Category Archives: Sporting_Kansas_City
Today: The Reason Why Sporting Kansas City is Major League Soccer’s Worst Team
It’s not like what I’m about to tell you is a huge secret…
Not to the players on the soccer team known as Sporting Kansas City. The worst overall soccer team in Major League Soccer for the past three years.
Forget the non-excuse excuses offered up by team management earlier this week. Yes, it was super dumb front-loading the schedule with nonstop away games.
The team skittered into its first home game at the new stadium with but one win in 10 tries.
But playing a poorly-planned road schedule with all those losses and ties isn’t really the problem.
It’s the coach, Peter Vermes.
Hearne: What To Do While You’re Not Watching Soccer @ Livestrong Sporting Park
For starters, you’d best not smoke – unless you find yourself on the roof of the owners box (more on that later)…
With more than 11,000 season tickets sold – versus 3,000 and change last year – there’ll be lots of fresh faces soaking up soccer and sun in KCK this summer. But given the sorry state of the team’s play, they’re going to need to find something to do.
I mean, besides watching soccer.
Not a problem. You can shop. The Wi Fi at Livestrong Sporting Park is top notch, so be sure not to forget to bring your smart phone. There are concerts with local bands before the games (don’t miss the Beautiful Bodies in October).
There’s more…
Donnelly: It’s Go Time – LIVESTRONG Sporting Park Debuts Thursday Night
The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here – Sporting KC’s first home game is Thursday at 9:00 p.m..
Okay, maybe not all of us, especially not the soccer haters that like to post comments about why soccer sucks and and all that. Blah, blah, blah.
Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but soccer is here to stay. Did you know that Major League Soccer as a league averaged higher per game attendance last season than both the NBA and the NHL?
I know that stat may make you feel threatened, but that’s just because you don’t know how to appreciate the beautiful things in life, beautiful game, for example.
I got a chance to tour the beautiful new stadium and got an inside look at a bunch of places that most people will likely never get to see without juking a few security guards, like the owner’s suite, exclusive clubs, and some other cool stuff.
Pics of all that after the jump…
Hearne: Time for Sporting Kansas City’s Front Office to Deliver the Goods…or Else
It’s gonna be an uphill battle…
The KC soccer team formerly known as the Wizards – now Sporting Kansas City – face a disturbing dichotomy. On one hand the team is in the well-heeled hands of the main men at Cerner.
New name, new stadium, a couple concerts, better media coverage and an army of suits selling tickets and attending to every sports marketing and operational need imaginable. A front office that rivals – if not exceeds in some ways – that of the Chiefs and Royals.
Trust me, these guys are s-e-r-i-o-u-s.
Former owner Lamar Hunt was a piker by comparison. Sporting has bucks to burn and is not afraid to burn them. On the other hand Lamar – frugal though he was – delivered results on the field.
Donnelly: Sporting KC Plays Wednesday In OP; Bunbury Excluded From Gold Cup
After playing nine straight road matches in all competitions to start the 2011 season, Sporting Kansas City will finally play a match in front of home support on Wednesday when they take on the New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m. in the final round of qualifying for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
No, not at the new stadium. That’s not quite ready…
Donnelly: Sporting KC Does What They Do, Gives Away Points To Seattle In Stoppage Time
Shiny new stadium? Check. New brand, new name? Check. 
International star? Check. Lots of promotion and media attention? Check.
Results?… Umm… what’s the opposite of "check"?
Were there some real positives to take away from Saturday’s disappointing stoppage time loss at Seattle?
Definitely.
Does that make me feel much better about this team? No, not really… okay, maybe a little… maybe…
Donnelly: Donovan & Beckham Push Sporting KC Closer To The Point Of No Return
Well, what can you say?
Another road game for Sporting Kansas City, another disappointing result.
Despite getting on the board first Saturday night at the Home Depot Center in LA, by the time it was all said and done, SKC was on the wrong side of a 4-1 stomping at the hands of Landon Donovan’s LA Galaxy.
Simply put, LA is just a much better team than KC is right now…
Donnelly: Player Carousel Continues, Sporting KC Comes Up Short in NY
Sporting Kansas City took the field with a much different lineup on Saturday against the Eastern Conference leading New York Red
Bulls, but the result was, unfortunately, more of the same.
In the first half Sporting got absolutely hammered by crafty New York players Thierry Henry, Dwayne De Rosario, and Luke Rodgers. The Red Bulls held a huge edge in possession and created a handful of really dangerous chances.
Sporting was lucky to see the halftime score at only 1-0, thanks to Jimmy Nielsen’s several spectacular saves, which included a stop on an undeserving PK.
The score could easily have been 3 or 4-0 at half…
Donnelly: Ryan Smith (Almost) Guarantees It, Sporting KC To Break Out of Funk
It seems like London around here lately. What with the fog and rain and all. So on the recommendation of London native and Sporting Kansas City winger Ryan Smith, I’ve been rocking a little Marsha Ambrosius.
It’s not really like that in London, though, explains Smith. "London is decent, we have decent weather, I don’t know why we’re associated with cold rainy grey, it’s not like that. Some days are like that of course."
And unfortunately, some months are like that if you are Sporting Kansas City, who take their own personal rain cloud wherever they go lately. Depressing, I know.
Let’s try and think of something else for a moment…
Donnelly: Sporting KC’s Teal Bunbury Talks About US Soccer, Dreams of Playing in Europe
Teal Bunbury talks really fast. You can tell he has lots of ideas of his own, but sometimes he tries to just say the "right" thing.
After all, he wants to be a good teammate. And he wants to be a good employee.
And by all accounts, he is both.
And he’s barely 21 years old. And, oh yeah, he wants to go play in Europe and will probably get a shot at that real soon.
I’ve said it before, KC: enjoy Teal while you can, because sooner rather than later you’ll be watching him Sunday mornings on FSC…
Donnelly: Always Change A Losing Strategy – SKC Flounders at Columbus
Over the weekend Sporting KC lost to Columbus, 1-0, in a game that many had pegged as a win.
This dropped SKC to 1-2-1.
There are not a lot of positives to take away from the game, and in fact, the team seems to have reverted back to its 2010 form.
SKC managed just one or two shots on goal for the entire game.
Yes, the ownership group is passionate and innovative and yes, the stadium looks sweet – but that doesn’t matter without the result on the field.
The next few games will be key in determining just how big of a party we can expect for the home opener at the new stadium on June 9th.
Donnelly: Sporting KC Salvages A Draw From Wild Finish In Canada
On Saturday in Vancouver, Sporting Kansas City did the near impossible.
Despite leading the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 going into the last twenty minutes of the game, by the final whistle the scoreboard read 3-3. Vancouver took advantage of what looked like a tired Sporting side and never gave up, equalizing the game with three goals in the last twenty minutes- including two goals in stoppage time- to rip two extremely important points away from SKC.
There were, however, some real positives for SKC, prior to its meltdown…
Donnelly: Ochocinco Better With His Hands, Not Offered Pro Contract; LIVESTRONG Stadium Porn
To absolutely no one’s surprise, Sporting Kansas City announced earlier this week that Chad Ochocinco would not be receiving a contract offer. They did, however, offer Chad the title of "honorary member." 
"Honorary member?" That’s kinda like Larry the Cable Guy getting an honorary degree from MIT.
So what does this mean?
A couple things.
It means Ochocinco’s soccer skills and soccer fitness are nowhere near the level required to play in the MLS, or most other pro leagues for that matter. Not even close. But we knew this, right? (No? You need to read my stuff more, it’s spot on.)…
Donnelly: Sporting KC Loses In Chicago 3-2, Bravo Issued Questionable Red Card
Scrambling to piece together a lineup prior to Saturday’s contest at the Chicago Fire, Sporting KC boss Peter Vermes was forced to 
construct a starting XI unlike any other he’s used over the past few seasons. Between injuries and national team call-ups, SKC was without Julio Cesar (starting center back), Michael Harrington (starting right back), Shavar Thomas (defender), Luke Sassano (defender), Kei Kamara (starting forward), and Ryan Smith (forward).
Vermes did the best he could by sliding left back Roger Espinoza into the center of defense alongsde Matt Besler, and sticking underachieving Chance Myers at left back, with newbie Scott Lorenz at the right back spot. Also, Vermes used a 4-4-2 formation instead of the normal 4-3-3.
Recipe for disaster? Yeah, kind of…
Donnelly: Sporting Kansas City Should Never Have Let Chad Ochocinco Try Out
Today marks Day One of the traveling three ring circus known as Chad Ochocinco’s “Tryout” with Sporting KC. I’ve gone back and forth on this since the announcement.
On the one hand, I can theoretically understand why SKC would invite Ochocinco in for a few days. Let’s face it MLS is not exactly on the tip of most sports fans’ tongues.
In fact, there’s an almost unnatural distaste for soccer among some of the meathead NFL crowd.
They see soccer as a euro-centric pageant where guys with frosted tips and mullets roll around on the ground every time they get touched by an opposing player. So maybe, in a way, getting the support of a legit NFL star could help to bridge this gap between the D&D MLS diehards and fans of big time American sports.
And that’s a big maybe.
Donnelly: Sporting’s Matt Besler Steps Up, SKC Defeats Chivas USA 3-2 in Opener
It’s no secret. Last year’s version of Sporting KC (something called the Wizards) had issues at the center back position. 
In what was Peter Vermes’ first full season as coach, the team picked up the bad habit of giving up “soft goals.”
How did this happen?
A day or so before the first game of the 2010 campaign, longtime captain and veteran central defender Jimmy Conrad was stripped of the captaincy in favor of midfielder Davy Arnaud. Obviously, Vermes and Conrad had some issues. Many sensed that Conrad’s days in KC were numbered.
Despite the demotion, Conrad continued to start at the center defender position.
As the soft goals continued to mount, Vermes scrambled to shore up the back line with a variety of players – Pablo Escobar (later cut), Shavar Thomas, Matt Besler, Nick Kounenakis (later cut) – but nothing seemed to work, and the Wizards missed the playoffs for the second straight season.
Disappointing and unacceptable by the standards of the new ownership group, OnGoal.
Donnelly: Hanging Chad to party with Sporting KC. For Real but For What?
Apparently, the impending NFL lockout is worrying even some of the league’s biggest stars…
Players are tightening their belts, forgoing the purchase of that 10th gaudy necklace, reigning in their budgets for Vegas benders, and even getting second jobs to pick up the slack.
Enter merry prankster Chad Ochocinco. Apparently, the Cincinnati Bengals receiver wants to work in KC this offseason, but not with his hands…
And now Sporting Kansas City has just announced that they have invited Mr. Ochocinco in for a four day trial period, after which they’ll determine if they want to keep the star wide receiver around for a bit longer.
Publicity stunt? Not so fast.
Donnelly: Cynics Finds Ways to Bash Sporting KC Stadium Naming Rights Charity Partner
There’s just no pleasing some people – even when it comes to donating money to charity for cancer research…
The announcement came today that the beautiful new soccer stadium sitting at the Village West would be henceforth known as LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. That’s right, instead of cashing a hefty check and slapping a for-profit corporate logo on the side, Sporting KC brass decided to hype Lance Armstrong‘s charitable, cancer-fighting organization.
For free.
And get this, not only does LIVESTRONG not pay Sporting KC a dime, but a portion of ALL STADIUM REVENUES will help fund the nonprofit effort to fight cancer.
Wow. Um, why?…
