Other Sports **2012 Sporting Kansas City\Soccer Thread** - Page 85

|Zach| · 04:13 PM

Sporting Kansas City was eliminated from MLS Cup contention after losing to Houston 2-1 aggreagate over the span of two games. They finished the year as US Open Cup Champions and a Kansas City team record of 63 points.

MLS Cup Final | LA Galaxy vs Houston Dynamo | December 1st, 3:30 CT

Final Regular Season Eastern Conference Standings
Full MLS standings here.

2012 US Open Cup Champions.

Trevo_410 · 06-03-2012, 07:09 PM

some boring shit right there....

SPATCH · 06-03-2012, 07:12 PM

some extremely uninspired, bullshit soccer from the nats tonight...

**Reaper16** · 06-04-2012, 10:05 AM

Demonpenz · 06-04-2012, 12:46 PM

WHY YO NO LET ME OUT KAMARA!

|Zach| · 06-04-2012, 02:09 PM

You simply can't put Dom Dwyer and Soony Saad together. Those guys are goofy assholes.

Actually not a bad explanation about the US Open Cup especially when Besler starts in,

|Zach| · 06-04-2012, 05:59 PM

U.S. soccer team will play World Cup qualifier in KC

The road to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil goes through Kansas City, at least in part, for the U.S. men’s national soccer team.

U.S. Soccer and Sporting Club announced Monday that the team will play Guatemala in a World Cup qualifier at 6 p.m. Oct. 16 at Livestrong Sporting Park.

“Obviously, it’s huge, and it’s the reason we built Livestrong Sporting Park the way we did — to try to attract the top events in the world,” Sporting Club CEO Robb Heineman said. “There is not a bigger event than a U.S. men’s national team game in this country, especially one that is part of World Cup qualifying.”

The U.S.-Guatemala game will be the final match in the semifinal round of qualifying.

“We are very excited to play such an important World Cup qualifier in Kansas City,” U.S. men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a statement. “They have an amazing new facility in Livestrong Sporting Park, and the fans have really demonstrated incredible support for soccer in the area. We expect it’s going to be a fantastic atmosphere.”

Assuming that is the case, Livestrong Sporting Park, where the U.S. men played a Gold Cup qualifying match last year, could be in line for additional World Cup qualifying matches when the final round begins in 2013.
“We’ve got a very good relationship with U.S. Soccer and I think they have great respect for Livestrong Sporting Park and what it can do for the national team,” Heineman said. “The fans will be fantastic and we hope this game sets a precedent for future games to be played here.”

The dream, of course, remains for Livestrong Sporting Park to host a battle between the United States and its fiercest rival, Mexico.

“I think this is a good audition for the U.S.-Mexico game,” Heineman said. “Meaningful games for our national team should be played at Livestrong Sporting Park. That is how we feel about it, and we’re anxious to prove that is the case.”

The game will be televised on ESPN2 and TeleFutura. Ticket information will be announced at a later date.

Semifinal qualifying competition for the U.S. team begins Friday against Antigua & Barbados in Tampa, Fla. The U.S. team then plays June 23 in Guatemala City.

The U.S. team is 12-4-5 against Guatemala and currently owns an eight-match shutout streak.

“It’s a huge compliment for the organization,” said Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes, who played in the 1990 World Cup. “As a manager of the national team, you’re only going to put games in venues that you feel you would have a home-field advantage, and it’s going to be a great stadium for them to use.”

To reach Tod Palmer, call 816-234-4389 or send email to tpalmer@kcstar.com. Follow him at twitter.com/todpalmer.

|Zach| · 06-05-2012, 03:05 PM

Sporting KC vs Colorado Rapids 
Tuesday, June 5, 2012 - 7:30 p.m. CT
 LIVESTRONG Sporting Park | Kansas City, KS

(June 4, 2012) -Sporting Kansas City will face the Colorado Rapids at 7:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The winner will advance to host the victor between the Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO) and Michigan Bucks (PDL) in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, June 26.

Tickets to Tuesday's match are included for Sporting Kansas City season ticket members or are available to purchase online at TicketMaster.com and at the LSP Box Offices.

Sporting Kansas City reached the fourth round with a 3-2 win over Orlando City SC (USL PRO) last week, behind a goal from Paulo Nagamura and second-half brace from striker Soony Saad. The Rapids defeated the Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) 3-1 in St. Petersburg, Fla. with goals from Edu, Andre Akpan and Kamani Hill.

Sporting Kansas City and Colorado will meet again after playing to a 2-2 draw on May 19 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Striker Teal Bunbury opened the scoring for Sporting KC with a pair of goals in the game's first 14 minutes, but Kosuke Kimura and Tyrone Marshall capitalized on set pieces to split the points in the two teams only MLS meeting this season.

Prior to this year's tournament, Colorado last appeared in the U.S. Open Cup proper in 2007. The club's best-ever finish came in 1999 with an appearance in the tournament final, falling 2-0 to the Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-League) and marking the only year that an MLS club has not won the title since the League's inception.

The oldest annual team tournament in American sports history, the U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament named after Sporting Kansas City's original founder Lamar Hunt and celebrates its 99th edition this year. The tournament features the largest field in the competition's modern era with all 32 professional clubs in the United States represented and 32 additional amateur teams chasing a spot in the final on August 7/8.

Sporting Kansas City won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2004, defeating the Chicago Fire 1-0 on a golden goal by striker Igor Simutenkov at Arrowhead Stadium.

|Zach| · 06-05-2012, 04:03 PM

If 2013 is to be the year an MLS team finally lays its hands on the CONCACAF Champions League trophy, then it certainly won't come easy.

The league's five representatives in the 2012-13 edition of the tournament learned their group-stage fates on Tuesday. Though most will avoid Mexican teams, the condensed format – with only three teams in each group – means there will be little margin for error in the quest to reach the knockout stages, as only the group winners will make it.

Perhaps the most intriguing grouping sees Toronto FC facing off once more against Santos Laguna, who steamrollered the Canadian side 7-3 on aggregate in the semifinal of the 2011-12 edition. Also in that group is recently crowned Salvadoran champion CD Águila.

Defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy will also face off against a Salvadoran side: Apertura 2011 champions Isidro Metpán. Joining them in Group 5 is a to-be-determined Caribbean side.

The Seattle Sounders will square up against Honduran outfit Marathón and another Caribbean side in their group.

The remaining two MLS representatives, Real Salt Lake and the Houston Dynamo, face the daunting task of having to travel to Central America twice. RSL were drawn against Herediano and Tauro, the reigning champions of Costa Rica and Panama, respectively. The Dynamo, meanwhile will have to contend with Olimpia, who won both the Apertura and Clausura in Honduras, as well as Salvadoran side FAS.

At least one and possibly two sides playing in the lower divisions of the US soccer pyramid could join the MLS teams in the group stage: Puerto Rico Islanders and Antigua Barracuda FC, of the North American Soccer League and USL Pro, respectively, are set to contest the final stage of the Caribbean's CFU Club Championship later this month alongside AIA Caledonia and W Connection of Trinidad and Tobago, with the top three teams heading to the CCL.

FULL DRAW FOR 2012-13 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE

Group 1:
Santos Laguna (MEX)
Toronto FC (CAN)
CD Águila (SLV)

Group 2:
Herediano (CRC)
Real Salt Lake (USA)
Tauro FC (PAN)

Group 3:
Olimpia (HON)
Houston Dynamo (USA)
CD FAS (SLV)

Group 4:
Seattle Sounders (USA)
Marathón (HON)
Caribbean 1

Group 5:
LA Galaxy (USA)
Isidro Metapán (SLV)
Caribbean 3

Group 6:
Tigres UANL (MEX)
Alajuelense (CRC)
Real Estelí (NIC)

Group 7:
Chorrillo (PAN)
Monterrey (MEX)
Municipal (GUA)

Group 8:
Xelajú (GUA)
CD Guadalajara (MEX)
Caribbean 2

Demonpenz · 06-05-2012, 10:47 PM

Fun game tonight, very hard fought, very physical. Teal played hungry and pissed. Sapong was ok, Collin was great, midfield was meh, goalkeeping was good. good win ole!

|Zach| · 06-05-2012, 11:02 PM

Good crowd for an Open Cup game.

|Zach| · 06-06-2012, 05:05 PM

Not my photo but pretty cool.

|Zach| · 06-06-2012, 05:29 PM

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/06/06...-heineman.html

Robb Heineman of Kansas City is CEO of Sporting Kansas City and one of the professional soccer club’s five local owners.

Heineman was named executive of the year 2012 by an

international organization, the Stadium Business Awards.

This conversation took place at Livestrong Sporting Park in

Kansas City, Kan., which won venue of the year 2012.

Heineman tweets club news @robbheineman.

For the photo, you just tossed a soccer ball up and down one-handed about a thousand times. You look like you’ve done it before. Did you play soccer?

I did, from the time I was 5 till I was about 18. I started in the Cookie Monster League in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1978. That was the first year they had organized soccer in Sioux Falls.

What position did you play?

Center-midfield. My dad was my first coach, and he didn’t know a thing about the game. I always liked soccer, but it was underdeveloped in Sioux Falls, so it was always my third sport behind football and basketball.

You’re living every guy’s fantasy: owning a sports team. How is that different from what you used to do?

Before I was in private equity, investing in small companies all across the United States. My dad owned an NBA development team in 1993, so I was around professional sports when I was in college. What I really liked was the competitive aspect: Your entire business plan was on display every Friday or Saturday night on the court.

And fans have immediate and strong opinions about how the plan is faring.

Absolutely. What I love is how we’re challenging the traditional way things are done. For example, we are really open with the information we share with fans. We tweet about who our draft picks are going to be in advance of actually taking them. And we ask fans for input on pricing and on players we’re signing.

Has sharing information ever backfired?

Sure. A lot of it does. Once we had a verbal agreement with a Spanish forward to come here and I tweeted, “We’ve signed this player” but didn’t give his name. The guy wound up getting hurt, so we didn’t bring him in. Fans were asking, “When’s the Spanish player coming?” Well, never.

But we’re going to keep doing it because our fans feel they are as much a part of the team as we are, and that is how our ownership group sees it as well.

Are there any rule changes you would like to see?

I think technology is the thing that could influence the game the most. I wish we had goal line technology to determine whether the ball has crossed the goal line or not. And looking at card decisions by the referee in real time. But at the end of the day, it’s better-coached players and teams that are going to make the game more exciting.

It’s understandable that Major League Soccer teams would bring in international stars to draw fans. Do you have any questions about the number of second- and third-tier foreign players that we import, and does that take chances away from American players?

I think it has, historically. On a go-forward basis I think the youth development system has improved in this country, and some of those second- and third-tier players will have a harder time breaking into our league. If you look at our team, we have a really good group of young American players — Matt Besler, Graham Zusi, Chance Myers and C.J. Sapong and also Teal Bunbury. We have some very good young international players to complement that. We did that intentionally.

How is Sporting involved in youth development?

We have the Sporting Juniors, kids 12 to 18. We pay for all their coaching, the travel and lodging. I think that’s going to add consistency to how our players are developed and improve fitness, which is as big a deal as anything. You don’t build up that engine that can play for 90 minutes over a year.

I think in five years’ time you’ll see a lot of difference and in 15 years’ time, I would guess the bulk of the players will have come up through the development system.

When is the U.S. going to be a real contender in the World Cup?

I think we as a country should do everything we can to be a serious contender by the 2022 World Cup. I think winning in 2022 is not an unrealistic goal.

The physical stadium has been a big hit, but some fans have some minor gripes. For one, some people say it’s hard to find the stadium if you’ve never been before. Have you thought about improving signage?

The popularity of the stadium has taken us by surprise, but we do need to do a better job of marking it from the interstate and after you turn off.

Another suggestion from fans: How about listing the players who are on the field on the scoreboard to help novice fans get to know the team better?

That’s a good point. We should probably do a better game-day presentation along those lines.

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan., helped you get this stadium built in record time. Are you doing anything to repay the community?

Hopefully the sporting and non-sporting events we hold out here are helpful. Holding Farm Aid here last year raised a bunch of money for a good cause. And we’re working with the Unified Government right now on after-school programs for kids that will integrate tutoring, health and wellness training and on-the-field soccer training.

Sporting Club, which owns the soccer team, also has a technology arm, Sporting Innovations. How do those businesses intersect?

Since two of our owners founded Cerner, it was always clear that Sporting would have a tech component. We wanted Livestrong to be a living lab to demonstrate what we consider to be the next version of fan experience. We’ve done things in this stadium that have caught the attention of people all over the world.

Such as?

We have the first implemented HD-WiFi system in the world. So 70 percent of the people can stream live video on their handset in real time. We’ll soon be launching a system here where we’ll be streaming live video from a bunch of different cameras so you’ll be able to use your phone like a DVR and watch from a bunch of different angles.

ArrowheadHawk · 06-06-2012, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by |Zoccer|

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/06/06...-heineman.html

Robb Heineman of Kansas City is CEO of Sporting Kansas City and one of the professional soccer club’s five local owners.

Heineman was named executive of the year 2012 by an

international organization, the Stadium Business Awards.

This conversation took place at Livestrong Sporting Park in

Kansas City, Kan., which won venue of the year 2012.

Heineman tweets club news @robbheineman.

For the photo, you just tossed a soccer ball up and down one-handed about a thousand times. You look like you’ve done it before. Did you play soccer?

I did, from the time I was 5 till I was about 18. I started in the Cookie Monster League in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1978. That was the first year they had organized soccer in Sioux Falls.

What position did you play?

Center-midfield. My dad was my first coach, and he didn’t know a thing about the game. I always liked soccer, but it was underdeveloped in Sioux Falls, so it was always my third sport behind football and basketball.

You’re living every guy’s fantasy: owning a sports team. How is that different from what you used to do?

Before I was in private equity, investing in small companies all across the United States. My dad owned an NBA development team in 1993, so I was around professional sports when I was in college. What I really liked was the competitive aspect: Your entire business plan was on display every Friday or Saturday night on the court.

And fans have immediate and strong opinions about how the plan is faring.

Absolutely. What I love is how we’re challenging the traditional way things are done. For example, we are really open with the information we share with fans. We tweet about who our draft picks are going to be in advance of actually taking them. And we ask fans for input on pricing and on players we’re signing.

Has sharing information ever backfired?

Sure. A lot of it does. Once we had a verbal agreement with a Spanish forward to come here and I tweeted, “We’ve signed this player” but didn’t give his name. The guy wound up getting hurt, so we didn’t bring him in. Fans were asking, “When’s the Spanish player coming?” Well, never.

But we’re going to keep doing it because our fans feel they are as much a part of the team as we are, and that is how our ownership group sees it as well.

Are there any rule changes you would like to see?

I think technology is the thing that could influence the game the most. I wish we had goal line technology to determine whether the ball has crossed the goal line or not. And looking at card decisions by the referee in real time. But at the end of the day, it’s better-coached players and teams that are going to make the game more exciting.

It’s understandable that Major League Soccer teams would bring in international stars to draw fans. Do you have any questions about the number of second- and third-tier foreign players that we import, and does that take chances away from American players?

I think it has, historically. On a go-forward basis I think the youth development system has improved in this country, and some of those second- and third-tier players will have a harder time breaking into our league. If you look at our team, we have a really good group of young American players — Matt Besler, Graham Zusi, Chance Myers and C.J. Sapong and also Teal Bunbury. We have some very good young international players to complement that. We did that intentionally.

How is Sporting involved in youth development?

We have the Sporting Juniors, kids 12 to 18. We pay for all their coaching, the travel and lodging. I think that’s going to add consistency to how our players are developed and improve fitness, which is as big a deal as anything. You don’t build up that engine that can play for 90 minutes over a year.

I think in five years’ time you’ll see a lot of difference and in 15 years’ time, I would guess the bulk of the players will have come up through the development system.

When is the U.S. going to be a real contender in the World Cup?

I think we as a country should do everything we can to be a serious contender by the 2022 World Cup. I think winning in 2022 is not an unrealistic goal.

The physical stadium has been a big hit, but some fans have some minor gripes. For one, some people say it’s hard to find the stadium if you’ve never been before. Have you thought about improving signage?

The popularity of the stadium has taken us by surprise, but we do need to do a better job of marking it from the interstate and after you turn off.

Another suggestion from fans: How about listing the players who are on the field on the scoreboard to help novice fans get to know the team better?

That’s a good point. We should probably do a better game-day presentation along those lines.

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan., helped you get this stadium built in record time. Are you doing anything to repay the community?

Hopefully the sporting and non-sporting events we hold out here are helpful. Holding Farm Aid here last year raised a bunch of money for a good cause. And we’re working with the Unified Government right now on after-school programs for kids that will integrate tutoring, health and wellness training and on-the-field soccer training.

Sporting Club, which owns the soccer team, also has a technology arm, Sporting Innovations. How do those businesses intersect?

Since two of our owners founded Cerner, it was always clear that Sporting would have a tech component. We wanted Livestrong to be a living lab to demonstrate what we consider to be the next version of fan experience. We’ve done things in this stadium that have caught the attention of people all over the world.

Such as?

We have the first implemented HD-WiFi system in the world. So 70 percent of the people can stream live video on their handset in real time. We’ll soon be launching a system here where we’ll be streaming live video from a bunch of different cameras so you’ll be able to use your phone like a DVR and watch from a bunch of different angles.

Sweet article. I wish that group would buy the Royals.

|Zach| · 06-06-2012, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArrowheadHawk

Sweet article. I wish that group would buy the Royals.

I know right? Or the Chiefs though they surely don't have the money for either.

When Sporting lost one game short of the finals Robb was completely distraught. Really crazy seeing an owner care that much. He went down to the north end and slowly clapped for all the fans support all season. These shots were taken 20 mins after the game.

verbaljitsu · 06-06-2012, 06:37 PM

Colorado is an annoying squad, compounded by perhaps the most incompetent referee I've seen (and that is really saying something considering how terrible soccer referees are in general).

The schedule is about to get brutal, but I hope this team really makes a run at the cup.

11-21-2011, 05:01 PM
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5366768	2012 Sporting Kansas City\Soccer Thread Sporting Kansas City was eliminated from MLS Cup contention after losing to Houston 2-1 aggreagate over the span of two games. They finished the year as US Open Cup Champions and a Kansas City team record of 63 points. MLS Cup Final \| LA Galaxy vs Houston Dynamo \| December 1st, 3:30 CT Final Regular Season Eastern Conference Standings Full MLS standings here. 2012 US Open Cup Champions. Last edited by \|Zach\|; 11-26-2012 at 04:13 PM..
Posts: 53,422

06-03-2012, 07:09 PM	#1261
Trevo_410 Veteran Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Independence, Missouri Casino cash: $5165380	some boring shit right there.... __________________
Posts: 1,503

06-03-2012, 07:12 PM	#1262
SPATCH birth of spatch Join Date: May 2008 Casino cash: $10006207	some extremely uninspired, bullshit soccer from the nats tonight...
Posts: 4,569

06-04-2012, 12:46 PM	#1264
Demonpenz I got Rice cookin in the micro Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $3202136	WHY YO NO LET ME OUT KAMARA! __________________
Posts: 54,238

06-04-2012, 02:09 PM	#1265
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5366768	You simply can't put Dom Dwyer and Soony Saad together. Those guys are goofy assholes. Actually not a bad explanation about the US Open Cup especially when Besler starts in,
Posts: 53,422

06-04-2012, 05:59 PM	#1266
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5366768	U.S. soccer team will play World Cup qualifier in KC The road to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil goes through Kansas City, at least in part, for the U.S. men’s national soccer team. U.S. Soccer and Sporting Club announced Monday that the team will play Guatemala in a World Cup qualifier at 6 p.m. Oct. 16 at Livestrong Sporting Park. “Obviously, it’s huge, and it’s the reason we built Livestrong Sporting Park the way we did — to try to attract the top events in the world,” Sporting Club CEO Robb Heineman said. “There is not a bigger event than a U.S. men’s national team game in this country, especially one that is part of World Cup qualifying.” The U.S.-Guatemala game will be the final match in the semifinal round of qualifying. “We are very excited to play such an important World Cup qualifier in Kansas City,” U.S. men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a statement. “They have an amazing new facility in Livestrong Sporting Park, and the fans have really demonstrated incredible support for soccer in the area. We expect it’s going to be a fantastic atmosphere.” Assuming that is the case, Livestrong Sporting Park, where the U.S. men played a Gold Cup qualifying match last year, could be in line for additional World Cup qualifying matches when the final round begins in 2013. “We’ve got a very good relationship with U.S. Soccer and I think they have great respect for Livestrong Sporting Park and what it can do for the national team,” Heineman said. “The fans will be fantastic and we hope this game sets a precedent for future games to be played here.” The dream, of course, remains for Livestrong Sporting Park to host a battle between the United States and its fiercest rival, Mexico. “I think this is a good audition for the U.S.-Mexico game,” Heineman said. “Meaningful games for our national team should be played at Livestrong Sporting Park. That is how we feel about it, and we’re anxious to prove that is the case.” The game will be televised on ESPN2 and TeleFutura. Ticket information will be announced at a later date. Semifinal qualifying competition for the U.S. team begins Friday against Antigua & Barbados in Tampa, Fla. The U.S. team then plays June 23 in Guatemala City. The U.S. team is 12-4-5 against Guatemala and currently owns an eight-match shutout streak. “It’s a huge compliment for the organization,” said Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes, who played in the 1990 World Cup. “As a manager of the national team, you’re only going to put games in venues that you feel you would have a home-field advantage, and it’s going to be a great stadium for them to use.” To reach Tod Palmer, call 816-234-4389 or send email to tpalmer@kcstar.com. Follow him at twitter.com/todpalmer.
Posts: 53,422

06-05-2012, 03:05 PM	#1267
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5366768	Sporting KC vs Colorado Rapids  Tuesday, June 5, 2012 - 7:30 p.m. CT  LIVESTRONG Sporting Park \| Kansas City, KS (June 4, 2012) -Sporting Kansas City will face the Colorado Rapids at 7:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The winner will advance to host the victor between the Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO) and Michigan Bucks (PDL) in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, June 26. Tickets to Tuesday's match are included for Sporting Kansas City season ticket members or are available to purchase online at TicketMaster.com and at the LSP Box Offices. Sporting Kansas City reached the fourth round with a 3-2 win over Orlando City SC (USL PRO) last week, behind a goal from Paulo Nagamura and second-half brace from striker Soony Saad. The Rapids defeated the Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) 3-1 in St. Petersburg, Fla. with goals from Edu, Andre Akpan and Kamani Hill. Sporting Kansas City and Colorado will meet again after playing to a 2-2 draw on May 19 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Striker Teal Bunbury opened the scoring for Sporting KC with a pair of goals in the game's first 14 minutes, but Kosuke Kimura and Tyrone Marshall capitalized on set pieces to split the points in the two teams only MLS meeting this season. Prior to this year's tournament, Colorado last appeared in the U.S. Open Cup proper in 2007. The club's best-ever finish came in 1999 with an appearance in the tournament final, falling 2-0 to the Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-League) and marking the only year that an MLS club has not won the title since the League's inception. The oldest annual team tournament in American sports history, the U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament named after Sporting Kansas City's original founder Lamar Hunt and celebrates its 99th edition this year. The tournament features the largest field in the competition's modern era with all 32 professional clubs in the United States represented and 32 additional amateur teams chasing a spot in the final on August 7/8. Sporting Kansas City won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2004, defeating the Chicago Fire 1-0 on a golden goal by striker Igor Simutenkov at Arrowhead Stadium.
Posts: 53,422

06-05-2012, 04:03 PM	#1268
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5366768	If 2013 is to be the year an MLS team finally lays its hands on the CONCACAF Champions League trophy, then it certainly won't come easy. The league's five representatives in the 2012-13 edition of the tournament learned their group-stage fates on Tuesday. Though most will avoid Mexican teams, the condensed format – with only three teams in each group – means there will be little margin for error in the quest to reach the knockout stages, as only the group winners will make it. Perhaps the most intriguing grouping sees Toronto FC facing off once more against Santos Laguna, who steamrollered the Canadian side 7-3 on aggregate in the semifinal of the 2011-12 edition. Also in that group is recently crowned Salvadoran champion CD Águila. Defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy will also face off against a Salvadoran side: Apertura 2011 champions Isidro Metpán. Joining them in Group 5 is a to-be-determined Caribbean side. The Seattle Sounders will square up against Honduran outfit Marathón and another Caribbean side in their group. The remaining two MLS representatives, Real Salt Lake and the Houston Dynamo, face the daunting task of having to travel to Central America twice. RSL were drawn against Herediano and Tauro, the reigning champions of Costa Rica and Panama, respectively. The Dynamo, meanwhile will have to contend with Olimpia, who won both the Apertura and Clausura in Honduras, as well as Salvadoran side FAS. At least one and possibly two sides playing in the lower divisions of the US soccer pyramid could join the MLS teams in the group stage: Puerto Rico Islanders and Antigua Barracuda FC, of the North American Soccer League and USL Pro, respectively, are set to contest the final stage of the Caribbean's CFU Club Championship later this month alongside AIA Caledonia and W Connection of Trinidad and Tobago, with the top three teams heading to the CCL. FULL DRAW FOR 2012-13 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE Group 1: Santos Laguna (MEX) Toronto FC (CAN) CD Águila (SLV) Group 2: Herediano (CRC) Real Salt Lake (USA) Tauro FC (PAN) Group 3: Olimpia (HON) Houston Dynamo (USA) CD FAS (SLV) Group 4: Seattle Sounders (USA) Marathón (HON) Caribbean 1 Group 5: LA Galaxy (USA) Isidro Metapán (SLV) Caribbean 3 Group 6: Tigres UANL (MEX) Alajuelense (CRC) Real Estelí (NIC) Group 7: Chorrillo (PAN) Monterrey (MEX) Municipal (GUA) Group 8: Xelajú (GUA) CD Guadalajara (MEX) Caribbean 2
Posts: 53,422

06-05-2012, 10:47 PM	#1269
Demonpenz I got Rice cookin in the micro Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $3202136	Fun game tonight, very hard fought, very physical. Teal played hungry and pissed. Sapong was ok, Collin was great, midfield was meh, goalkeeping was good. good win ole! __________________
Posts: 54,238

06-05-2012, 11:02 PM	#1270
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5366768	Good crowd for an Open Cup game.
Posts: 53,422

06-06-2012, 05:05 PM	#1271
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5366768	Not my photo but pretty cool.
Posts: 53,422

06-06-2012, 05:29 PM	#1272
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5366768	http://www.kansascity.com/2012/06/06...-heineman.html Robb Heineman of Kansas City is CEO of Sporting Kansas City and one of the professional soccer club’s five local owners. Heineman was named executive of the year 2012 by an international organization, the Stadium Business Awards. This conversation took place at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., which won venue of the year 2012. Heineman tweets club news @robbheineman. For the photo, you just tossed a soccer ball up and down one-handed about a thousand times. You look like you’ve done it before. Did you play soccer? I did, from the time I was 5 till I was about 18. I started in the Cookie Monster League in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1978. That was the first year they had organized soccer in Sioux Falls. What position did you play? Center-midfield. My dad was my first coach, and he didn’t know a thing about the game. I always liked soccer, but it was underdeveloped in Sioux Falls, so it was always my third sport behind football and basketball. You’re living every guy’s fantasy: owning a sports team. How is that different from what you used to do? Before I was in private equity, investing in small companies all across the United States. My dad owned an NBA development team in 1993, so I was around professional sports when I was in college. What I really liked was the competitive aspect: Your entire business plan was on display every Friday or Saturday night on the court. And fans have immediate and strong opinions about how the plan is faring. Absolutely. What I love is how we’re challenging the traditional way things are done. For example, we are really open with the information we share with fans. We tweet about who our draft picks are going to be in advance of actually taking them. And we ask fans for input on pricing and on players we’re signing. Has sharing information ever backfired? Sure. A lot of it does. Once we had a verbal agreement with a Spanish forward to come here and I tweeted, “We’ve signed this player” but didn’t give his name. The guy wound up getting hurt, so we didn’t bring him in. Fans were asking, “When’s the Spanish player coming?” Well, never. But we’re going to keep doing it because our fans feel they are as much a part of the team as we are, and that is how our ownership group sees it as well. Are there any rule changes you would like to see? I think technology is the thing that could influence the game the most. I wish we had goal line technology to determine whether the ball has crossed the goal line or not. And looking at card decisions by the referee in real time. But at the end of the day, it’s better-coached players and teams that are going to make the game more exciting. It’s understandable that Major League Soccer teams would bring in international stars to draw fans. Do you have any questions about the number of second- and third-tier foreign players that we import, and does that take chances away from American players? I think it has, historically. On a go-forward basis I think the youth development system has improved in this country, and some of those second- and third-tier players will have a harder time breaking into our league. If you look at our team, we have a really good group of young American players — Matt Besler, Graham Zusi, Chance Myers and C.J. Sapong and also Teal Bunbury. We have some very good young international players to complement that. We did that intentionally. How is Sporting involved in youth development? We have the Sporting Juniors, kids 12 to 18. We pay for all their coaching, the travel and lodging. I think that’s going to add consistency to how our players are developed and improve fitness, which is as big a deal as anything. You don’t build up that engine that can play for 90 minutes over a year. I think in five years’ time you’ll see a lot of difference and in 15 years’ time, I would guess the bulk of the players will have come up through the development system. When is the U.S. going to be a real contender in the World Cup? I think we as a country should do everything we can to be a serious contender by the 2022 World Cup. I think winning in 2022 is not an unrealistic goal. The physical stadium has been a big hit, but some fans have some minor gripes. For one, some people say it’s hard to find the stadium if you’ve never been before. Have you thought about improving signage? The popularity of the stadium has taken us by surprise, but we do need to do a better job of marking it from the interstate and after you turn off. Another suggestion from fans: How about listing the players who are on the field on the scoreboard to help novice fans get to know the team better? That’s a good point. We should probably do a better game-day presentation along those lines. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan., helped you get this stadium built in record time. Are you doing anything to repay the community? Hopefully the sporting and non-sporting events we hold out here are helpful. Holding Farm Aid here last year raised a bunch of money for a good cause. And we’re working with the Unified Government right now on after-school programs for kids that will integrate tutoring, health and wellness training and on-the-field soccer training. Sporting Club, which owns the soccer team, also has a technology arm, Sporting Innovations. How do those businesses intersect? Since two of our owners founded Cerner, it was always clear that Sporting would have a tech component. We wanted Livestrong to be a living lab to demonstrate what we consider to be the next version of fan experience. We’ve done things in this stadium that have caught the attention of people all over the world. Such as? We have the first implemented HD-WiFi system in the world. So 70 percent of the people can stream live video on their handset in real time. We’ll soon be launching a system here where we’ll be streaming live video from a bunch of different cameras so you’ll be able to use your phone like a DVR and watch from a bunch of different angles.
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06-06-2012, 06:37 PM	#1275
verbaljitsu Starter Join Date: Dec 2009 Casino cash: $10013092	Colorado is an annoying squad, compounded by perhaps the most incompetent referee I've seen (and that is really saying something considering how terrible soccer referees are in general). The schedule is about to get brutal, but I hope this team really makes a run at the cup.
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