Tag: Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC plays host to Real Salt Lake in MLS Cup rematch on Saturday

Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake meet on Saturday at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., for the first time since MLS Cup 2013 last December.

Saturday’s match will be televised on 38 The Spot and SKCTV across the Midwest with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. Additionally, ESPN 102.9 FM (English) and La Gran D 1340 AM (Spanish) will provide live broadcasts from Sporting Park.

Heading into week five, both teams currently sit in second place of their conferences with four games played. Real Salt Lake (2-0-2) remained unbeaten under new head coach Jeff Cassar by handing Toronto FC their first loss of 2014 last weekend, defeating the Canadian side 3-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium courtesy of goals from Alvaro Saborio (2) and Luis Gil.

Sporting KC also scored three goals in its last outing to secure a 3-2 road win over the Colorado Rapids. Graham Zusi had a goal and two assists in the victory, earning MLS Player of the Week honors, while Dom Dwyer’s stoppage time game-winner was named MLS Goal of the Week on Friday.

Sporting KC edged out Real Salt Lake 7-6 in the longest penalty kick shootout in MLS Cup history last season, after a 1-1 draw through extra time. Of the 22 starters from MLS Cup, all but Sporting KC goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen, who retired two days after hoisting the Philip F. Anschutz trophy, have returned for the 2014 season.

Sporting KC is 5-1-3 (including playoffs) all-time against Real Salt Lake in Kansas City, with the lone loss in August of 2009, and hold an 8-5-3 advantage in the regular season series. The visitors will be without forward Robbie Findley (R knee) as well as the MLS Castrol Index’s top-ranked player in 2014, Joao Plata (L hamstring), while Sporting Kansas City forward C.J. Sapong (neck strain) is also sidelined due to injury.

On Wednesday, five players from the two teams started for the U.S. Men’s National Team in a 2-2 draw against Mexico. Sporting KC’s Matt Besler and Graham Zusi earned caps in the international friendly alongside Real Salt Lake’s Nick Rimando, Kyle Beckerman and Tony Beltran. All are expected to be available for Saturday’s match.

For ticket information, visit Ticketmaster.com or the Sporting Park box offices.

Sporting KC acquires 19-year-old Brazilian Igor Julião

Sporting Kansas City has acquired 19-year-old Brazilian defender Igor Julião on loan from Fluminense FC, the club announced on Friday.

A member of Brazil’s Under-20 Men’s National Team, Julião has been added to Sporting Kansas City’s roster and will occupy an international roster spot.

“Igor is a player that once we saw him at the Disney Pro Soccer Classic, we really liked him. We scouted him for about six days and watched four of his games,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said. “We feel that he is a great, young talent and someone that will fit into our team with the way we like to play, particularly with how important the outside back position is to our team. We feel he will be a good addition to our group and at the same time, forge a relationship with Fluminense FC.”

“This is a new challenge for me,” Julião said. “I hope to learn a lot from this club and do everything I can to help them win another championship.”

Julião first joined Fluminense FC’s academy at age 8 in February 2003 and capped off his youth career by leading the club’s Under-20 side to back-to-back state championships in 2012 and 2013. He traveled to the United States for the 2013 Dallas Cup as Fluminense FC U19’s won Group C and reached the Super Group semifinals before falling to eventual champions Fulham FC in penalty kicks at the Cotton Bowl one year ago.

Most recently, Julião started all four games for the Fluminense FC U23’s at the 2014 Disney Pro Soccer Classic in Florida earlier this year, highlighted by a strong showing on the tournament’s final day with a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win over Toronto FC.

After nine years of development in their youth system, Julião made his debut in Campeonato Brasileiro Série A as a 17-year-old in August 2012. He made three appearances in Brazil’s top division during his first professional season as Fluminense FC won their fourth league title in the club’s 111-year history.

In August 2013, Julião broke into the starting lineup for Fluminense FC en route to 20 appearances for the senior squad last season. He started 14 league matches and made appearances in each of the team’s final 10 games of the Brasileirão. In his Fluminense FC youth and professional career, Julião played in a total of 379 games with 76 goals.

Julião was selected to Brazil’s Under-20 Men’s National Team for the 2013 South American Youth Championship in Argentina and made three appearances at the competition.

Julião is the third Brazilian native on Sporting Kansas City’s roster, along with midfielders Benny Feilhaber and Paulo Nagamura. Sporting Kansas City’s loan agreement with Fluminense FC for Julião extends through the end of 2014.

– Story from Sporting KC

Sporting KC signs midfielder Victor Munoz

Sporting Kansas City announced on Tuesday the signing of 23-year-old Spanish midfielder Victor Munoz.

He will be added to the team’s roster pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate.

“Victor is a player we saw in college and had train with us last year,” manager Peter Vermes said. “What we liked about him was that the style of play that he played over in Spain is something that definitely fits in with the way that we play. It’s a good addition to our team and a young kid who we hope can grow into our system.”

“I am very excited to join Sporting Kansas City,” Munoz said. “I trained here last summer and enjoyed everything about it, from the players to the environment. The team understands how to play the game the right way and I think this is the perfect place to continue my development.”

A native of Madrid, Munoz spent eight years in the Real Madrid academy system and was a member of Spain’s under-15, under-16 and under-17 youth national teams. After being recruited to Celta de Vigo’s academy, Munoz moved to the United States in 2010 to pursue a college education.

As a freshman at Iona College, Munoz was named the conference’s Rookie of the Year with five assists for the Gaels. Munoz then transferred to UCLA and helped the Bruins reach the NCAA College Cup with eight assists in his sophomore season en route to recording three goals and 26 assists during his collegiate career. His eight assists in 2013 led all UCLA players and he earned second team All-Pac 12 recognition as a senior.

Following his participation in the 2014 MLS Player Combine, D.C. United traded up to draft the left-footed Munoz in the second round (No. 29 overall) of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. He appeared in four games for D.C. United during the 2014 preseason but was released by the club last month.

Sporting Kansas City’s roster will feature 28 players under contract upon the addition of Munoz.