With the Gold Cup returning to Kansas City this coming Monday when Haiti plays Honduras and the US plays Panama I thought this week's Throw Back Thursday I'd go back to the 2011 Gold Cup which was also in KC. The games came a week after the opener at Sporting Park when KC drew with the Chicago Fire. The opener on that day in 2011 saw Canada face Panama. Panama was in control of the group needing just a draw to clinch the top spot after they'd handed the United States their first group stage loss in the tournament's history 2-1 in Tampa. Canada at the time was fighting for a chance to get into the knock out phase needing a win or a draw and some help to qualify. Canada came out and was really the more dominate team throughout the game, but couldn't finish their chances. It wasn't until after the hour mark when Dwayne DeRosario was fouled in the box that Canada finally put the ball in the net. The first goal in the stadium's history went to the Canadian DeRosario. Canada attempted to hold on for the win as the stadium filled with US fans hoping for a win that would leave the door open for them to win the group. It looked like they would hold on for the win as the game entered stoppage time, but Luis Tejada tied the game as Milan Borjan couldn't hold onto the shot as it trickled into the net leading to a 1-1 draw and Panama winning the group.
In the night cap, the US national team faced off against Guadeloupe. Like the first game, one team completely dominated play. This time it was the United States controlling the game for the most part and creating a number of chances. Unlike Canada, the US capitalized on their early chances as Jozy Altidore scored in the 9th minute to make it 1-0 to the US. Unfortunately from there the finishing just didn't for the US. Clint Dempsey especially had a number of chances that he just couldn't put away. The US would hold on for the 1-0 win and advance as the second place team to play Jamaica, who they defeated before getting revenge on Panama before losing in the Gold Cup final to Mexico.
Showing posts with label Gold Cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gold Cup. Show all posts
Thursday, July 09, 2015
Thursday, June 25, 2015
#TBT The Gold Cup
With the Gold Cup rosters being announced this week, I thought it'd be a good Throw Back Thursday to take a look at some past Gold Cup highlights that involve people currently with Sporting Kansas City.
First, we'll go back to the very first Gold Cup, after it had previously been the CONCACAF Championship, in 1991, the federations championship was officially played as the Gold Cup. Sporting KC's head coach, Peter Vermes was on the team that won the competition on penalty kicks over Honduras. The highlights below though are from the semifinals against Mexico, which the US won 2-0 thanks to second half goals by John Doyle and Vermes.
We're going to now jump ahead 16 years to a point where current players were involved in the tournament. The 2007 tournament saw the US advance to the finals against Mexico in a bit of controversial fashion in the semifinals against Canada. But in the final, with the game tied 1-1, a 22 year old Benny Feilhaber hit one of the sweetest goals you'll ever see. The goal, 8 years ago yesterday stood up as the winner and the US qualified for the 2009 Confederations Cup (which also saw a historic win that occurred this week in history.
The 2011 Gold Cup really became the coming out party for Roger Espinoza at central midfield. Before that in his career with KC and Honduras he had mainly played as an outside midfielder or outside back. But during that Gold Cup, he performed so well, included in the semifinal against Mexico that when he returned, Vermes really had no other choice than to move him to central midfield for KC as well.
The 2013 US Open Cup saw the United States again grab the championship. Sporting KC's Matt Besler had been called in as a knockout stage replacement for the team. Besler started all three of the USA's knock out games, including the final, which the US won 1-0 over Panama to claim the Gold Cup and at least clinch them a playoff against the winner of this year's Gold Cup for a chance to qualify for the 2015 Confederations Cup.
First, we'll go back to the very first Gold Cup, after it had previously been the CONCACAF Championship, in 1991, the federations championship was officially played as the Gold Cup. Sporting KC's head coach, Peter Vermes was on the team that won the competition on penalty kicks over Honduras. The highlights below though are from the semifinals against Mexico, which the US won 2-0 thanks to second half goals by John Doyle and Vermes.
We're going to now jump ahead 16 years to a point where current players were involved in the tournament. The 2007 tournament saw the US advance to the finals against Mexico in a bit of controversial fashion in the semifinals against Canada. But in the final, with the game tied 1-1, a 22 year old Benny Feilhaber hit one of the sweetest goals you'll ever see. The goal, 8 years ago yesterday stood up as the winner and the US qualified for the 2009 Confederations Cup (which also saw a historic win that occurred this week in history.
The 2011 Gold Cup really became the coming out party for Roger Espinoza at central midfield. Before that in his career with KC and Honduras he had mainly played as an outside midfielder or outside back. But during that Gold Cup, he performed so well, included in the semifinal against Mexico that when he returned, Vermes really had no other choice than to move him to central midfield for KC as well.
The 2013 US Open Cup saw the United States again grab the championship. Sporting KC's Matt Besler had been called in as a knockout stage replacement for the team. Besler started all three of the USA's knock out games, including the final, which the US won 1-0 over Panama to claim the Gold Cup and at least clinch them a playoff against the winner of this year's Gold Cup for a chance to qualify for the 2015 Confederations Cup.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Zusi and de Jong Called Up, Mustivar Turns Down Call
The 23 man rosters for next month's Gold Cup were released today with two Sporting KC players named to the roster. Marcel de Jong was named to Canada's roster while Graham Zusi was named to the USA's roster. Zusi will join the US team after this weekend's game against Colorado ahead of a friendly against Guatemala next week. De Jong's departure date has not been stated, so he could play in next week's US Open Cup game against Dallas before leaving. Meanwhile a third player has been named to his country's 23, but has apparently turned down the call up. According to the completed rosters, Sporting's Soni Mustivar was named to Haiti's roster but apparently turned down the call up and talks with the Haiti federation are currently on going. Of the three, Mustivar may be the biggest loss with the
way that KC has played since he came into the starting lineup if he does
in fact get called up for the tournament. Along with the Open Cup game, the players would also miss a trip to Vancouver on July 12th.
For those teams that advance past the group stage, games against Montreal on the 18th, Salt Lake on the 24th, and potentially a US Open Cup quarterfinal on July 21st or 22nd. KC's remaining players not called up, Matt Besler and Roger Espinoza could also be called in for the knock out round as all teams are allowed six replacements. Espinoza, like Mustivar turned down a call up for the Gold Cup, instead wanting to stay with KC and work on his fitness. Besler's absence may be the most surprising of all, and one has to wonder if he asked to not be called in for the group stage as well due to KC's lack of depth right now at the center back position. The KC captain though would be a prime candidate to be one of the six replacement players named after the group stage.
For those teams that advance past the group stage, games against Montreal on the 18th, Salt Lake on the 24th, and potentially a US Open Cup quarterfinal on July 21st or 22nd. KC's remaining players not called up, Matt Besler and Roger Espinoza could also be called in for the knock out round as all teams are allowed six replacements. Espinoza, like Mustivar turned down a call up for the Gold Cup, instead wanting to stay with KC and work on his fitness. Besler's absence may be the most surprising of all, and one has to wonder if he asked to not be called in for the group stage as well due to KC's lack of depth right now at the center back position. The KC captain though would be a prime candidate to be one of the six replacement players named after the group stage.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Espinoza Left Off Honduras' Group Stage Roster
Last week we heard that five Sporting KC players had been named to their club's Gold Cup provisional squad ahead of this summer's competition. Today Honduras cut their 35 man roster to 23 for the start of the tournament on July 7th. One name absent from the roster that will make Sporting KC fans happy is Roger Espinoza, he and many other Honduran internationals were left off Honduras' roster, at least for the group stages. This means he'll be available for the fifth round of the US Open Cup on June 30th or July 1st as well as when Sporting KC travel to Vancouver on July 12th.
Espinoza though could be recalled after the group stage is done as CONCACAF allows teams to make six changes to their rosters after the group stage, before the knock out round. So it's possible that Espinoza could still miss the team's games against Montreal on the 18th and in Salt Lake on the 24th, plus a potential US Open Cup quarterfinal in between.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Five KC Players on Gold Cup Preliminary Rosters
Today CONCACAF announced the preliminary squads for this summer's Gold Cup. The 35 man rosters for all 12 teams was announced today. The rosters will be knocked down to 23 for the actual tournament itself, although teams can make changes to their roster after the group stage.
For Sporting KC, they've had five players named to the provisional squads for four different countries in the Gold Cup. All of the five players were expected call ups, for the US national team, captain Matt Besler and Graham Zusi are on the list, neither was called into the national team for the games against the Netherlands and Germany. And while the US won both of the games, some of the defensive struggles could give a chance for Besler to win back the starting left center back post. As for Zusi, he probably has a much tougher task of winning back a spot on the team with the way the national team has played lately. And honestly up until the last couple games Zusi hasn't really looked like he should get a call up the way he's played since the World Cup last summer.
The other call ups involve Roger Espinoza being called back to the Honduran national team after having not been called in the last two times they've gotten together. Also there's Marcel de Jong who is on the Canadian roster after missing their most recent call ups for World Cup qualifiers as he returns from injury. The final call up is defensive midfielder Soni Mustivar for Haiti. Mustivar earns his first call up for Haiti as a member of KC.
If all players get called up to the final 23, four KC players will be playing at Sporting Park on July 13th with Honduras, Haiti, and the USA all in town.
The tournament kicks off on July 7th with the group stage and runs through July 26th. The US for example though has another friendly on July 3rd and would likely want players in camp a few days before that. What that means is that any Sporting KC players that make the final or third place game could miss as many as five games with Sporting. Should KC beat St. Louis in the US Open Cup, their fifth round match up would be on June 30th or July 1st followed by league games on July 12th at Vancouver, July 18th vs Montreal, and July 24th vs Real Salt Lake. The fifth game is dependent on US Open Cup advancement as the quarterfinals are July 21st or 22nd.
Certainly not a great situation, but they're not alone, two of their three opponents, Vancouver and Salt Lake have also had five players named to provisional rosters. The third opponent, Montreal only has one called up.
For Sporting KC, they've had five players named to the provisional squads for four different countries in the Gold Cup. All of the five players were expected call ups, for the US national team, captain Matt Besler and Graham Zusi are on the list, neither was called into the national team for the games against the Netherlands and Germany. And while the US won both of the games, some of the defensive struggles could give a chance for Besler to win back the starting left center back post. As for Zusi, he probably has a much tougher task of winning back a spot on the team with the way the national team has played lately. And honestly up until the last couple games Zusi hasn't really looked like he should get a call up the way he's played since the World Cup last summer.
The other call ups involve Roger Espinoza being called back to the Honduran national team after having not been called in the last two times they've gotten together. Also there's Marcel de Jong who is on the Canadian roster after missing their most recent call ups for World Cup qualifiers as he returns from injury. The final call up is defensive midfielder Soni Mustivar for Haiti. Mustivar earns his first call up for Haiti as a member of KC.
If all players get called up to the final 23, four KC players will be playing at Sporting Park on July 13th with Honduras, Haiti, and the USA all in town.
The tournament kicks off on July 7th with the group stage and runs through July 26th. The US for example though has another friendly on July 3rd and would likely want players in camp a few days before that. What that means is that any Sporting KC players that make the final or third place game could miss as many as five games with Sporting. Should KC beat St. Louis in the US Open Cup, their fifth round match up would be on June 30th or July 1st followed by league games on July 12th at Vancouver, July 18th vs Montreal, and July 24th vs Real Salt Lake. The fifth game is dependent on US Open Cup advancement as the quarterfinals are July 21st or 22nd.
Certainly not a great situation, but they're not alone, two of their three opponents, Vancouver and Salt Lake have also had five players named to provisional rosters. The third opponent, Montreal only has one called up.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Sporting Park to Host Gold Cup and USA Again
For the fourth time in five years, Sporting Park will host the US men's national team next summer as part of the Gold Cup. The US national team will close out Group A on Monday, July 13th at Sporting Park against an opponent still to be determined. The US will open play in the Gold Cup on Tuesday July 7th in Frisco, Texas before moving to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on the 10th for the second game before finishing the group phase in Kansas City.
The US will be attempting to sweep this cycle's Gold Cups, giving them an automatic berth in the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. Another team winning the Gold Cup would lead to a one game playoff at a later date to decide who would represent CONCACAF at the competition.
From reading the release put out by Sporting, tickets to the Gold Cup double header will not be included in season ticket packages this time around, unlike 2011. Season ticket holders will have access to an exclusive pre-sale prior to tickets going on sale to the general public.
In the USA's previous three trips to Sporting Park, the US is 3-0-0 with a +5 goal difference (6 for, 1 against). In Kansas City as a whole, the US men are 5-0-0, scoring 13 while allowing 3. Add in the US women's record in KC, and the US men and women are 8-0-3 in Kansas City, scoring 25 and conceding just 7.
This could also mean that Kansas City host three national team games in 2015. There will be the two Gold Cup games, and there is still the Mexico vs Paraguay friendly in March that hasn't been confirmed to be in KC just yet. With KC on the short list to host the 2017 Copa America Centenario the three games would be a chance for KC to impress further. The city has already shown they'll support the US. And the Olympic qualifiers showed that the city will show up for games that don't include the US.
The US will be attempting to sweep this cycle's Gold Cups, giving them an automatic berth in the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. Another team winning the Gold Cup would lead to a one game playoff at a later date to decide who would represent CONCACAF at the competition.
From reading the release put out by Sporting, tickets to the Gold Cup double header will not be included in season ticket packages this time around, unlike 2011. Season ticket holders will have access to an exclusive pre-sale prior to tickets going on sale to the general public.
In the USA's previous three trips to Sporting Park, the US is 3-0-0 with a +5 goal difference (6 for, 1 against). In Kansas City as a whole, the US men are 5-0-0, scoring 13 while allowing 3. Add in the US women's record in KC, and the US men and women are 8-0-3 in Kansas City, scoring 25 and conceding just 7.
This could also mean that Kansas City host three national team games in 2015. There will be the two Gold Cup games, and there is still the Mexico vs Paraguay friendly in March that hasn't been confirmed to be in KC just yet. With KC on the short list to host the 2017 Copa America Centenario the three games would be a chance for KC to impress further. The city has already shown they'll support the US. And the Olympic qualifiers showed that the city will show up for games that don't include the US.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Besler, Zusi Not on Gold Cup Roster and a Look at Who Opponents Lose
Yesterday, Jurgen Klinsmann came out with his roster for the USA for this summer's Gold Cup. Sporting Kansas City will not be represented on the team, at least in the group stage. KC's three players on the preliminary roster, Matt Besler, Benny Feilhaber, and Graham Zusi were all left off the final 23 man roster.
That doesn't mean though that they can't be called up later. In this year's Gold Cup, CONCACAF is allowing team's the ability to replace up to four players on their squad after the group stage. Those potential four players have to come from the preliminary roster. So any of KC's 3 players could be called up for the knock out rounds.
So KC will only be down two players during the group stage of the Gold Cup, their two Haitians, Mechack Jerome and Peterson Joseph.
On the other hand, some of the teams that KC will be playing during the Gold Cup stretch will be undermanned.
While Jairo Arrieta has been called up to the Costa Rican national team for the Gold Cup, he will not be missing this weekend's game against Kansas City. He'll report after the game at Sporting Park Saturday.
In KC's match on July 3rd vs Vancouver though, the Whitecaps will be missing two players, Simon Thomas and Russell Teibert. Both have been called up to the Canadian national team. Thomas isn't one KC would have had to worry about anyway, he is Vancouver's 3rd keeper and wouldn't have played against KC anyway. Teibert though is a bit of a loss, the 20 year old has played in 10 games, starting nine of them. He's also scored two goals this season.
KC's next opponent, Chicago could be missing one player for the Gold Cup, Sean Johnson. Johnson was named to the US roster for the tournament. As the likely third keeper though I'm not sure if Johnson will miss time. In the past, Klinsmann has let the team's third keeper remain with his club unless he was needed. So Johnson may be available.
After Chicago, KC play host to Toronto. TFC will be missing four players for the match, all of whom were called up by Canada for the tournament. Defenders Ashtone Morgan and Doneil Henry have both been called in, along with midfielders Kyle Bekker and Jonathan Osorio. Only Osorio though has played the majority of TFC's games so far this season, playing in 14 games, and scoring three goals. The other three combined have appeared in just 16 games this season for TFC.
Should the US advance to the knock out round (which it'd be shocking if they didn't), KC's opponent on July 20th, Real Salt Lake will be undermanned as well. Salt Lake could be missing four starters for the match against Sporting. Salt Lake had three players called into the US team. Goalkeeper Nick Rimando, team captain Kyle Beckerman, and wingback, Tony Beltran. Those three will be a tough loss to make up for in Salt Lake. The fourth player that will be missing is forward Alvaro Saborio who was called up for Costa Rica for the tournament.
The only opponent KC play during the entire length of the Gold Cup that won't be missing players due to the Gold Cup is their final opponent in the stretch, Montreal.
That doesn't mean though that they can't be called up later. In this year's Gold Cup, CONCACAF is allowing team's the ability to replace up to four players on their squad after the group stage. Those potential four players have to come from the preliminary roster. So any of KC's 3 players could be called up for the knock out rounds.
So KC will only be down two players during the group stage of the Gold Cup, their two Haitians, Mechack Jerome and Peterson Joseph.
On the other hand, some of the teams that KC will be playing during the Gold Cup stretch will be undermanned.
While Jairo Arrieta has been called up to the Costa Rican national team for the Gold Cup, he will not be missing this weekend's game against Kansas City. He'll report after the game at Sporting Park Saturday.
In KC's match on July 3rd vs Vancouver though, the Whitecaps will be missing two players, Simon Thomas and Russell Teibert. Both have been called up to the Canadian national team. Thomas isn't one KC would have had to worry about anyway, he is Vancouver's 3rd keeper and wouldn't have played against KC anyway. Teibert though is a bit of a loss, the 20 year old has played in 10 games, starting nine of them. He's also scored two goals this season.
KC's next opponent, Chicago could be missing one player for the Gold Cup, Sean Johnson. Johnson was named to the US roster for the tournament. As the likely third keeper though I'm not sure if Johnson will miss time. In the past, Klinsmann has let the team's third keeper remain with his club unless he was needed. So Johnson may be available.
After Chicago, KC play host to Toronto. TFC will be missing four players for the match, all of whom were called up by Canada for the tournament. Defenders Ashtone Morgan and Doneil Henry have both been called in, along with midfielders Kyle Bekker and Jonathan Osorio. Only Osorio though has played the majority of TFC's games so far this season, playing in 14 games, and scoring three goals. The other three combined have appeared in just 16 games this season for TFC.
Should the US advance to the knock out round (which it'd be shocking if they didn't), KC's opponent on July 20th, Real Salt Lake will be undermanned as well. Salt Lake could be missing four starters for the match against Sporting. Salt Lake had three players called into the US team. Goalkeeper Nick Rimando, team captain Kyle Beckerman, and wingback, Tony Beltran. Those three will be a tough loss to make up for in Salt Lake. The fourth player that will be missing is forward Alvaro Saborio who was called up for Costa Rica for the tournament.
The only opponent KC play during the entire length of the Gold Cup that won't be missing players due to the Gold Cup is their final opponent in the stretch, Montreal.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Jerome and Joseph Called Up for Gold Cup
The Haitian national team has named their roster for the upcoming Gold Cup. Sporting KC's Haitian duo, Mechack Jerome and Peterson Joseph will both on the team. The two left Kansas City on Tuesday to join their national team in Canada where they are training and playing friendlies ahead of the tournament. Haiti is in group B in the Gold Cup, with Honduras (who they play July 8th), Trinidad and Tobago (July 12th), and El Salvador (July 15th).
During the tournament Jerome and Joseph will miss at least four games, Saturday against the Crew, July 3rd against Vancouver, July 7th in Chicago, and July 13th in Toronto. If Haiti advances, the duo would miss KC's game in Salt Lake on the 20th. The only other game they could miss is if Haiti were to make the final and that'd be KC's trip to Montreal on the 27th.
During the tournament Jerome and Joseph will miss at least four games, Saturday against the Crew, July 3rd against Vancouver, July 7th in Chicago, and July 13th in Toronto. If Haiti advances, the duo would miss KC's game in Salt Lake on the 20th. The only other game they could miss is if Haiti were to make the final and that'd be KC's trip to Montreal on the 27th.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Five Sporting Players Named to Preliminary Gold Cup Roster
The 35 man preliminary rosters were announced today for this summer's Gold Cup for all 12 teams competing in the tournament. Among the players are five Sporting KC players who could be called up for the final 23 man rosters for two of the teams competing in the tournament.
There were three players named to the US roster that could be called up. Matt Besler and Graham Zusi, who are currently with the national team were named to the team. The third player is a bit of a surprise considering his lack of playing time lately. Benny Feilhaber is the third US player that has been called up. Feilhaber hasn't played a lot lately for Sporting, but will look to represent the US for a second time while a member of Sporting KC.
The other two that have been named to the provisional squad are Sporting's two Haitians, Mechack Jerome and Peterson Joseph. The two have already been called up for Haiti's friendlies against Spain and Italy this month.
The Gold Cup runs from July 7th through the 28th throughout the US. The group stage runs from the 7th through the 16th with knockout rounds after that. Should any of the 5 make the final 23, they'd miss up to 5 league games if they make the finals. An elimination during the group stage would see players miss 3 games.
Here's KC's 5 games that take place during the Gold Cup, or just before, after players would have reported.
7/3 vs Vancouver.
7/7 at Chicago
7/13 vs Toronto
7/20 at Salt Lake
7/27 at Montreal
There were three players named to the US roster that could be called up. Matt Besler and Graham Zusi, who are currently with the national team were named to the team. The third player is a bit of a surprise considering his lack of playing time lately. Benny Feilhaber is the third US player that has been called up. Feilhaber hasn't played a lot lately for Sporting, but will look to represent the US for a second time while a member of Sporting KC.
The other two that have been named to the provisional squad are Sporting's two Haitians, Mechack Jerome and Peterson Joseph. The two have already been called up for Haiti's friendlies against Spain and Italy this month.
The Gold Cup runs from July 7th through the 28th throughout the US. The group stage runs from the 7th through the 16th with knockout rounds after that. Should any of the 5 make the final 23, they'd miss up to 5 league games if they make the finals. An elimination during the group stage would see players miss 3 games.
Here's KC's 5 games that take place during the Gold Cup, or just before, after players would have reported.
7/3 vs Vancouver.
7/7 at Chicago
7/13 vs Toronto
7/20 at Salt Lake
7/27 at Montreal
Monday, January 07, 2013
Schedule Coming Wednesday and an Eye on International Dates
MLS fans will be able to plan the rest of their year come Wednesday. The league is set to release the rest of the 2013 schedule on Wednesday at 11am Central time. KC already knows their first three games on the season, playing at Philadelphia, at Toronto, and then opening Livestrong for the season against Chicago.
Outside MLS play, it's going to be a busy year, the year before the World Cup, there's going to be a lot of international soccer going on. Not just that, but there's also the Gold Cup this summer that will be taking up time. With players like Matt Besler, Benny Feilhaber, and Graham Zusi being in camp for the US right now and potentially being called in later this summer as well. Along with that that, there's still other US players on Sporting KC's roster that could be called up, like CJ Sapong. Then you have Peterson Joseph whose national team of Haiti has qualified for the Gold Cup as well. You also have Kei Kamara, the Sierra Leone player of the year, will likely have trips to Africa for Sierra Leone's World Cup qualifying campaign. Finally in probably the least likely of the call ups, Lawrence Olum spent time with the Kenya national team this offseason and they too have World Cup qualifiers this year. So before the schedule comes out, here are a couple of dates to keep in mind while looking at the schedule and KC's potential players that could miss time.
March 22nd
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Costa Rica
Sierra Leone vs Tunisia
Kenya vs Nigeria
March 26th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Mexico
June 4th
International match date
June 7th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Jamaica
Sierra Leone vs Tunisia
Kenya vs Nigeria
June 11th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Panama
June 14th
World Cup qualifiers
Sierra Leone vs Cape Verde
Kenya vs Malawi
June 18th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Honduras
July 7th through July 28th
CONCACAF Gold Cup
August 14th
International match date
September 6th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Costa Rica
Sierra Leone vs Equatorial Guinea
Kenya vs Namibia
September 10th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Mexico
Octobere 11th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Jamaica
October 15th
USA vs Panama
November 15th through November 19th
International match date
Intercontinental playoff between CONCACAF and Oceania
Outside MLS play, it's going to be a busy year, the year before the World Cup, there's going to be a lot of international soccer going on. Not just that, but there's also the Gold Cup this summer that will be taking up time. With players like Matt Besler, Benny Feilhaber, and Graham Zusi being in camp for the US right now and potentially being called in later this summer as well. Along with that that, there's still other US players on Sporting KC's roster that could be called up, like CJ Sapong. Then you have Peterson Joseph whose national team of Haiti has qualified for the Gold Cup as well. You also have Kei Kamara, the Sierra Leone player of the year, will likely have trips to Africa for Sierra Leone's World Cup qualifying campaign. Finally in probably the least likely of the call ups, Lawrence Olum spent time with the Kenya national team this offseason and they too have World Cup qualifiers this year. So before the schedule comes out, here are a couple of dates to keep in mind while looking at the schedule and KC's potential players that could miss time.
March 22nd
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Costa Rica
Sierra Leone vs Tunisia
Kenya vs Nigeria
March 26th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Mexico
June 4th
International match date
June 7th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Jamaica
Sierra Leone vs Tunisia
Kenya vs Nigeria
June 11th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Panama
June 14th
World Cup qualifiers
Sierra Leone vs Cape Verde
Kenya vs Malawi
June 18th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Honduras
July 7th through July 28th
CONCACAF Gold Cup
August 14th
International match date
September 6th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Costa Rica
Sierra Leone vs Equatorial Guinea
Kenya vs Namibia
September 10th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Mexico
Octobere 11th
World Cup qualifiers
USA vs Jamaica
October 15th
USA vs Panama
November 15th through November 19th
International match date
Intercontinental playoff between CONCACAF and Oceania
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Heineman Confirms Livestrong Sporting Park Bid to Host 2013 Gold Cup
During half time of tonight's game between KC and Rockhurst, I was looking around Twitter and found this article regarding the 2013 Gold Cup. Apparently, hosting the Gold Cup has become a fairly popular endeavor for cities to fill some dates. Today 30 perspective stadium sites started the process of bidding to host the 2013 event in the US.
After finishing looking at the article I ended up seeing Robb Heineman standing near by. I asked if Sporting KC/Sporting Club/Livestrong Sporting Park would be entering the bidding. Heineman answered me in the affirmative that they were definitely in the process of bidding to host 2013 Gold Cup games again at Livestrong.
As a whole this shouldn't be surprising. It would probably be more surprising if they were not bidding on the process. But wanted to confirm that LSP is in the bid process to once again host Gold Cup games.
After finishing looking at the article I ended up seeing Robb Heineman standing near by. I asked if Sporting KC/Sporting Club/Livestrong Sporting Park would be entering the bidding. Heineman answered me in the affirmative that they were definitely in the process of bidding to host 2013 Gold Cup games again at Livestrong.
As a whole this shouldn't be surprising. It would probably be more surprising if they were not bidding on the process. But wanted to confirm that LSP is in the bid process to once again host Gold Cup games.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Year End Look at 2011 Wishes
With it being New Year's Eve, I figured it was time to take a look back at the 2011 wishes that I'd posted at the end of last year.
1. Return to the Playoffs - This was filled 100%, not only did KC qualify for the playoffs again, but the team won the regular season Eastern Conference crown and had home field advantage. Unfortunately that didn't translate to making the cup finals. Which brings us to the next one...
2. Silverware - Twice KC looked in a good position to make the finals of two competitions, but both times KC failed to make it. Earlier in the season, KC looked to have a good path to the semifinals of the US Open Cup, but couldn't get past the Richmond Kickers. In the MLS Cup playoffs, KC was one step away from the finals, but got outplayed in the Eastern Conference finals, losing to Houston.
3. Re-Sign Michael Harrington - The team got this taken care of, but it Harrington seemed to drop off after a career year last year. He started the year with a small knock that kept him out of action. When he returned he did ok, but wasn't the same player he was last year. As the year went on, he lost his starting spot to Chance Myers and Seth Sinovic. It'll be interesting to see Harrington's role next year.
4. 10-15 points on road trip to start the season - This didn't come true, KC only picked up 6 points on the road trip and looked dead in the water. But after the poor start, KC lost only 3 regular season games the rest of the season. Combine that with a weaker Eastern Conference and KC was able to finish on top of the East.
5. Average over 15,000 in the new stadium - New all time attendance high for Kansas City this year, at 17,810. Over 2,000 over what I was wanting for the new high, and less than 1,000 under LIVESTRONG's capacity.
6. Sell out half the home games - Seventeen home games, of those, KC had 9 games that were at capacity or over. So that was just over the half number. I imagine if KC didn't have most of those home games cramped into about 3 months that total would likely have been a little higher. Still that's a wish that was met.
7. At most 1 home loss - Not quite, Kansas City lost 2 regular season games at home, along with a third in the playoffs to Houston. All 3 of the losses hurt the first two because of the fact that KC let late leads slip away leading to those loses. And the third ended KC's season.
8. Omar Bravo scores 10+ goals - Bravo didn't quite hit the mark, scoring 9 league goals. If he hadn't missed time due to the hernia surgery I figure he likely would have hit the mark. Bravo is now gone and we're likely looking to add another designated player in the upcoming transfer window.
9. US in KC for the Gold Cup and double header sell out - This one came true. KC hosted the final group stage game as the US fought to qualify for the knock out rounds. They did so on the backs of a 1-0 win over Guadeloupe. KC seemed to impress enough to earn the US Olympic qualifying semifinals and finals this year. They also would seem to be at the forefront of earning a World Cup qualifier back at LSP as well.
1. Return to the Playoffs - This was filled 100%, not only did KC qualify for the playoffs again, but the team won the regular season Eastern Conference crown and had home field advantage. Unfortunately that didn't translate to making the cup finals. Which brings us to the next one...
2. Silverware - Twice KC looked in a good position to make the finals of two competitions, but both times KC failed to make it. Earlier in the season, KC looked to have a good path to the semifinals of the US Open Cup, but couldn't get past the Richmond Kickers. In the MLS Cup playoffs, KC was one step away from the finals, but got outplayed in the Eastern Conference finals, losing to Houston.
3. Re-Sign Michael Harrington - The team got this taken care of, but it Harrington seemed to drop off after a career year last year. He started the year with a small knock that kept him out of action. When he returned he did ok, but wasn't the same player he was last year. As the year went on, he lost his starting spot to Chance Myers and Seth Sinovic. It'll be interesting to see Harrington's role next year.
4. 10-15 points on road trip to start the season - This didn't come true, KC only picked up 6 points on the road trip and looked dead in the water. But after the poor start, KC lost only 3 regular season games the rest of the season. Combine that with a weaker Eastern Conference and KC was able to finish on top of the East.
5. Average over 15,000 in the new stadium - New all time attendance high for Kansas City this year, at 17,810. Over 2,000 over what I was wanting for the new high, and less than 1,000 under LIVESTRONG's capacity.
6. Sell out half the home games - Seventeen home games, of those, KC had 9 games that were at capacity or over. So that was just over the half number. I imagine if KC didn't have most of those home games cramped into about 3 months that total would likely have been a little higher. Still that's a wish that was met.
7. At most 1 home loss - Not quite, Kansas City lost 2 regular season games at home, along with a third in the playoffs to Houston. All 3 of the losses hurt the first two because of the fact that KC let late leads slip away leading to those loses. And the third ended KC's season.
8. Omar Bravo scores 10+ goals - Bravo didn't quite hit the mark, scoring 9 league goals. If he hadn't missed time due to the hernia surgery I figure he likely would have hit the mark. Bravo is now gone and we're likely looking to add another designated player in the upcoming transfer window.
9. US in KC for the Gold Cup and double header sell out - This one came true. KC hosted the final group stage game as the US fought to qualify for the knock out rounds. They did so on the backs of a 1-0 win over Guadeloupe. KC seemed to impress enough to earn the US Olympic qualifying semifinals and finals this year. They also would seem to be at the forefront of earning a World Cup qualifier back at LSP as well.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Espinoza and Honduras Lose in Extra Time
Honduras put up a strong effort against Mexico down in Houston tonight, but in extra time Mexico proved too much, scoring twice to advance to the finals in LA where they will take on the USA who topped Panama. Espinoza playing in a more advanced roll than he does with Sporting KC, and had some very good plays setting up a few potential scoring chances for the Hondurans. In fact late in the game he almost put Honduras through to the finals himself, ripping a shot from 25 or so yards out that the Mexican keeper had to tip over the bar. In extra time though, the Espinoza we all know and love came out as he picked up two yellows, both with patented Espinoza tackles to see his tournament end early. He'll now return to KC and would seem likely to make his return either in the Open Cup game on Tuesday or the next Saturday vs Portland.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Espinoza and Honduras Advance
Roger Espinoza got his first minutes of the Gold Cup, starting for Honduras in their Gold Cup quarterfinal against Costa Rica. Espinoza started and played 80 minutes before making way for Carlo Costly. The Honduras defeated the Costa Ricans on penalty kicks 4-2 after finishing the game tied 1-1. Espinoza helped to set up the Honduran goal, sending a long ball over the top to Javier Portillo. Portillo dribbled into the box and fired a shot that was saved. The rebound though fell to Jerry Bengtson who scored. The goal early in the first half had given the Hondurans a 1-0 lead before Costa Rica tied it up. Honduras now plays Mexico who took care of Guatemala 2-1 after falling behind 1-0 early in the game.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
KC Deserves World Cup Qualifiers
Those that were at LiveSTRONG Sporting Park didn't necessarily see the best game of soccer, but the fans that were in attendance certainly brought the atmosphere. Enough so that it got the attention of people around the US talking about the venue as a host for World Cup qualifiers in upcoming cycles. In fact, Grant Wahl even said that KC is the place to host the next US-Mexico game, as the venue is small enough keep ticket sales to US fan groups. With KC's 11,000 season ticket holder base, their ever growing "membership" system, and group sales through the American Outlaws and US Soccer, KC could be basically sold out before tickets go on sale to the general public.
Robb Heineman also jumped on the band wagon as well during the game. And I personally think KC deserves the chance to host another meaningful US game. The game in 2001 is still the largest attended mid-week World Cup qualifier for the United States, and tonight they drew 20,109 for another midweek game. The attendance being over 1,600 over the announced capacity of LSP. The American Outlaws Kansas City chapter treated US supporters great, a good night before party and a good tailgate, great job by them the past few nights as well. Hopefully they get to do it again in the future. Sooner than Later.
Robb Heineman also jumped on the band wagon as well during the game. And I personally think KC deserves the chance to host another meaningful US game. The game in 2001 is still the largest attended mid-week World Cup qualifier for the United States, and tonight they drew 20,109 for another midweek game. The attendance being over 1,600 over the announced capacity of LSP. The American Outlaws Kansas City chapter treated US supporters great, a good night before party and a good tailgate, great job by them the past few nights as well. Hopefully they get to do it again in the future. Sooner than Later.
Auvray, Guadeloupe Bow Out
Stephane Auvray and Guadeloupe bowed out of the Gold Cup tonight at LiveSTRONG Sporting Park, losing to the United States 1-0. While the US dominated the game, they were only able to find a single goal through Jozy Altidore. Much of the rest of the game saw Clint Dempsey miss numerous chances to extend the USA's lead. In the loss, Auvray went 90 minutes for the Gwada Boys. Depending on how things go, he could possibly be available now for KC when they take on San Jose on Friday. The US move on to take on Jamaica at RFK Stadium this weekend. Panama topped the group after a late equalizer by Luis Tejada gave Panama a 1-1 draw with Canada, and will take on El Salvador at RFK as well. New York Red Bulls midfielder, Dwayne De Rosario's name goes down in history as the first player to score a real goal at LSP.
Thomas and Espinoza Sit for Gold Cup Game
Shavar Thomas and Roger Espinoza were both on the bench for their respective national teams last night in their Group B encounter. Neither player made it into the match that Jamaica won 1-0 on a Noel Valladares own in the 35th minute. Jamaica advanced out of Group B as the group winners and will play the second place team out of Group C, which could be the United States. Honduras gets to play Group A runner up, Costa Rica in their quarterfinal matchup.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Auvray Guadeloupe Fall to Canada
A second minute red card to midfielder Jean Luc Lambourde, put Guadeloupe behind the eight ball from the start against Canada in Gold Cup action today, but it took a 50th minute penalty by Dwayne De Rosario for Canada to capitalize on it and take all 3 points in their group play match. Auvray went the full game for Guadeloupe as captain, but Gaudeloupe find themselves on the verge of elimination heading into their final group game in Kansas City against the United States.
Speaking of the United States and the other group game, the US were stunned by Panama 2-1 after a flat first half from the United States (a pattern under Bob Bradley it seems). The result sets up an interesting final day in Kansas City at LiveSTRONG Sporting Park. With the US having the second game, they will know what result they need before they kick off. Even with the loss, the US can still win the group. To do so though, they'll need Canada to beat Panama in the first game. Should that happen, a win over Guadeloupe would possibly win the group for the US. If Canada and the US win it puts those two and Panama on 6 points. The first tie breaker is the most points in head to head match ups of the 3 teams, which each team would have 3. The second tie breaker is goal difference between the tied teams. The US is at +1 against those two teams. Currently Canada is -2 while Panama is +1. So any win by Canada by 1 or 2 goals will win the group for the US as long as they beat Guadeloupe. If Canada wins by 3 goals, I believe it would revert back to the first tie breaker to break the tie between the US and Canada, which the US wins. Either way, Tuesday should be a fun night.
Speaking of the United States and the other group game, the US were stunned by Panama 2-1 after a flat first half from the United States (a pattern under Bob Bradley it seems). The result sets up an interesting final day in Kansas City at LiveSTRONG Sporting Park. With the US having the second game, they will know what result they need before they kick off. Even with the loss, the US can still win the group. To do so though, they'll need Canada to beat Panama in the first game. Should that happen, a win over Guadeloupe would possibly win the group for the US. If Canada and the US win it puts those two and Panama on 6 points. The first tie breaker is the most points in head to head match ups of the 3 teams, which each team would have 3. The second tie breaker is goal difference between the tied teams. The US is at +1 against those two teams. Currently Canada is -2 while Panama is +1. So any win by Canada by 1 or 2 goals will win the group for the US as long as they beat Guadeloupe. If Canada wins by 3 goals, I believe it would revert back to the first tie breaker to break the tie between the US and Canada, which the US wins. Either way, Tuesday should be a fun night.
Rocastle Out 2 Months
So it sounds like the injury that Craig Rocastle suffered with the Grenada national team in their first Gold Cup game is kind of serious. Andrew Wiebe, Sporting KC's beat writer for MLSsoccer.com posted on Twitter today that Rocastle was at training with a wrap on his leg. He also said that Rocastle has a torn PCL and meniscus. The injury will keep him out about 2 months. The team is hoping to schedule surgery for early next week.
It's a big blow to the Wizards as Rocastle had helped to turn the midfield and defense around after the issues early in the season. The injury would seem to mean more playing time for Luke Sassano or Stephane Auvray (when he returns from the Gold Cup).
It's a big blow to the Wizards as Rocastle had helped to turn the midfield and defense around after the issues early in the season. The injury would seem to mean more playing time for Luke Sassano or Stephane Auvray (when he returns from the Gold Cup).
Friday, June 10, 2011
SKC at the Gold Cup (Rocastle Hurt!)
Only one of Sporting Kansas City's Gold Cup call ups made the field tonight. Shavar Thomas started and played the full game for Jamaica as they took out Guatemala 2-0 thanks to two goals by Demar Phillips. The Jamaicans now sit on top of their group as the only team to win both of their games with a plus 6 goal difference. Jamaica closes out their group on Monday when they'll take on Honduras.
Speaking of Honduras, Roger Espinoza was on the bench for tonight's game against Grenada, but didn't see the field as Honduras cruised 7-1 over Grenada. A hattrick by one time Wizards target, Carlo Costly, a brace by Jerry Bengtson, and goals by Walter Martinez and Alfredo Mejia finished off Grenada who actually took the lead through Clive Murray before surrendering 7 unanswered.
The worst news those of the night was that Wizards defensive midfielder, Craig Rocastle didn't even dress for the game. After doing some looking, I found that Rocastle apparently has some ligament damage, that he is having a scan done on to find out the extent of the injury. On the low side it could just end his Gold Cup, on the other side this could be a disaster for the Wizards as Rocastle's presence in the center of midfield had calmed the team after their rough start. Luke Sassano filled in well last night but I'm not sure he's the long term solution there. So hopefully this ligament damage is minor and Rocastle will be back quickly.
Speaking of Honduras, Roger Espinoza was on the bench for tonight's game against Grenada, but didn't see the field as Honduras cruised 7-1 over Grenada. A hattrick by one time Wizards target, Carlo Costly, a brace by Jerry Bengtson, and goals by Walter Martinez and Alfredo Mejia finished off Grenada who actually took the lead through Clive Murray before surrendering 7 unanswered.
The worst news those of the night was that Wizards defensive midfielder, Craig Rocastle didn't even dress for the game. After doing some looking, I found that Rocastle apparently has some ligament damage, that he is having a scan done on to find out the extent of the injury. On the low side it could just end his Gold Cup, on the other side this could be a disaster for the Wizards as Rocastle's presence in the center of midfield had calmed the team after their rough start. Luke Sassano filled in well last night but I'm not sure he's the long term solution there. So hopefully this ligament damage is minor and Rocastle will be back quickly.
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