Other Sports **2012 Sporting Kansas City\Soccer Thread** - Page 34

|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.

Demonpenz · 03-07-2012, 03:52 PM

That article was generic as hell for SKC.

|Zach| · 03-07-2012, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

That article was generic as hell for SKC.

Repping The James Gang

Demonpenz · 03-07-2012, 11:52 PM

I love the griffons and skc the thing about that logo is about every old ass building has that sort of design (behind the guns) very st joe.

Ultra Peanut · 03-08-2012, 08:34 AM

I just cannot get up for the Quakes this year on the basis of preseason performances. Seeing them ranked 7th there just feels ridiculous. Opara's probably going to miss half the season with injury yet again, Lenhart's a great guy to have back but depth is still sorely lacking in most areas of the team, and sure the midfield additions could help but it'll take more than a few preseason games to make me think they could help enough to do anything more than scrape one of the last playoff spots.

Also poor Revs. Clyde Simms is a pretty neat addition, though, if only because he'd have probably never made it to MLS if the national team hadn't had that contract dispute with the USSF in like 2004 or whatever and then he turned into a stalwart for DC for the better part of a decade. Such a cool story.

|Zach| · 03-08-2012, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ultra Peanut

I just cannot get up for the Quakes this year on the basis of preseason performances. Seeing them ranked 7th there just feels ridiculous. Opara's probably going to miss half the season with injury yet again, Lenhart's a great guy to have back but depth is still sorely lacking in most areas of the team, and sure the midfield additions could help but it'll take more than a few preseason games to make me think they could help enough to do anything more than scrape one of the last playoff spots.

Also poor Revs. Clyde Simms is a pretty neat addition, though, if only because he'd have probably never made it to MLS if the national team hadn't had that contract dispute with the USSF in like 2004 or whatever and then he turned into a stalwart for DC for the better part of a decade. Such a cool story.

Yea I don't really see the Quakes comeback either.

I think surprisingly good teams will be Portland and Vancouver. I think all of those Cascaidia teams are gonna pretty ****ing good. Montreal won't be an expansion bottom feeder IMO.

Demonpenz · 03-08-2012, 10:29 AM

Montreal will be that team who has 10 0-0 games

|Zach| · 03-09-2012, 08:54 AM

Major League Soccer kicks off its 17th season this weekend. Here are some of the storylines worth watching.

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/08...-to-watch.html

New faces and new places

This off-season didn’t feature a marquee signing on par with David Beckham or Thierry Henry. (The closest a team came was Portland adding former Scotland scoring dynamo Kris Boyd.) Instead, this was the off-season that Major League Soccer kept its stars and brought a few old faces back home.

Beckham flirted with Paris and London teams, but he’s back bending the ball and looking pretty for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Henry spent the winter on loan
with his former team Arsenal, but he’s back with New York now. Landon
Donovan and Robbie Keane, both Galaxy stars, spent the break turning in solid loan spells in England.

MLS also managed to keep a few young budding stars, notably Brek Shea (Dallas), Fredy Montero (Seattle) and Juan Agudelo (New York), from bolting overseas. MVP candidate Sebastien Le Toux stayed in the league, although he shifted coasts, from Philadelphia to Vancouver.

What talent MLS did import mostly came from South America. Or, more specifically, Colombia. Not since Juan Valdez and his donkey have so many relied on a Colombian to kickstart their system.

Colorado picked up attacking midfielder Jaime Castrillon, the Chicago Fire added 27-year-old midfielder Rafael Robayo and San Jose will count on playmaking midfielder Tressor Moreno. All three be asked with orchestrating and rebuilding his team’s attack.

There will be a new team this season, the Montreal Impact MLS’s 19th-franchise (and third Canadian) will be lead by former Kansas City midfielder Davy Arnaud.

Also, a new soccer-specific stadium will open in May: BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston. It will be the league’s 13th soccer-specific stadium.

A New TV home for MLS

While the new players and locations might draw all of the attention on the field, an off-the-field deal might have the most impact in the long run. NBC Sports (formerly Versus, formerly the Outdoor Life Network) and MLS signed a three-year agreement last year that could radically change how fans view soccer in America.

The deal calls for 45 televised matches (and four U.S. national team games) produced by one of the Big Four networks.

Englishman Arlo White, formerly the Seattle Sounders play-by-play man, will call the action from the booth with former MLS player and analyst Kyle Martino broadcasting from the sideline. NBC and the NHL have a similar announcing set-up.

MLS will no longer have a league presence on Fox Soccer Channel, but ESPN will still air games on its family of networks.

Sporting Kansas City will be featured on NBC Sports four times this season and ESPN twice.

The Jabulani is dead!

“It was a nightmare,” Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen said about the dipping, bending and hard-to-track adidas Jabulani, which was the official ball of the 2010 World Cup and Major League Soccer the last few years.

Well, Nielsen’s “nightmare” is over, as MLS and adidas will kick off the 2012 season with a brand new ball — the adidas Prime. The early scouting report from Sporting’s goalkeeper is that it’s a vast improvement.

“It’s the best thing MLS has done since I came here,” Nielsen said about the switch.

According to adidas, the design of the Prime will improve “accuracy, consistency and performance” under all field and weather conditions.

The ball is definitely a bit heavier, which might not bode well for guys who get paid to head the ball.

An unbalanced schedule

Because of the addition of Montreal, MLS will have 19 teams (10 in the East, nine in the West). This makes a balanced schedule (playing each team twice as it did the last two years) fairly difficult.

The compromise was to unbalance the 34-game schedule — a common feature in all American sports leagues, but fairly rare in the world of professional soccer.

Every team will have 17 home games and 17 road games, of course. But it gets a little confusing when you break it down.

All Western Conference clubs will play each other three times (24 games total) and play each of the 10 Eastern Conference teams just once (five at home, five on the road).

The Eastern Conference, because of the extra team, will play 25 conference matches. Each East club will play seven conference opponents three times each (21 games) and the remaining two conference opponents twice (four games). Then, the clubs will face each Western team once (split five at home, four on the road — or vice versa).

Of course, since both conferences are created equally, this won’t be a major issue. Oh, wait...

The Power is Out West

The West is stacked this year.

Four of the five favorites to win the MLS Cup to start the season reside in the Western Conference. (The other team is Sporting Kansas City.)

Most of the big names were already there. Most of the big acquisitions are
headed there.

Los Angeles, the reigning MLS Cup champs, in addition to retaining their stars, also brought back U.S. striker Edson Buddle and Brazilian midfielder Juninho.
Real Salt Lake will get playmaking midfielder Javier Morales back to go with one of the staunchest defenses in the league.

The Seattle Sounders, winners of the U.S. Open Cup trophy last year, kept its solid foundation intact while adding former KC forward and U.S. veteran Eddie Johnson.

Dallas will also be in the mix after adding Panamanian forward Blas Perez and keeping Shea and stud defender George John. For good measure, former MLS MVP David Ferreira is back from injury.

Portland and Vancouver, expansion teams last year, both have invested heavily in attacking talent. San Jose has done the same. Colorado, two years removed from an MLS Cup trophy, was hamstrung by injuries last year and should be better this year. That’s eight of the nine teams.

By comparison, the East is a muddled mess. New York has money but faded mightily last year. D.C. United and Chicago improved as 2011 wore on and should be pushing for the playoffs. Columbus and Philadelphia, both playoff teams last year, have lost key players and might suffer. Toronto is intriguing but erratic. New England is rebuilding. And Montreal is an expansion team with expansion-team parts.

Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo (the reigning Eastern Conference champs) figure to lead the conference.
And, thanks to the unbalanced schedule, they might be fighting for the Supporter’s Shield — given to the team with the best regular season record.
| Charles Gooch writes for The Star’s soccer blog, The Full 90. Follow him on twitter @TheFull90

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/08...#storylink=cpy

|Zach| · 03-09-2012, 04:12 PM

|Zach| · 03-10-2012, 12:11 PM

GAME DAY!

Fansy the Famous Bard · 03-10-2012, 12:14 PM

Go Sporting!

SPATCH · 03-10-2012, 12:21 PM

Thank the gentle lord.. something to take my mind off of all the Manning madness.

It's on KSMO for all you Kansas City area dudes. Kick off at 6:30!

|Zach| · 03-10-2012, 12:52 PM

If any of you are going to the watch party at the members club I will be out there handing out ordered scarves on behalf of the Cauldron. Come and say hi.

Fansy the Famous Bard · 03-10-2012, 01:08 PM

I'll be there, bringing my son too.

|Zach| · 03-10-2012, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeke

I'll be there, bringing my son too.

Awesome. Should be a good time.

|Zach| · 03-10-2012, 02:54 PM

D.C. UNITED vs SPORTING KANSAS CITY
RFK MEMORIAL STADIUM, Washington, D.C.
March 10, 2012 (WEEK 1, MLS Game #3)
7:30 p.m. ET (CSN-MA+; KSMO)

D.C. United and Sporting Kansas City ended the 2011 regular season against each other - and the Eastern Conference foes meet once again, this time to kick off the 2012 campaign. For United, that season finale came just after seeing their playoff hopes dashed for a fourth consecutive year. Sporting ended the 2011 season atop the Eastern Conference and were 90 minutes from reaching MLS Cup, before falling in the conference final on their home ground.

REFEREE: Mark Geiger. SAR (bench): Sean Hurd; JAR (opposite): Steven Taylor; 4th: Mark Kadlecik
MLS Career: 88 games; FC/gm: 26.5; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 16; pens: 30

DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF)

INJURY REPORT:

D.C. UNITED -- OUT: MF Kurt Morsink (L foot neurectomy); QUESTIONABLE: DF Ethan White (R knee inflammation)

SPORTING KANSAS CITY -- OUT: GK Eric Kronberg (lower back injury); QUESTIONABLE: MF Paulo Nagamura (L calf strain); PROBABLE: MF Graham Zusi (R quad strain); MF Julio Cesar (L knee strain)

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

SUSPENDED: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD

ALL-TIME (43 meetings): United 18 wins (1 shootout), 60 goals ... Sporting 16 wins (0 shootout), 67 goals ... Ties 9
AT RFK STADIUM (21 meetings): United 12 wins (0 shootout), 33 goals ... Sporting 5 wins (0 shootout), 24 goals ... Ties 4
RETURN MATCH: 8/11: Sporting Kansas City vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. CT

LAST YEAR (MLS):
8/21: KC 1, DC 0 (Kamara 19)
10/22: DC 0, KC 1 (Besler 54)

Sporting won both meetings last season by 1-0 scorelines.
United haven't won in Kansas City since a 1-0 victory, July 4, 2007.
Last year's Sporting win at RFK Stadium was the first win by a road team in the series since United's 2007 win at Arrowhead Stadium.
Coaches record: Ben Olsen vs. KC: P2 W0 L2 D0 ... Peter Vermes vs. DC: P6 W3 L2 D1

D.C. UNITED

D.C. United are looking to return to the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2007 - the longest postseason drought in the storied club's history - when Ben Olsen begins his second full season in charge. United were pipped from a playoff spot in the season's final week last year, finishing in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

While the preseason finale against the Columbus Crew in the Carolina Challenge Cup was cancelled because of inclement weather in Charleston, S.C., United claimed the "Coffee Pot Cup" - emblematic of the preseason tournament championship - for a third consecutive year.

United defeated the USL Pro League Charleston Battery 3-1 in their eventual final match, behind goals from Maicon Santos, Ryan Richter and Hamdi Salihi.
Here's the United team: Joe Willis (Andrew Dykstra 61'); Chris Korb, Brandon McDonald (Dejan Jakovic 46'), Emiliano Dudar (Ethan White 46'), JosÈ Burciaga [trialist] (Andy Najar 46'); Danny Cruz (Daniel Woolard 78'), Branko Boskovic (Stephen King 46'), Lance Rozeboom [trialist] (Conor Shanosky 61'), Nick DeLeon (Chris Pontius 71'); Ryan Richter [trialist] (Josh Wolff 61'), Maicon Santos (Hamdi Salihi 71')

To open the tournament, United defeated the Chicago Fire 1-0, with Salihi scoring the only goal.

Here's the United team: Joe Willis; Robbie Russell (Chris Korb 78'), Brandon McDonald (Ethan White 46'), Dejan Jakovic (Emiliano Dudar 46'), Daniel Woolard (Guilherme [trialist 75']); Andy Najar (Danny Cruz 78'), Stephen King (Ryan Richter [trialist] 88'), Marcelo Saragosa (Lance Rozeboom 46'), Chris Pontius (Nick DeLeon 71'); Dwayne DeRosario (Conor Shanosky 58'), Hamdi Salihi (Maicon Santos 68')

Salihi, an Albanian international, was signed by the club just before heading to South Carolina and scored goals in each of his appearances.

"He's a thinker," said fellow forward Josh Wolff. "He's constantly moving and scheming around the backs. He's not a big guy but he uses his space very well. His timing is impeccable." Added strike partner Dwayne De Rosario: "He's a very smart player. He's dangerous in the box. He makes good runs, timely runs, and he reads the game really well."

United are also hoping to have Designated Player Branko Boskovic back for the entire season. He suffered a torn ACL in his knee last April - an injury he says is completely healthy.

"I feel good, I feel alive. I love the team. I think there are some very good players. I'm very happy to be with this group," Boskovic said. " ... I missed a couple of days in Arizona and I need to work a lot on my fitness. I will see how long I can play and for how many minutes. Still, I don't know. But for the first game, I will be ready."

The final match cancellation also robbed United head coach Ben Olsen with the opportunity to see his first-choice XI together. Goalkeeper Bill Hamid and holding midfielder Perry Kitchen missed the first two matches in Charleston while on duty with the U.S. U-23 national team.

United thought they had lost a quality offseason pickup when midfielder Danny Cruz suffered an ankle injury in a tackle and had to be carted off in the match vs. host Charleston. But after initial indications were the injury was more serious, Cruz returned to training before the club returned home.
"It comes with the way that I play," Cruz said. "I expect it every game. If you look at the amount of times that I get fouled, it's a lot compared to my minutes. I'm getting hit a lot, so I'm used to getting hit."

OFFSEASON TRANSACTIONS

IN: D Robbie Russell (11/29: trade from RSL); M Nick DeLeon (1/12: SuperDraft); M Lance Rozeboom (1/17: supplemental draft); F Maicon Santos (1/18: free); M Danny Cruz (1/20: trade from Houston); D Emiliano Dudar (1/25: free/BSC Young Boys); F Hamdi Salihi (2/2: Rapid Vienna); M Marcelo Saragosa (2/6: Ravan Baku); GK Andrew Dykstra (2/27: free)

OUT: M Santino Quaranta (12/7: retired); D Marc Burch (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Seattle); M Clyde Simms (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/New England); M Brandon Barklage (12/12: option declined); G Steve Cronin (12/12: option declined); F Joseph Ngwenya (12/12: option declined); D Jed Zayner (12/12: option declined); D Devon McTavish (12/22: retired); M Austin da Luz; F Blake Brettschneider (2/3: waived); M Conor Shanosky (3/2: loaned to Fort Lauderdale)

SPORTING KANSAS CITY

Sporting Kansas City kick off Peter Vermes' third full season in charge with a target on their backs after finishing atop the Eastern Conference regular season standings a season ago following a two-year postseason absence. In the opening season of their Livestrong Sporting Park home, SKC played host to the Eastern Conference Championship, but fell 2-0 to the Houston Dynamo.

Sporting concluded their preseason preparations in Florida with a 4-1 win against the U.S. U-17 national team last Thursday. Soony Saad scored the final two goals for K.C., which also got goals from Konrad Warzycha and Kyle Miller.

Here's the Sporting team: Steve Spangler, Korede Aiyegbusi (Shawn Singh 46), Lawrence Olum, Cyprian Hedrick (Sacir Hot 46), Michael Harrington, Luke Sassano (Stefan Antonijevic 46), Mozzi Gyorio, Konrad Warzycha (Michael Thomas 46), Dom Dwyer, Soony Saad, Kevin Ellis (Kyle Miller 46)

The match came after three contests in the Disney Pro Soccer Challenge, where Sporting failed to advance out of the group phase after a 3-0 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the third game. The loss was the first of the preseason in six matches for K.C.

"It [loss vs. Vancouver] came at a great time," SKC head coach Peter Vermes said. "It gets you 10 days right before the first game. Maybe you think things are going well and you deal with a little bit of adversity. ... But our preparation has always been for D.C. And nothing else has changed."

Here's the Sporting team: Jon Kempin; Chance Myers, Aurelien Collin (Cyprian Hedrick 78), Matt Besler, Seth Sinovic; Julio Cesar (Luke Sassano 63), Paulo Nagamura (Mozzi Gyorio 73), Bobby Convey (Soony Saad 63); Jacob Peterson (Michael Harrington 83), C.J. Sapong (Dom Dwyer 69), Kei Kamara

Prior to that match, SKC played to a pair of draws against MLS clubs, 1-1 with Montreal Impact on Feb. 26 and 0-0 with Houston Dynamo on Feb. 24.
Coming out of preseason camp, the Sporting midfield is somewhat injury-hit. Holding midfielder Julio Cesar took part in limited training, while Paulo

Nagamura and Graham Zusi - who won his first full U.S. cap and scored on his international debut - were held out of training.

"It's nothing too bad," said Zusi, suffering from right quadriceps tightness. "I just don't want to make it any worse. It's a little frustrating, because you always want to be out with the out with the guys and playing, especially leading up to the first game of the season, but I want to be as sharp and fit as possible."

Bobby Convey, acquired from the San Jose Earthquakes, started in the midfield vs. Vancouver and played 63 minutes.

"We've got a ton of guys," Vermes said. "[Luke] Sassano can play there, Konrad [Warzycha] can play there, [Michael] Thomas can play there. It's not going to be hard to find someone to play that spot. Obviously, you always want to have everyone around," Vermes added, "but I've always been of the belief that one man's absence is another man's opportunity."

OFFSEASON TRANSACTIONS

IN: D Seth Sinovic (11/28: trade from Montreal); M Paulo Nagamura (11/29: trade from Chivas USA); M/D Bobby Convey (12/2: trade from San Jose); F Dom Dwyer (1/12: SuperDraft); D Cyprian Hedrik (1/12: SuperDraft); M Michael Thomas (1/18: Ljungskile SK/Sweden); F Jacob Peterson (1/19: free/San Jose Earthquakes)

OUT: M Davy Arnaud (11/28: trade to Montreal); M JÈferson (11/23: waived); D Scott Lorenz (11/23: waived); M Craig Rocastle (11/23: waived); D Seth Sinovic (11/23: expansion draft) M Milos Stojcev (11/23: waived); F Omar Bravo (12/12: Cruz Azul/Mexico); D Shavar Thomas (12/12: option declined); M Daneil Cyrus (1/22: waived)

11-21-2011, 05:01 PM
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5326768	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: 53,435

03-07-2012, 03:52 PM	#496
Demonpenz I got Rice cookin in the micro Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $3142136	That article was generic as hell for SKC. __________________
Posts: 54,271

03-07-2012, 11:52 PM	#498
Demonpenz I got Rice cookin in the micro Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $3142136	I love the griffons and skc the thing about that logo is about every old ass building has that sort of design (behind the guns) very st joe. __________________
Posts: 54,271

03-08-2012, 08:34 AM	#499
Ultra Peanut v^V^v^V^v^V^ Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Holland* Casino cash: $10005177	I just cannot get up for the Quakes this year on the basis of preseason performances. Seeing them ranked 7th there just feels ridiculous. Opara's probably going to miss half the season with injury yet again, Lenhart's a great guy to have back but depth is still sorely lacking in most areas of the team, and sure the midfield additions could help but it'll take more than a few preseason games to make me think they could help enough to do anything more than scrape one of the last playoff spots. Also poor Revs. Clyde Simms is a pretty neat addition, though, if only because he'd have probably never made it to MLS if the national team hadn't had that contract dispute with the USSF in like 2004 or whatever and then he turned into a stalwart for DC for the better part of a decade. Such a cool story. __________________
Posts: 39,518

03-08-2012, 10:29 AM	#501
Demonpenz I got Rice cookin in the micro Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $3142136	Montreal will be that team who has 10 0-0 games __________________
Posts: 54,271

03-09-2012, 08:54 AM	#502
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5326768	Major League Soccer kicks off its 17th season this weekend. Here are some of the storylines worth watching. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/08...-to-watch.html New faces and new places This off-season didn’t feature a marquee signing on par with David Beckham or Thierry Henry. (The closest a team came was Portland adding former Scotland scoring dynamo Kris Boyd.) Instead, this was the off-season that Major League Soccer kept its stars and brought a few old faces back home. Beckham flirted with Paris and London teams, but he’s back bending the ball and looking pretty for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Henry spent the winter on loan with his former team Arsenal, but he’s back with New York now. Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane, both Galaxy stars, spent the break turning in solid loan spells in England. MLS also managed to keep a few young budding stars, notably Brek Shea (Dallas), Fredy Montero (Seattle) and Juan Agudelo (New York), from bolting overseas. MVP candidate Sebastien Le Toux stayed in the league, although he shifted coasts, from Philadelphia to Vancouver. What talent MLS did import mostly came from South America. Or, more specifically, Colombia. Not since Juan Valdez and his donkey have so many relied on a Colombian to kickstart their system. Colorado picked up attacking midfielder Jaime Castrillon, the Chicago Fire added 27-year-old midfielder Rafael Robayo and San Jose will count on playmaking midfielder Tressor Moreno. All three be asked with orchestrating and rebuilding his team’s attack. There will be a new team this season, the Montreal Impact MLS’s 19th-franchise (and third Canadian) will be lead by former Kansas City midfielder Davy Arnaud. Also, a new soccer-specific stadium will open in May: BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston. It will be the league’s 13th soccer-specific stadium. A New TV home for MLS While the new players and locations might draw all of the attention on the field, an off-the-field deal might have the most impact in the long run. NBC Sports (formerly Versus, formerly the Outdoor Life Network) and MLS signed a three-year agreement last year that could radically change how fans view soccer in America. The deal calls for 45 televised matches (and four U.S. national team games) produced by one of the Big Four networks. Englishman Arlo White, formerly the Seattle Sounders play-by-play man, will call the action from the booth with former MLS player and analyst Kyle Martino broadcasting from the sideline. NBC and the NHL have a similar announcing set-up. MLS will no longer have a league presence on Fox Soccer Channel, but ESPN will still air games on its family of networks. Sporting Kansas City will be featured on NBC Sports four times this season and ESPN twice. The Jabulani is dead! “It was a nightmare,” Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen said about the dipping, bending and hard-to-track adidas Jabulani, which was the official ball of the 2010 World Cup and Major League Soccer the last few years. Well, Nielsen’s “nightmare” is over, as MLS and adidas will kick off the 2012 season with a brand new ball — the adidas Prime. The early scouting report from Sporting’s goalkeeper is that it’s a vast improvement. “It’s the best thing MLS has done since I came here,” Nielsen said about the switch. According to adidas, the design of the Prime will improve “accuracy, consistency and performance” under all field and weather conditions. The ball is definitely a bit heavier, which might not bode well for guys who get paid to head the ball. An unbalanced schedule Because of the addition of Montreal, MLS will have 19 teams (10 in the East, nine in the West). This makes a balanced schedule (playing each team twice as it did the last two years) fairly difficult. The compromise was to unbalance the 34-game schedule — a common feature in all American sports leagues, but fairly rare in the world of professional soccer. Every team will have 17 home games and 17 road games, of course. But it gets a little confusing when you break it down. All Western Conference clubs will play each other three times (24 games total) and play each of the 10 Eastern Conference teams just once (five at home, five on the road). The Eastern Conference, because of the extra team, will play 25 conference matches. Each East club will play seven conference opponents three times each (21 games) and the remaining two conference opponents twice (four games). Then, the clubs will face each Western team once (split five at home, four on the road — or vice versa). Of course, since both conferences are created equally, this won’t be a major issue. Oh, wait... The Power is Out West The West is stacked this year. Four of the five favorites to win the MLS Cup to start the season reside in the Western Conference. (The other team is Sporting Kansas City.) Most of the big names were already there. Most of the big acquisitions are headed there. Los Angeles, the reigning MLS Cup champs, in addition to retaining their stars, also brought back U.S. striker Edson Buddle and Brazilian midfielder Juninho. Real Salt Lake will get playmaking midfielder Javier Morales back to go with one of the staunchest defenses in the league. The Seattle Sounders, winners of the U.S. Open Cup trophy last year, kept its solid foundation intact while adding former KC forward and U.S. veteran Eddie Johnson. Dallas will also be in the mix after adding Panamanian forward Blas Perez and keeping Shea and stud defender George John. For good measure, former MLS MVP David Ferreira is back from injury. Portland and Vancouver, expansion teams last year, both have invested heavily in attacking talent. San Jose has done the same. Colorado, two years removed from an MLS Cup trophy, was hamstrung by injuries last year and should be better this year. That’s eight of the nine teams. By comparison, the East is a muddled mess. New York has money but faded mightily last year. D.C. United and Chicago improved as 2011 wore on and should be pushing for the playoffs. Columbus and Philadelphia, both playoff teams last year, have lost key players and might suffer. Toronto is intriguing but erratic. New England is rebuilding. And Montreal is an expansion team with expansion-team parts. Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo (the reigning Eastern Conference champs) figure to lead the conference. And, thanks to the unbalanced schedule, they might be fighting for the Supporter’s Shield — given to the team with the best regular season record. \| Charles Gooch writes for The Star’s soccer blog, The Full 90. Follow him on twitter @TheFull90 Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/08...#storylink=cpy
Posts: 53,435

03-09-2012, 04:12 PM	#503
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5326768
Posts: 53,435

03-10-2012, 12:11 PM	#504
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5326768	GAME DAY!
Posts: 53,435

03-10-2012, 12:14 PM	#505
Fansy the Famous Bard I'm with the Banned Join Date: Feb 2009 Casino cash: $2396440	Go Sporting! __________________ Hi.
Posts: 6,036

03-10-2012, 12:21 PM	#506
SPATCH birth of spatch Join Date: May 2008 Casino cash: $10006207	Thank the gentle lord.. something to take my mind off of all the Manning madness. It's on KSMO for all you Kansas City area dudes. Kick off at 6:30!
Posts: 4,569

03-10-2012, 12:52 PM	#507
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5326768	If any of you are going to the watch party at the members club I will be out there handing out ordered scarves on behalf of the Cauldron. Come and say hi.
Posts: 53,435

03-10-2012, 01:08 PM	#508
Fansy the Famous Bard I'm with the Banned Join Date: Feb 2009 Casino cash: $2396440	I'll be there, bringing my son too. __________________ Hi.
Posts: 6,036

03-10-2012, 02:54 PM	#510
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5326768	D.C. UNITED vs SPORTING KANSAS CITY RFK MEMORIAL STADIUM, Washington, D.C. March 10, 2012 (WEEK 1, MLS Game #3) 7:30 p.m. ET (CSN-MA+; KSMO) D.C. United and Sporting Kansas City ended the 2011 regular season against each other - and the Eastern Conference foes meet once again, this time to kick off the 2012 campaign. For United, that season finale came just after seeing their playoff hopes dashed for a fourth consecutive year. Sporting ended the 2011 season atop the Eastern Conference and were 90 minutes from reaching MLS Cup, before falling in the conference final on their home ground. REFEREE: Mark Geiger. SAR (bench): Sean Hurd; JAR (opposite): Steven Taylor; 4th: Mark Kadlecik MLS Career: 88 games; FC/gm: 26.5; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 16; pens: 30 DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF) INJURY REPORT: D.C. UNITED -- OUT: MF Kurt Morsink (L foot neurectomy); QUESTIONABLE: DF Ethan White (R knee inflammation) SPORTING KANSAS CITY -- OUT: GK Eric Kronberg (lower back injury); QUESTIONABLE: MF Paulo Nagamura (L calf strain); PROBABLE: MF Graham Zusi (R quad strain); MF Julio Cesar (L knee strain) INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none SUSPENDED: none HEAD-TO-HEAD ALL-TIME (43 meetings): United 18 wins (1 shootout), 60 goals ... Sporting 16 wins (0 shootout), 67 goals ... Ties 9 AT RFK STADIUM (21 meetings): United 12 wins (0 shootout), 33 goals ... Sporting 5 wins (0 shootout), 24 goals ... Ties 4 RETURN MATCH: 8/11: Sporting Kansas City vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. CT LAST YEAR (MLS): 8/21: KC 1, DC 0 (Kamara 19) 10/22: DC 0, KC 1 (Besler 54) Sporting won both meetings last season by 1-0 scorelines. United haven't won in Kansas City since a 1-0 victory, July 4, 2007. Last year's Sporting win at RFK Stadium was the first win by a road team in the series since United's 2007 win at Arrowhead Stadium. Coaches record: Ben Olsen vs. KC: P2 W0 L2 D0 ... Peter Vermes vs. DC: P6 W3 L2 D1 D.C. UNITED D.C. United are looking to return to the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2007 - the longest postseason drought in the storied club's history - when Ben Olsen begins his second full season in charge. United were pipped from a playoff spot in the season's final week last year, finishing in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. While the preseason finale against the Columbus Crew in the Carolina Challenge Cup was cancelled because of inclement weather in Charleston, S.C., United claimed the "Coffee Pot Cup" - emblematic of the preseason tournament championship - for a third consecutive year. United defeated the USL Pro League Charleston Battery 3-1 in their eventual final match, behind goals from Maicon Santos, Ryan Richter and Hamdi Salihi. Here's the United team: Joe Willis (Andrew Dykstra 61'); Chris Korb, Brandon McDonald (Dejan Jakovic 46'), Emiliano Dudar (Ethan White 46'), JosÈ Burciaga [trialist] (Andy Najar 46'); Danny Cruz (Daniel Woolard 78'), Branko Boskovic (Stephen King 46'), Lance Rozeboom [trialist] (Conor Shanosky 61'), Nick DeLeon (Chris Pontius 71'); Ryan Richter [trialist] (Josh Wolff 61'), Maicon Santos (Hamdi Salihi 71') To open the tournament, United defeated the Chicago Fire 1-0, with Salihi scoring the only goal. Here's the United team: Joe Willis; Robbie Russell (Chris Korb 78'), Brandon McDonald (Ethan White 46'), Dejan Jakovic (Emiliano Dudar 46'), Daniel Woolard (Guilherme [trialist 75']); Andy Najar (Danny Cruz 78'), Stephen King (Ryan Richter [trialist] 88'), Marcelo Saragosa (Lance Rozeboom 46'), Chris Pontius (Nick DeLeon 71'); Dwayne DeRosario (Conor Shanosky 58'), Hamdi Salihi (Maicon Santos 68') Salihi, an Albanian international, was signed by the club just before heading to South Carolina and scored goals in each of his appearances. "He's a thinker," said fellow forward Josh Wolff. "He's constantly moving and scheming around the backs. He's not a big guy but he uses his space very well. His timing is impeccable." Added strike partner Dwayne De Rosario: "He's a very smart player. He's dangerous in the box. He makes good runs, timely runs, and he reads the game really well." United are also hoping to have Designated Player Branko Boskovic back for the entire season. He suffered a torn ACL in his knee last April - an injury he says is completely healthy. "I feel good, I feel alive. I love the team. I think there are some very good players. I'm very happy to be with this group," Boskovic said. " ... I missed a couple of days in Arizona and I need to work a lot on my fitness. I will see how long I can play and for how many minutes. Still, I don't know. But for the first game, I will be ready." The final match cancellation also robbed United head coach Ben Olsen with the opportunity to see his first-choice XI together. Goalkeeper Bill Hamid and holding midfielder Perry Kitchen missed the first two matches in Charleston while on duty with the U.S. U-23 national team. United thought they had lost a quality offseason pickup when midfielder Danny Cruz suffered an ankle injury in a tackle and had to be carted off in the match vs. host Charleston. But after initial indications were the injury was more serious, Cruz returned to training before the club returned home. "It comes with the way that I play," Cruz said. "I expect it every game. If you look at the amount of times that I get fouled, it's a lot compared to my minutes. I'm getting hit a lot, so I'm used to getting hit." OFFSEASON TRANSACTIONS IN: D Robbie Russell (11/29: trade from RSL); M Nick DeLeon (1/12: SuperDraft); M Lance Rozeboom (1/17: supplemental draft); F Maicon Santos (1/18: free); M Danny Cruz (1/20: trade from Houston); D Emiliano Dudar (1/25: free/BSC Young Boys); F Hamdi Salihi (2/2: Rapid Vienna); M Marcelo Saragosa (2/6: Ravan Baku); GK Andrew Dykstra (2/27: free) OUT: M Santino Quaranta (12/7: retired); D Marc Burch (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Seattle); M Clyde Simms (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/New England); M Brandon Barklage (12/12: option declined); G Steve Cronin (12/12: option declined); F Joseph Ngwenya (12/12: option declined); D Jed Zayner (12/12: option declined); D Devon McTavish (12/22: retired); M Austin da Luz; F Blake Brettschneider (2/3: waived); M Conor Shanosky (3/2: loaned to Fort Lauderdale) SPORTING KANSAS CITY Sporting Kansas City kick off Peter Vermes' third full season in charge with a target on their backs after finishing atop the Eastern Conference regular season standings a season ago following a two-year postseason absence. In the opening season of their Livestrong Sporting Park home, SKC played host to the Eastern Conference Championship, but fell 2-0 to the Houston Dynamo. Sporting concluded their preseason preparations in Florida with a 4-1 win against the U.S. U-17 national team last Thursday. Soony Saad scored the final two goals for K.C., which also got goals from Konrad Warzycha and Kyle Miller. Here's the Sporting team: Steve Spangler, Korede Aiyegbusi (Shawn Singh 46), Lawrence Olum, Cyprian Hedrick (Sacir Hot 46), Michael Harrington, Luke Sassano (Stefan Antonijevic 46), Mozzi Gyorio, Konrad Warzycha (Michael Thomas 46), Dom Dwyer, Soony Saad, Kevin Ellis (Kyle Miller 46) The match came after three contests in the Disney Pro Soccer Challenge, where Sporting failed to advance out of the group phase after a 3-0 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the third game. The loss was the first of the preseason in six matches for K.C. "It [loss vs. Vancouver] came at a great time," SKC head coach Peter Vermes said. "It gets you 10 days right before the first game. Maybe you think things are going well and you deal with a little bit of adversity. ... But our preparation has always been for D.C. And nothing else has changed." Here's the Sporting team: Jon Kempin; Chance Myers, Aurelien Collin (Cyprian Hedrick 78), Matt Besler, Seth Sinovic; Julio Cesar (Luke Sassano 63), Paulo Nagamura (Mozzi Gyorio 73), Bobby Convey (Soony Saad 63); Jacob Peterson (Michael Harrington 83), C.J. Sapong (Dom Dwyer 69), Kei Kamara Prior to that match, SKC played to a pair of draws against MLS clubs, 1-1 with Montreal Impact on Feb. 26 and 0-0 with Houston Dynamo on Feb. 24. Coming out of preseason camp, the Sporting midfield is somewhat injury-hit. Holding midfielder Julio Cesar took part in limited training, while Paulo Nagamura and Graham Zusi - who won his first full U.S. cap and scored on his international debut - were held out of training. "It's nothing too bad," said Zusi, suffering from right quadriceps tightness. "I just don't want to make it any worse. It's a little frustrating, because you always want to be out with the out with the guys and playing, especially leading up to the first game of the season, but I want to be as sharp and fit as possible." Bobby Convey, acquired from the San Jose Earthquakes, started in the midfield vs. Vancouver and played 63 minutes. "We've got a ton of guys," Vermes said. "[Luke] Sassano can play there, Konrad [Warzycha] can play there, [Michael] Thomas can play there. It's not going to be hard to find someone to play that spot. Obviously, you always want to have everyone around," Vermes added, "but I've always been of the belief that one man's absence is another man's opportunity." OFFSEASON TRANSACTIONS IN: D Seth Sinovic (11/28: trade from Montreal); M Paulo Nagamura (11/29: trade from Chivas USA); M/D Bobby Convey (12/2: trade from San Jose); F Dom Dwyer (1/12: SuperDraft); D Cyprian Hedrik (1/12: SuperDraft); M Michael Thomas (1/18: Ljungskile SK/Sweden); F Jacob Peterson (1/19: free/San Jose Earthquakes) OUT: M Davy Arnaud (11/28: trade to Montreal); M JÈferson (11/23: waived); D Scott Lorenz (11/23: waived); M Craig Rocastle (11/23: waived); D Seth Sinovic (11/23: expansion draft) M Milos Stojcev (11/23: waived); F Omar Bravo (12/12: Cruz Azul/Mexico); D Shavar Thomas (12/12: option declined); M Daneil Cyrus (1/22: waived)
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