Category: Sporting KC

Sporting KC’s new mask campaign supports Harvesters food drive

Manager Peter Vermes (Photo from Sporting KC)

Ahead of the MLS Cup Playoffs and a Western Conference quarterfinal showdown against the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park, Sporting Kansas City has partnered with Harvesters – The Community Food Network to launch the “KC As One” mask campaign.

The community initiative will help feed those in need throughout the holiday season while also supporting public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a spokesman.

Supporters can visit SportingKC.com/KCAsOne to purchase a limited-edition “KC As One” facemask. Proceeds from mask sales will go to Harvesters, a regional food bank serving the Kansas City region. For every mask sold, Harvesters will be able to provide up to 18 meals for individuals and families in need.

By purchasing a “KC As One” facemask, fans can protect themselves and others amidst the pandemic and help Harvesters provide meals at emergency food pantries, community kitchens, homeless shelters, children’s homes and elsewhere.

“KC As One” facemasks are available for $10 while supplies last. Masks will be available for pickup at the following locations:

• Sporting KC Front Office: 2020 Baltimore Ave., Kansas City, Missouri. (streetside lobby)
• Children’s Mercy Park: 1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, Kansas. (Budweiser Brew House)
• Pickup on the Toyota Plaza for fans attending the Sporting KC playoff match on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park

Fans can also have their masks shipped to their homes. The cost of shipping will be added to the final total.

The “KC As One” mask campaign is the latest initiative tied to Sporting Serves, a philanthropic platform that Sporting Kansas City launched in April in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sporting Serves has seen Sporting KC and The Victory Project-the club’s flagship charitable foundation — join several community partners to serve Kansas Citians through a variety of programs. Sporting KC leverages the Sporting Serves platform to build relationships with local and national partners and nonprofits, supporting and serving those in need during the pandemic and beyond.

Harvesters is a certified member of Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks. In 2011, Harvesters was named Feeding America’s Food Bank of the Year. To learn more about the nonprofit organization, visit https://www.harvesters.org/Learn/About.

Sporting will begin its postseason journey on Sunday, as host of the San Jose match at 3 p.m. The match will be shown live national on FS1, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app in addition to airing locally on ESPN 94.5 FM and La Grande 1340 AM.

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MLS Cup Playoffs coming to KCK Nov. 22

As the top seed in the Western Conference for the MLS Cup Playoffs, Sporting Kansas City will begin its postseason journey by playing host to the No. 8 seed San Jose Earthquakes at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

The conference quarterfinal showdown will be held at 18% capacity with comprehensive health and safety protocols in place at Children’s Mercy Park, according to an announcement Monday.

Sporting Kansas City season ticket members will have access to an exclusive 48-hour ticket presale for the match beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Remaining tickets will then go on sale to the general public at noon on Thursday via SeatGeek.com.

Sporting Kansas City’s first-round playoff matchup will be shown live nationally on FS1 and FOX Deportes as well as the FOX Sports app.

For the second straight year, the MLS Cup Playoffs will feature single-elimination matches hosted by the higher-seeded club in a bracket-style format.

Sporting Kansas City has secured homefield advantage in the Western Conference, having clinched first place following a 2-0 road win over Real Salt Lake in Sunday’s regular season finale.

2020 MLS Cup Playoffs: Western Conference schedule

Conference Quarterfinals: Nov. 22 and Nov. 24
Conference Semifinals: Dec. 1 and Dec. 2
Conference Finals: Dec. 6
MLS Cup: Dec. 12

Under the guidance of manager Peter Vermes, Sporting Kansas City has advanced to the postseason for the ninth time in 10 seasons.

Over the last decade, Vermes has led Sporting to the 2013 MLS Cup title, three Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championships and four first-place conference finishes in the regular season. The club finished 2020 with a 12-6-3 record, including a 6-1-1 mark since the start of October.

The San Jose Earthquakes, back in the postseason for the first time since 2017, enter the playoffs after a 4-1 loss at Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday.

Led by head coach Matias Almeyda and the league’s all-time leading goal scorer in Chris Wondolowski, San Jose will face Sporting for the first time since August 2019 and the first time in the postseason since 2004. The Earthquakes went 8-9-6 overall this year and 2-7-0 away from home.

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Sporting KC clinches top playoff seed with snowy 2-0 win

Sporting Kansas City (12-6-3, 39 points) clinched the Western Conference’s top seed in the MLS Cup Playoffs on Sunday night, posting a 2-0 road victory over Real Salt Lake (5-10-7, 22 points) at snowy Rio Tinto Stadium.

It was the end of the MLS regular season on MLS Decision Day 2020.

Forwards Khiry Shelton and Erik Hurtado both scored their fifth goals of the campaign and goalkeeper Tim Melia tabbed his third consecutive shutout, leading Sporting Kansas City to its first MLS away win at Rio Tinto Stadium since 2013.

The club’s coldest regular season match on record completed Sporting’s jump from 11th place in the West last year to first place in 2020 — the largest single-season improvement in the 25-year history of MLS.

Sunday’s result gives Sporting Kansas City Manager and Sporting Director Peter Vermes four first-place conference finishes over the last 10 seasons, two more than any other MLS head coach.

With a successful regular season in the books, Sporting Kansas City has earned homefield advantage in the Western Conference going into the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Sporting’s first-round matchup will come against the No. 8 seed San Jose Earthquakes on Nov. 21, 22 or 24 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Sporting KC season ticket members will have exclusive access to a presale for the match starting Tuesday at 10 a.m. Tickets will then go on sale to the general public beginning Thursday at noon.

With temperatures hovering around 32 degrees and snow steadily accumulating on the Rio Tinto Stadium pitch, Sporting Kansas City deployed a reshuffled lineup that included five changes from the 1-0 away win over FC Cincinnati on Oct. 28.

Center back Winston Reid notably reprised his role in place of Andreu Fontas, while Luis Martins took left back duties as Amadou Dia was sidelined with a minor injury. Further up the field, midfielders Roger Espinoza and Gianluca Busio replaced Felipe Hernandez and Gadi Kinda, and Gerso Fernandes joined a three-pronged attack in the absence of injured striker Alan Pulido.

Justin Meram was RSL’s danger man in the first half, dashing down the left wing pulling the ball back to Corey Baird on two separate occasions, but the homegrown attacker fired high on his first attempt in the 12th minute and slotted wide of the near post a dozen minutes later.

At the opposite end, Johnny Russell orchestrated a pair of half-chances for Sporting inside the first 26 minutes. A clever flick over the head of defender Donny Toia set the Scottish international free down the right side in the 14th minute, but his low cross caromed safely into the hands of RSL goalkeeper David Ochoa.

Near the half-hour mark, his in-swinging free kick was nodded high by the leaping Ilie. Busio then forced Ochoa into a save, settling his repelled corner kick and unfurling a long-range blast beyond the left edge of the box.

The visitors landed their all-important first punch on the stroke of intermission. After Shelton’s strike near the penalty spot deflected off defender Marcelo Silva and spun inches wide, Espinoza latched onto Russell’s out-swinging corner and prompted Ochoa to make a reflex stop.

lie was first to the loose ball in a crowded box, smashing a low shot that took a slight deflection off the boot of Shelton and trickled into the net. Shelton was credited with his career-high fifth goal of the year on the play, giving Vermes’ side a pivotal lead to defend in the final half of an unprecedented regular season campaign.

Hurtado entered as a halftime substitute for Gerso and wasted no time stamping his name on game. The hulking forward ran onto a well-weighted pass from Jaylin Lindsey, rounded Ochoa on the right edge of the box and side-footed a brilliant finish into the gaping net to double the advantage. Hurtado has bagged a goal every 75 minutes this year, the best clip among players with at least six appearances.

Busio went incredibly close to adding a third for Sporting in the 66th minute. The 18-year-old received an impudent ball from Russell and calibrated a thunderous shot that smashed off the near post and skipped clear of Ochoa’s goal. Less than 60 seconds later, Hurtado left an RSL defender grasping for ice only to see his right-footed effort saved.

Sporting finished the last 20 minutes in comfortable fashion, with Espinoza notably becoming the fifth player in club history to eclipse 20,000 regular season minutes for his storied career. The midfielder is one of nine active MLS players to hit 20,000 minutes with a single club, joining longtime teammates Matt Besler and Graham Zusi.

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