Target Practice

Monday's schedule called for a team building activity to kick off the final three weeks of pre-season and send out February with a bang, literally. Rumors had swirled leading up to the afternoon activity as to what exactly it would entail, so when the guys found out it involved shooting each other with paint, suffice to say there was very little disappointment for a group of ultra-competitive, professional athletes (no word on whether Andy Cole was invited). Some notes from the fun...

-- Striker Kei Kamara has now had his first snowball fight and first paintball fight this pre-season.
-- Perhaps that explains why he showed up in full team-issued gear, before politely being asked to change by Equipment Manager Mike Flaherty.
-- Another Mike, Mike Jones was named the day's MVP based solely on the number of guys overheard at the end of each session saying they'd been shot by the rookie.
-- And speaking of rookies, #TeamYoungGunnas seemed to have a leg up on the veterans if Matt Besler, C.J. Sapong and Jon Kempin bragging on Twitter can be believed. Also on that team were Chance Myers and the aforementioned sharpshooter, Mike Jones.

Yes, the coaching staff sat this one out, but video guru Jake Yadrich was embedded in the middle of the action to capture some great footage from the day's paintball pandemonium. Check it out at SportingKC.com.

Bunbury's Birthday Surprise

Kei Kamara and Robb Heineman's knack for Twitter are well-known amongst Sporting Kansas City supporters. Kamara tweets daily with an inside look at the life of a professional MLS player, while Heineman drops juicy nuggets of news ranging from Designated Player acquisitions to marquee international matches.

Today the two Twitterers combined for quite the 21st birthday surprise for sidelined Sporting striker Teal Bunbury, who until today, had been in Kansas City recovering from a dislocated elbow suffered last week. But at 8am this morning, Bunbury boarded a private plane headed for Phoenix to re-join his unsuspecting teammates in pre-season. And it all transpired on Twitter, beginning with Kamara's innocuous Tweet on Saturday night...

Mr. @RobbHeineman its @TealBunB B-day tomorrow and we need him here ASAP on that private jet to make his 21 a BLAST.

Bunbury agreed, Heineman hinted "wouldn't that be incredible," and Bunbury responded, "that would be too crazy." And that was that. A #DreamsDoComeTrue hashtag left dangling in the Twitterverse, all the while Heineman was making the magic happen behind the scenes.

So imagine Kamara's surprise when Bunbury walks into his room on Sunday morning.

wow this actually happened @TealBunB just surprised us came down in a private Jet. @robbheineman U R The MAN. http://plixi.com/p/80438212

Bunbury said he got the call from Manager Peter Vermes late last night, and didn't believe his coach until he put Heineman himself on the phone. Bunbury kept the surprise a secret until he arrived in Arizona and was welcomed back by his teammates and coaches with a rousing edition of Happy Birthday.

After a whirlwind last 12 hours, Bunbury got the final words on his 21st birthday...

Thanks to @robbheineman and the rest of @SportingKC owners and supporting staff. Making this day so memorable. Private Jet down to AZ 

@KeiKamara dreams do come true my man. So happy to see all my teammates. #PraiseGod

Scrimmage Slideshows

Click play on the slideshows below for images from Saturday's scrimmages, courtesy of the Portland Timbers (Gregory Jessen) and Montreal Impact (Pépé). Sporting Kansas City played to a scoreless draw with Portland in the opening match and were 2-0 winners over Montreal in the second game. Match report with lineups and goalscorers, as well as video reaction at SportingKC.com.

Pre-Season Primer

Saturday brings pre-season matches number six and seven for Sporting Kansas City with a doubleheader at Casa Grande Sports World in Casa Grande, Arizona. The team will make the one-hour trip by bus tomorrow morning ahead of their 12:30 p.m. CT kickoff against the Portland Timbers, followed immediately by a game versus the Montreal Impact. Read below for pre-match news and notes, and follow SKC Press Officer Kurt Austin on Twitter for in-game updates live from Arizona on Saturday...

vs. Portland Timbers -- 12:30 p.m. CT
The expansion Timbers enter Saturday's match unbeaten in the 2011 pre-season in preparation for their first season as a Major League Soccer club, going 1-0-3 in four previous outings. After three consecutive draws against the Ventura County Fusion, LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo, Portland defeated Montreal 1-0 on Wednesday with a goal from Eddie Johnson. No, not the same EJ, though Portland does have two familiar faces -- both former KC second round SuperDraft picks -- in forwards Ryan Pore (2005-08) and Doug DeMartin. Portland's defense has allowed just two goals in four pre-season games, while the potent strike partnership of recently acquired Kenny Cooper and 2010 Hermann Trophy winner Darlington Nagbe will look to provide the offense up top. The Timbers have been in Casa Grande for 10 days and will return to Portland on Saturday night following the friendly.

vs. Montreal Impact -- 2:00 p.m. CT
Montreal, who arrived in Arizona on Monday, are coming off the 1-0 loss to Portland on Wednesday in their first pre-season match against outside competition. Previously, the Impact had prevailed 4-0 over their U21 Academy with two goals from former Toronto FC striker Ali Gerba and played to a 2-0 result in an intras-quad game, decided on a game-winning goal from captain Nevio Pizzolitto. Montreal, currently in the NASL, will enter MLS in 2012 as the League's 19th team and are led by Manager Marc Dos Santos, who gave his squad Friday afternoon off leading up to tomorrow's meeting. "We want all of them fresh and ready to go for tomorrow's game against Kansas City." Goalkeeper Bill Gaudette, a former member of the Columbus Crew, is also looking forward to the scrimmage, saying, "Tomorrow's game will be another good test for us." Read more from the team's pre-game release on MontrealImpact.com.
 

AOKC Launch New Site

It's no secret that Sporting Park will host a 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup doubleheader on June 14th (tickets included in all SKC season ticket packages), five days after the stadium opens with Sporting Kansas City versus the Chicago Fire on ESPN2. What we don't know is which national teams will be coming to KC for the doubleheader until CONCACAF conducts the official draw sometime next month. But that didn't stop American Outlaws Kansas City from launching a seriously sweet campaign to bring their beloved U.S. Men's National Team to the new digs.

The organization's new website -- www.aokcdoesnotstop.com -- launched today and makes a pretty compelling case. Head over there and see it for yourself, and be sure to bounce around the various pages to see the creativity and passion that went into this. The supporters group also took the appeal to Twitter with a #GiveKCaJob hashtag that was trending in Kansas City almost instantly. Also read The Full 90's daily edition of the morning kickoff for Charles Gooch's take on the initiative and The Daily Wiz for more. 

It's safe to say US Soccer noticed the support. What say you, Kansas City? Here is your chance to make your voices heard.

Speaking of the Gold Cup, Ives Galarcep's February edition of the United States roster projection features Sporting Kansas City striker Teal Bunbury as one of four forwards to make the squad alongside Jozy Altidore, Edson Buddle and Juan Agudelo.

LISTEN: KC Cauldron

It is still just over 100 days away until the the KC Cauldron will be filling the Member's Stand at Sporting Park when it opens on June 9th. But it certainly appears as if they're already in mid-season form based on the three audio files they dropped from their recording session held at UMKC earlier this week. Check them out at the links below and give these guys and gals some love by following on Twitter and liking them on Facebook...

• I love Kansas City
• Carefree
• Sporting Sporting Kansas City

We'll echo full-heartedly what they said about the songs on Twitter..."We can't wait to hear them with 2,000 people singing."

Photos from Thursday's Training

As we mentioned yesterday, Sporting CEO Robb Heineman is in Arizona with the team this week. He is joined by Sporting COO Greg Cotton, who sent out some great photos from his phone during the soccer tennis tournament at this morning's training. Check them out below and follow @GregCotton on Twitter for more updates throughout the week...

Wednesday Wrap-Up

Lots of good links for your evening evaluation:

• Two more videos in SportingKC.com's 10 Quick Questions series. Hear from Korede Aiyegbusi and Jack Jewsbury.
• The team website also has a written Q&A with Jimmy Nielsen posted today.
• Even more player interviews available on Backpost.net, who talked to Kei Kamara and Roger Espinoza.
• Latest episode of Byline 2 Backpost makes it back-to-back days with new podcasts published.
• The Sporting KC U16 Juniors won the high school division at the U.S. National Futsal Tournament in KC this past weekend. Read more about the championship game from Thad Bell and hear how the other Juniors teams fared in the tourney.
• All four Juniors teams will be in action this weekend as the U13s and U15s travel to Chicago, while the U16s and U18s travel to Dallas for international friendlies against youth teams from Mexican sides Monterrey, Santos and Tigres.

Also, be sure to follow Sporting CEO @RobbHeineman on Twitter while he is in Arizona with the team this week. His play-by-play of this morning's 11v11 scrimmage in training gave fans a firsthand account of the action, including some critical comments of match referee Kerry Zavagnin. Graham Zusi and Omar Bravo were both on the scoresheet in the 60-minute game.

More on Omar Bravo

The video clips from Omar Bravo's recent media tour in Miami are beginning to make their way to the worldwide web. Watch below as Bravo appears on Republica Deportiva and click on the links for Part I, Part II and Part III of Bravo's guest appearance on ESPN Deportes with Jorge Ramos.

Republica Deportiva (Univision):

More Details on Membership Model

Sporting CEO Robb Heineman outlined a few of the initial benefits for the much anticipated membership model today on SportingKC.com. We'd love to hear your first impressions of what lies ahead with all of the new opportunities and ideas -- leave us your feedback in the comments section below.

Here are some reactions so far on Twitter today:

RobertJonas: Very cool happenings with the SportingKC supporters membership program. I hope other #MLS clubs use as a model for their own.

MLS_Insider: Membership has its privileges: @SportingKC to offer FREE AWAY GAME TICKETS to members. Now that is a fan-friendly FO.

RapidsStuff: Excellent promo from Sporting Kansas. Can the Rapids do the same?

MarkNealon: Someone forward this to #RBNY FO, please.

Eighmee: my mind is blown that @sportingkc is going to pay for away tickets for members.

MV3_2011: the new Membership program is amazing. Count me in. Great idea, other fans are very jealous!

MathewKellerS: Initial membership program sounds great! Way to be innovative! Looking forward to some road games hopefully!

Stoppage Time Debuts

There's a new voice on the local soccer podcast scene with yesterday's launch of Stoppage Time, the official podcast of the Kansas City Star soccer blog. Full 90 mastermind Charles Gooch and fellow soccer writer Pete Grathoff serve up some great soundbytes throughout the 25-minute episode, including this nugget on the state of the 2011 roster:

It's probably easier to find a bottle of Boulevard's chocolate ale than it is to get a read on exactly who is going to be on this team.  

For leads on finding the coveted Chocolate Ale, check Boulevard's zip code search. For leads on who will make the 2011 Sporting Kansas City roster, read DownTheByline's roster analysis from Monday.

Stoppage Time is the second podcast in the Kansas City soccer blogosphere, joining Byline 2 Backpost run by Thad Bell of Backpost.net and Mike Kuhn of DownTheByline.com. The KC Soccer Show will also return in 2011 after its successful debut on Sports Radio 810 WHB last year. Click here to listen to the latest episode, hosted by Dave Borchardt and Josh Whisenhunt last week.

MLS Matchday

MLS First Kick is still three weeks away as the Seattle Sounders will host the Los Angeles Galaxy on Tuesday, March 15th live on ESPN, but Major League Soccer supporters can get an appetizer of MLS action tonight as Real Salt Lake and the Columbus Crew meet in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. The first leg of the home-and-home match-up will air live on Fox Soccer Channel at 7 p.m. CT tonight from Crew Stadium, with the return leg set for next Tuesday at Rio Tinto Stadium. Head over to MLSSoccer.com/CONCACAF for full coverage of tonight's tilt.

That match is just one of a full slate of games on the docket today. UEFA Champions League continues its Round of 16 pairings with Real Madrid-Lyon and Chelsea-Copenhagen at 1:30 p.m. CT. And the United States Under-17 Men's National Team can clinch a spot in the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico this summer with a win over El Salvador in today's CONCACAF U-17 Championship quarterfinal, live on ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.com at 2 p.m. CT.

Tune in and speak up. Which games would you rather watch: MLS in CONCACAF Champions League? European clubs in UEFA Champions League? U.S. youth in World Cup qualifying? Or all of the above?

Jewsbury a Hall of Famer

Sporting Kansas City midfielder Jack Jewsbury was inducted into the Saint Louis University Billikens Hall of Fame on Friday night at the Busch Student Center on SLU's campus. One of 11 new members, Jewsbury was inducted as a Billiken Great for his accomplishments during his four-year college career from 1999-2002.

Prior to being drafted 43rd overall in the 2003 SuperDraft by Kansas City, Jewsbury was a two-time All-American and the 2000 Conference USA Player of the Year. He compiled 38 goals and 25 assists at SLU as he helped the Billikens reach the NCAA Tournament in each of his four years. Jewsbury was previously named to the Billikens Men's Soccer All-Half Century Team in 2009, joining a distinguished list of MLS and U.S. National Team veterans.

See a few pictures from Friday's ceremony, courtesy of the Billikens Media Relations department.

Omar Bravo in the Spotlight

Sporting Kansas City striker Omar Bravo spent the weekend in Miami, Florida as a guest on several Spanish-language media outlets. See the slideshow below and watch three segments from his appearance on Republica Deportiva (Univision):

• Part One: His arrival in Kansas City
• Part Two: About playing in the World Cup
• Part Three: On his departure from Chivas Guadalajara

Be sure to follow @ElSportingKC on Twitter and like the El Sporting Kansas City page on Facebook for more photos, video footage, links and other Spanish-language coverage of Sporting Kansas City and Designated Player Omar Bravo.

Introducing Kevin Ellis

Kevin Ellis was introduced today as the team's newest signing and second Home Grown Player in club history. He'll wear No. 31 and provide depth at the right back position behind incumbent Michael Harrington. Head over to SportingKC.com for the full story.

It’s amazing. Growing up, I supported the team. And now I’m playing with Davy Arnaud, who was a player I looked up to. To share the field and locker room now as a professional, it’s amazing.

Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes spoke highly of the Juniors program and said, "Hopefully there’s going to be many more guys to come." Be sure to keep an eye on The Junior Way for all the latest news and notes about the Sporting Kansas City Juniors, including today's post about the U16 Juniors being invited to run a futsal clinic by U.S. Men's National Futsal Team Manager Keith Tozer as part of the national tournament being held here in KC.

Project of the Year

Sporting Park garnered its first piece of hardware on Thursday night when it was honored as the Project of the Year by the Kansas City Commercial Real Estate Women (KC CREW) at the organization’s annual IMPACT Awards Ceremony. Sporting CEO Robb Heineman attended the event and showed off the award in the office this morning. Have you checked out the webcam lately? This warm weather has it looking better than ever.

Some afternoon reading while we set up shop for the press conference to announce our second Home Grown Player at 1:30 p.m. CT today. Don't forget to watch live on SportingKC.com as the Juniors product is unveiled and submit your questions for the press conference via replies to @SportingKC on Twitter.

• Sports Illustrated writer Steve Davis likes where things are headed here in KC
• Omar Bravo tells Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star that "I hope to win. Winning is what attracts fans. I’m used to a culture of winning. I hope to infect everyone with that winning culture.”
• Bravo was one of several Sporting players to show off for the cameras yesterday. This video goes behind the scenes at the photo shoot.

2011 Hall of Fame Class

U.S. Soccer announced the ballots for the 2011 Hall of Fame nominees today in the player, veteran and builder categories. Lots of names with Kansas City ties are again on the annual list, including Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes (as a player) and his coach in KC the last three years of his career, Bob Gansler (as a builder). Voting -- conducted by Hall of Fame members, as well as designated soccer administrators and media members -- begins today and will continue through March 11th, with results to be announced this Spring.

In other soccer-related election news, Sports Illustrated writer and Mission, Kansas native Grant Wahl is running for FIFA President, complete with a campaign video and endorsements from Drew Carey, Herculez Gomez, Chad Ochocinco, Steve Nash and Seth Meyers, among others. Think he has what it takes?

Another local soccer name will be in the news tomorrow. Be at a computer at 1:30 p.m. CT on Friday to find out who the team's second Home Grown Player signing will be when SportingKC.com streams the announcement live. You can even submit questions via Twitter that may be picked to be asked during the press conference. Ask away!

Scrimmage Central (UPDATED)

UPDATE: Second scrimmage ends with 1-0 loss to U.S. U-18's. Midfielder Khiry Shelton scored for the U-18's in the 14th minute on a set piece.

UPDATE: Houston wins 3-1 in first match. Dynamo built a 3-0 lead on an own goal (Cyrus), penalty kick (Garey) and Hainault tap-in, before Chance Myers got Kansas City on the scoreboard by finishing a cross from Scott Lorenz. The game was approximately 80 minutes after an injury to Teal Bunbury during the second session forced an extended stoppage in play.

UPDATE: Now playing three, 30-minute matches against Houston, followed by a 60-minute scrimmage against the United States Under-18 National Team. Lineups below.

It's a double dose of action from Arizona today. Sporting Kansas City will first face the Houston Dynamo at 11am CT in a 60-minute match, then take on the United States Under-18 National Team for 90 minutes (broken into separate 60-minute and 30-minute scrimmages). Expected lineups for each of the games are below:

vs. Houston: Omar Bravo (Adda Djeziri 45), Teal Bunbury (Birahim Diop 50), Kei Kamara (Chance Myers 60); Milos Stojcev (Jack Jewsbury 60), Stephane Auvray (Davy Arnaud 60), Michal Mravec (Craig Rocastle 60); Roger Espinoza (Scott Lorenz 60), Daneil Cyrus (Omar Colley 30), Shavar Thomas (Sheldon Bateau 60), Michael Harrington (Luke Sassano 60); Jimmy Nielsen (Eric Kronberg 45)

vs. US u18's: Adda Djeziri (Graham Zusi 30), Birahim Diop (C.J. Sapong 30), Chance Myers (Travis Bowen 30); Jack Jewsbury (Korede Aiyegbusi 30), Davy Arnaud (Chance Myers 30), Craig Rocastle (Konrad Warzycha 30); Scott Lorenz, Matt Besler (Mike Jones 30), Sheldon Bateau, Luke Sassano (Kevin Ellis 30); Jimmy Nielsen (Eric Kronberg 30)

MLSsoccer.com's Jonah Freedman will be on site hosting a live chat with updates and commentary from the match against Houston. Follow @SportingKC on Twitter for updates and check back here for results and goal scorers from the full 150 minutes of pre-season play.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all of our soccer supporters, or at least those who celebrate the occasion. The Sporting Way asked Jimmy Nielsen what he was getting for his wife and found out it's not nearly as universal as the beautiful game. "Where we come from we don’t celebrate Valentine's Day," Nielsen said. "It's not a special day in Denmark. I'll probably bring a little gift for my wife and kids from Arizona though."

A few weeks ago we mentioned a Public Works and Safety Committee meeting to hear our request to change the name of Prairie Crossing Street to Sporting Way that was scheduled for tonight. That hearing has been postponed, with a new date TBD. We'll keep you posted.

What are your plans for tonight? The team will be resting up for a doubleheader tomorrow, beginning with a 60-minute match against Houston at 11am CT. That scrimmage will be followed by 90 minutes of action against the United States Under-18 National Team, broken into a 60-minute match and subsequent 30-minute finale. Check back here for lineups and updates on the final day in Phoenix before the team returns to KC for five days off.

Training Recap

Today's morning session in AZ featured some 5-v-5 with players stationed around the outside of the small field serving crosses into their attacking teammates. After a round-robin session and a one-off final that ended in a tie, the team led by captain Davy Arnaud was victorious after winning a shootout from the top of the 18-yard area. The winning team consisted of:

• Davy Arnaud - co-MVP
• Luke Sassano - co-MVP
• C.J. Sapong
• Jimmy Nielsen
• Mike Jones
• Michael Harrington
• Adda Djeziri
• Birahim Diop

Intra-Squad Scrimmage (UPDATED)

Updated with results/stats at bottom...

Today's intra-squad scrimmage will be played in a similar format to Saturday's match against Columbus, in three, 30-minute sessions at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix, Arizona. The technical staff has divided the pre-season roster into three teams for today's scrimmage:

Orange: Davy Arnaud, Stephane Auvray, Matt Besler, Omar Bravo, Teal Bunbury, Julio Cesar Santos Correa, Roger Espinoza, Michael Harrington, Kei Kamara, Jimmy Nielsen, Graham Zusi

Yellow: Birahim Diop, Adda Djeziri, Jack Jewsbury, Mike Jones, Eric Kronberg, Scott Lorenz, Mitja Morec, Chance Myers, Craig Rocastle, C.J. Sapong, Luke Sassano, Konrad Warzycha

Blue: Korede Aiyegbusi, Sheldon Bateau, Travis Bowen, Calum Butcher, Omar Colley, Daneil Cyrus, Kevin Ellis, Jon Kempin, Gor Kirakosyan, Michal Mravec, Trialist 1

The schedule is as follows:

• Orange v Blue – Blue wins 1-0 on goal from Korede Aiyegbusi. Shutout by Jon Kempin. 
• Orange v Yellow – Orange wins 1-0 on goal from Kei Kamara (assist to Omar Bravo). Shutout by Jimmy Nielsen.
• Blue v Yellow - Ends in scoreless draw. Jon Kempin and Eric Kronberg with shutouts.
• Blue finishes unbeaten with 1-0-1 record and 0 goals allowed.

Follow @SportingKC and @DaveBorchardt on Twitter for updates from the intra-squad game, kicking off momentarily in Phoenix.

Training Reports

After a day off on Sunday following the 2-2 tie with Columbus this weekend, Sporting Kansas City continued pre-season training on Monday and Tuesday with two-a-day workouts at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix, Arizona (semi-daily temperature watch: 72 degrees on Tuesday).

Monday, February 7th:

Monday's afternoon session started with a warm-up jog led by SKC Fitness Coach Mateus Manoel. The players then moved to an adjacent field for several quick 3v1 keep-away games before going back to the neighboring fields, where the coaching staff divided the group into three separate teams. Two teams played 11v11 on a short field, while the third team worked on attacking patterns, and each team rotated accordingly. The session, which lasted just under two hours, ended with a traditional cool down and stretch.

Tuesday, February 8th:

The team returned to the complex on Tuesday morning and after going through the obligatory warm-up jog, underwent dynamic stretching and neuromuscular activation as they would do during the season on the day before a match. The technical exercises for today started with a series of 4v2 keep-away games that led into a round robin 6v6 tournament on a short field. Of the four teams, team yellow won 1-0 in the final over team red on a blast from distance by trialist Calum Butcher and a clean sheet from homegrown academy signing Jon Kempin. Kei Kamara, Jack Jewsbury, Davy Arnaud and Sheldon Bateau rounded out the victorious squad. The guys then reported to Athletes Performance this afternoon for the week's first weight lifting session. 

Wednesday, February 9th:

Tomorrow brings a formal intra-squad game at 11:00 a.m. CT. Be sure to follow PR guru @DaveBorchardt on Twitter for on-the-ground updates throughout the scrimmage.

Scrimmage Slideshow

You've read the recap from Saturday's 2-2 pre-season draw against Columbus out in Phoenix. You've watched the video with footage of both goals, as well as comments from Manager Peter Vermes and his SKC players. Now see the photos from the friendly, courtesy of Norm Hall.

24 Hours to 1st Game!

Sporting Kansas City will turn a new page in their pre-season tomorrow as they face their first competition of 2011 in an exhibition scrimmage with the Columbus Crew at 12 p.m. CT in Phoenix, AZ. We're told the two sides will play a series of three, 30-minute scrimmages as Kansas City faces a Columbus side that is quickly prepping for the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals later this month.

SKC video guru Jake Yadrich has been bringing fans all the sights and sounds from the team's first week of two-a-days and testing out west, and will have a video recap of Saturday's game up on SportingKC.com late tomorrow. Today, the team went through a light session of running and soccer tennis (won by the veteran pairing of Jack Jewsbury and Davy Arnaud) in this morning's training before lifting weights and attending an afternoon seminar presentation at Athletes Performance.

To get you ready for tomorrow's action, read the latest on Sporting KC pre-season progress:

• Matthew Doyle gives us Manager Peter Vermes' views on pre-season at MLSsoccer.com
• Photos from Thursday's training courtesy of Jose Romero
• Romero also penned a post for Soccer By Ives with quotes from Vermes
• The latest edition of Tactical Thinking by Charles Gooch
• Juniors product Kevin Ellis is in Arizona. Terez Paylor has more
• Marques Mayoras, another SKC Junior, signed for Ohio State today
• Stay tuned to The Junior Way for more college commitments, but until then see U15 Coach Edmond Rugova in action at the Missouri Comets Reunion Night last weekend
• The KC Star also lists out our current pre-season roster
• Tony Felich's newly launched blog has some photos of our new digs in KCK
• The Beautiful Game KC compares our stadium to Houston's proposed home
• Teal Bunbury made a few headlines yesterday following this story on Yanks Abroad

For even more MLS and soccer-related stories, read Friday's Morning Kickoff at the Kansas City Star's Full 90 blog.

Happy Birthday, Sasha

Sporting Kansas City color commentator Sasha Victorine turned 33 today, so in honor of the former player turned front office member (suspiciously absent from work today) we're posting our favorite three photos of Senor Victorine. What can we say, their's a reason they call them TV personalities.

Follow Sasha on Twitter and click here for the last two photos.

BRR...AVO!

Wind chills are in the single digits, what better time to grab a Sporting Kansas City scarf or hoodie to stay warm!

While the team and staff in Phoenix for pre-season won't be getting any sympathy from those of us dealing with the bitter cold here in KC, their temperatures aren't much warmer. Arizona is also feeling the effects of the winter weather, with freeze warnings in effect yesterday and today, and the start of the Phoenix Open golf tournament delayed today due to frost and frozen greens.

Today's low could challenge the record for the date - 28 degrees, set in 1922 - said Charlotte Dewey, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Phoenix. "It's fairly rare for this area," she said of the chilly weather. "It's still winter, but it is unusually cold."

The cooler climate is but one adjustment for Sporting Kansas City striker Omar Bravo. ESPN.com's Jeff Carlisle spoke to Bravo this week and has a well-written article on Bravo's arrival to Major League Soccer, with comments from Manager Peter Vermes and recently retired MLS goal scorer Taylor Twellman.

Bravo mentions Sporting KC fitness coach Mateus Manoel as a key part of his transition from Chivas Guadalajara. Head over to SportingKC.com for a great Q&A with Mateus, who has worked with the U.S. and Mexico National Teams in recent years.

Info on Sporting Jerseys

Sporting Fans, some of you may have come across the MLSGear.com listing for authentic 2011 Sporting Kansas City jerseys. Feel free to pre-order through MLSGear.com, but please note these will not be shipped until as late as June. We are expecting to have our first shipment of authentic jerseys arrive by the end of March. Upon receipt, we will be able to sell these jerseys directly to you for immediate pickup.

Snowy Sights at Stadium

Across the metropolitan area today, Kansas Citians are digging out of the 10+ inches of snow the Blizzard of Oz dumped upon us Tuesday. That also appears to be the case out at the stadium site where the webcam shows a snow plow diligently piling up the powder on the playing surface this morning.

VP of Development David Ficklin filled in The Sporting Way on the latest:

We've got to get the snow off the field because we're in the middle of building the playing field, thats the phase we're in. Before the snow, people would have seen a bunch of flags in the field, marking the locations for the soccer goals, as well as rugby and football goalposts, to drill those sleeves in. We've actually turned the field over to the field building contractor. The next step is to install the SubAir heating and cooling system. The pipes are all stacked up out there and that's going to go in over the next couple of weeks. People should be watching the webcam if they want to see the excitement of the field taking shape.

He also revealed a milestone moment coming up in the stadium's progress. The first seats are due to arrive in coming weeks and seat installation will begin by month's end. As Ficklin advised, continue to check out the webcam, now brought to you by Midwest Ford Dealers, as more and more details are added to the stadium. 

With temperatures below zero in Kansas City today, our hats go off to those working outdoors in these conditions, including the construction crews that are helping build our new home. From day one of the project just over a year ago, when snow could still be seen at the ceremonial groundbreaking, it's pretty impressive to see such an aggressive construction schedule stay on track despite the Midwest's unforgiving climate swings. All to make a grand opening this June possible and give us one of the best soccer stadiums of its size in the world.

Top 10 All-Time Soccer Beards

In honor of midfielder Graham Zusi's new look, we wanted to put it up against some of the best beards this sport has seen over the years. He's got some serious competition, but can he challenge for best facial hair in team history? Or even best in MLS in 2011?

Hey, don't scoff at the scruff. MLS has a long-standing tradition of fortuitous facial hair. The 2005, 2006 and 2007 MLS Cups were hoisted by teams buying into the playoff beard approach. And who can forget Colorado goalkeeper Matt Pickens' epic beard in last year's final as the Rapids out-bearded FC Dallas. Click below to see our compilation of the Top 10 All-Time Soccer Beards.

Read more...

2011 All-Star Game Announced

As many saw yesterday, MLSsoccer.com was teasing a big announcement for today. Hot off the press, the 2011 MLS All-Star game will be played at Red Bull Arena on July 27th at 7:30 p.m. CT.

The opponent will be announced at a later date, but if past years are any indication, MLS supporters will have a marquee match-up to look forward to. The mid-season event has featured an EPL foe in five of the last six years, including reigning champions Chelsea in 2006 and current league leaders Manchester United last season. Who would you like to see the best of MLS play?

The League will hold a media teleconference with MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan and New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry at 2:30 p.m. CT today. Fans can listen in on MLSsoccer.com as the teleconference is streamed live.