sporting KC defeat Columbus on Wednesday, it would be the first time in club history that the team has won four straight on the road in the same season.

Columbus dropped its last match 4-1 against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena, but has not dropped a match at home since May 10, a 1-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Sporting KC has just one loss in its last eight meetings with Columbus and is in the midst of a five-game unbeaten streak against the Eastern Conference opponent. In the last meeting between these two clubs, Sporting KC earned a 2-0 victory on May 4 at Sporting Park. Jacob Peterson and Claudio Bieler each tallied a goal in the match.
Dom Dwyer ranks second in MLS for goals scored with 14, behind only New York’s Bradley Wright-Phillips (15). Dwyer has scored at least one goal in three of the team’s last four outings including a brace in Sporting KC’s triumph at Montreal last weekend.

The Crew is led by Argentine striker Federico Higuain who has tallied six goals and five assists this season and will be available for selection on Wednesday. Columbus will be without striker Jairo Arrieta who exited the Crew’s match at New York in the 25th minute after suffering a left hamstring strain.

– Story from Sporting KC

Dwyer leads Sporting KC to 2-1 win

Dom Dwyer

Sporting Kansas City forward Dom Dwyer scored his 14th goal of the season, and sixth of the year against Montreal, in the 89th minute as the reigning MLS Cup champions earned its third straight road win with a 2-1 result over the Montreal Impact on Saturday at Stade Saputo.

With the victory, Sporting Kansas City sweeps the season series with a perfect 3-0-0 record against the Canadian club and remains in second place in the Eastern Conference.

The visitors took the lead less than four minutes into the match when Dwyer beat Troy Perkins to a long throw-in from Matt Besler for the earliest goal scored in a Sporting KC game this season. Now 8-0-4 when scoring first in 2014, Sporting Kansas City’s unbeaten streak was put in danger when Montreal pulled level in the 28th minute.

The equalizer came on Montreal’s first shot of the match and one of only two attempts by the Impact in the first half. Marco Di Vaio directed a perfectly placed header inside the far post after Justin Mapp did well to pick out the 37-year-old Italian with a header of his own. Di Vaio — a 20-goal scorer in 2013 — is the Impact’s all-time leading scorer with 28 goals, while Mapp recorded his 63rd career assist (fourth most among active players) and 10th against Sporting KC.

Goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum made his first MLS start for Sporting KC on Saturday, replacing the injured Eric Kronberg in net, and improved to 4-1-1 all-time against Montreal with the win in his debut. The Overland Park, Kansas native denied Andres Romero in the 33rd minute for his lone save of the match and made an important intervention to thwart Jack McInerney minutes later.

Sporting Kansas City started the second half as the more dangerous of the two sides but it would take nearly the full length of regulation to capitalize with the match-winner. Aurelien Collin’s header carried narrowly over the crossbar off a free kick from Graham Zusi and Perkins did well to make a one-handed stop on Antonio Dovale’s effort at the 60-minute mark.

Besler, making his first appearance since returning from the 2014 FIFA World Cup, again proved to be dangerous on the attacking end with a trademark long throw in the 63rd minute. His delivery struck the arm of Krzysztof Krol, making his Montreal debut, but the infraction went unpunished by referee Hilario Grajeda.

Montreal’s attack awoke with their first shot of the second half in the 67th minute from the foot of Felipe Martins. The attempt rolled wide, as did an attempt from McInerney shortly thereafter. The 21-year-old threatened again in the 78th minute and earned a corner when his shot deflected wide of its target before Hassoun Camara curled his shot just beyond the far post in the 86th.

Sporting Kansas City punished the last-place Impact for the missed opportunities by capitalizing on a moment of indecision between Perkins and veteran defender Heath Pearce in the 89th minute. Pressure from second-half substitute C.J. Sapong produced the decisive goal as the ball fell to Dwyer with Perkins caught out of position.

The Englishman took one touch to settle and sent his shot into the empty net for his fourth game-winning goal and fourth multi-goal game of the season (both MLS highs), including braces in each of the team’s three meetings with Montreal. His 14 goals are one shy of Bradley Wright-Phillips for the MLS lead and rank third on the club’s all-time single season goal scoring chart, trailing only Eddie Johnson (15 in 2007) and Preki (18 in 1996). Dwyer leads all MLS players with four game-winning goals.

Sporting Kansas City remains on the road, where it has won five times in 2014, for its next MLS match at the Columbus Crew on Wednesday, live locally on KMCI-TV 38 the Spot and across the Midwest on SKCTV. The team’s official watch party will be held at Turn 2 inside Hollywood Casino (777 Hollywood Casino Blvd.) in Kansas City, Kan., with doors opening at 4 p.m.

Two Sporting KC Academy alumni selected to MLS Homegrown Game roster

Sporting Kansas City Academy products Jon Kempin and Erik Palmer-Brown were named to the 20-player roster for the 2014 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game.

The inaugural event will feature the League’s top Homegrown players against the Portland Timbers U-23s on Aug. 4 at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon, as part of the festivities leading up to the 2014 AT&T MLS All-Star Game.

Kempin is currently on loan with USL PRO affiliate OKC Energy FC for its inaugural season and has five shutouts and 37 saves with a 1.38 goals against average in 13 games played.

The 21-year-old goalkeeper was Sporting Kansas City’s first Homegrown player upon signing in 2010 at age 17 and is now in his fifth professional season. Kempin made his competitive debut for Sporting KC during the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and made 34 saves in nine games while on loan with USL PRO champions Orlando City SC in 2013.

A Leawood, Kan., native, Kempin was a member of the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Residency Program at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and has extensive experience for the United States at the Youth National Team level. He most recently joined the United States Under-21 Men’s National Team in April and has also trained with the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team.

“It’s a huge honor to be named to this roster and a huge honor to represent your hometown team,” Kempin said. “I’ve been blessed with that opportunity as a Homegrown player and I look forward to continuing to represent Kansas City for many years to come.”

Palmer-Brown became the youngest signing in club history at age 16 in August 2013 and is the youngest active player in Major League Soccer. The Lee’s Summit, Missouri native has logged five appearances for Sporting Kansas City in all competition in 2014 and made his professional debut in May, becoming the youngest player in MLS history to start a regular season match as a defender.

Also a product of the U.S. Soccer Residency Program, Palmer-Brown represented the United States at the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-18 levels in 2013 en route to being named one of five finalists for U.S. Soccer’s Young Male Athlete of the Year. He most recently was a member of the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team that finished runners-up at the 2014 Dallas Cup in April.

“It’s a privilege to play in the inaugural Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game,” Palmer-Brown said. “There are many great Homegrown players in Major League Soccer and I look forward to playing alongside them in Portland.”

The 2014 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game will kick off at 9 p.m. on Aug. 4 and will be streamed live on WatchESPN and MLSsoccer.com. MLS Director of Player Programs Alfonso Mondelo will coach the Homegrown team.
– Story from Sporting KC