On To Tucson...

Hi Corbett Field, host of the 2011 MLS Desert Cup

Sporting Kansas City will pack up camp in Phoenix this morning and hit the road for Tucson, hosts of the 2011 MLS Desert Cup. It's the first year of the pre-season event, but tournament organizers have set their sights high for a city that's never seen an MLS team play. One Arizona Citizen newspaper column summed it all up, "Folks, this is a big deal for Tucson." 

Looking back at the previous professional soccer matches in the city, you can understand their excitement:

• February 4th, 1996: Atlante (Mexico) 1, FC Linz (Austria) 1 at Arizona Stadium (8,500)
• March 18th, 1979:  San Jose Earthquakes 3, Dallas Tornado 1 at Arizona Stadium (6,000)
• March 12, 1978:  Dallas Tornado 2, Los Angelez Aztecs 0 at Arizona Stadium (4,000)

Those games brought international soccer stars like Manchester United teammates George Best and Alex Stepney, as well as Mexico National Team icons Jorge Campos and Hugo Sanchez. Now this weekend will feature three of Major League Soccer's newest Designated Players in Sporting KC striker Omar Bravo and the New York Red Bulls duo of Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez.

Action gets underway tonight at 7 p.m. CT when Sporting plays the NPSL's Arizona Sahuaros at Hi Corbett Field, followed by tomorrow's marquee match between Sporting Kansas City and the New York Red Bulls at 9 p.m. CT. We'll be hosting live chats with in-game updates for both, so join in and follow along right here on The Sporting Way.