Tag: Sporting Kansas City

Kansas football unveils all-red uniforms ahead of upcoming games at Arrowhead Stadium

The University of Kansas football team unveiled new all-red uniforms for their games that are to be played at Arrowhead Stadium this season.

This offseason, the University of Kansas announced the first phase of its two-phase stadium renovation of the 103-year-old David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. With construction to take place well into 2025, the Jayhawks will head East on I-70 to play their home games in Kansas City.

Children’s Mercy Park, home of Kansas City’s professional soccer team Sporting KC, will host several of the team’s outings, but the majority of KU’s home games will be played at Arrowhead Stadium.

To pay homage to the back-to-back Super Bowl champs and current occupants of their temporary home, KU unveiled new all-red uniforms for the upcoming season.

Arrowhead Stadium has seen its share of college football games since its opening in 1972, most notably the 2007 ‘Border War’ showdown between the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas, where #4 Mizzou narrowly beat #2 Kansas 36-28.

The #22 Jayhawks will suit up in their new threads for their first game at Arrowhead on September 28th against the TCU Horned Frogs.

Herrera claims Mexico national team ignores MLS players

The Dynamo midfielder has played just once for Mexico since his move to MLS

Houston Dynamo midfielder Héctor Herrera has claimed that the Mexico national team is not taking MLS players into consideration.

Herrera has been a mainstay for Mexico for most of his career, earning 105 caps and representing his country at three World Cups.

After the 2022 World Cup, the midfielder moved from Atlético Madrid to join up with MLS outfit Houston. Since then, Herrera has made just one appearance for Mexico.

In an interview with TUDN, the 34-year-old suggested that was not a coincidence.

“I personally do consider that we are not taken into account [by Mexico], that they do not give value to the level that you are going through here. I don’t know if it’s because of the competition between the leagues, between MLS and Liga MX,” he said.

To further illustrate his point, Herrera mentioned Sporting Kansas City striker Alan Pulido, who was not called up by Mexico in 2023 despite an excellent season that saw him tally 14 goals in MLS.

“Last year I considered that I was at a great level, perhaps one of the best in my career,” Herrera said. “Alan seemed to me that he was at an excellent level, scoring a lot of goals and was never taken into account for anything.

“[Carlos] Vela is another topic, but I consider that Alan was at a very good level and the national team was not at a good level when it came to forwards.”

Vela didn’t play for Mexico after the 2018 World Cup, but that was a choice the ex-LAFC star made himself.

Herrera did not mention ex-Galaxy star Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, but the striker’s lack of Mexico call-ups during his time in MLS could be seen to bolster his argument.

Mexico’s all-time leading men’s scorer last played for his country in 2019, one year prior to his move to MLS. There has been speculation, however, that the forward’s exclusion was at least in part due to disciplinary reasons.

Herrera will likely be following the exploits of Hirving “Chucky” Lozano closely after the Mexico forward signed with San Diego FC as the club’s first Designated Player.

Lozano, who will stay with Dutch side PSV until SDFC’s preseason in January, was not called into Mexico’s Copa América squad alongside another player linked with a MLS move, legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.

Herrera has advocated for Ochoa, who is currently a free agent, to join the growing contingent of Mexican players in MLS.

“I think that with the track record he has, with how important he is in Mexico, in the United States, he would be a great signing,” Herrera said. “I hope we can add more of those types of players like Hirving, like Memo, and that the level of the MLS can continue to grow.”

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MLS suspends Sporting KC’s Felipe Hernandez for gambling

For a second time, Hernández has been placed on administrative league over alleged gambling offenses

MLS has effectively suspended Sporting Kansas City midfielder Felipe Hernández after he was reported for violating the league’s gambling policies.

The league issued a statement on Friday, saying that Hernández was placed “on administrative leave following a report that the player violated the league’s gambling policies, as well as the terms of his January 2022 reinstatement.”

The 26-year-old has made nine appearances in all competitions for Sporting this season. The club has yet to make a public comment beyond publishing MLS’s statement.

Hernández was previously suspended for gambling violations in October 2021. MLS required Hernández to undergo counseling for gambling addiction at the time, and per the Kansas City Star conducted an investigation into Hernández’s “extensive and unlawful” betting.

That included wagers placed on two MLS matches, though neither involved Kansas City. The investigation concluded that there was no evidence of Hernández placing bets with confidential knowledge, or that his gambling had an impact on the competitive integrity of either game.

Hernández was reinstated in January 2022, with MLS noting that the Colombia-born USYNT player’s “continued abstinence from gambling” was required for him to continue playing in the league.

It was not immediately clear at the time of publication what Hernández’s violations were in this second instance. ESPN reported on Friday that MLS is investigating the matter.

Hernández latest athlete in hot water over gambling

Gambling is increasingly legal across the U.S., depending on jurisdiction, and has become an increasing stress point for pro sports leagues.

That includes MLS, where the Colorado Rapids parted ways with Max Alves after the Brazilian was alleged to have accepted a $12,000 payment for picking up a yellow card in a 2022 match against the LA Galaxy.

Just this month, Major League Baseball issued a lifetime ban to San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for betting on his own team’s games. In April, Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter was barred from the NBA for life after an investigation found he had bet on games, shared confidential information with other bettors, and made numerous other violations related to gambling.

In European soccer, Brentford striker Ivan Toney was banned for eight months over betting allegations, while Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali was given a 10-month ban in October 2023 for betting on Serie A matches.

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Messi’s bodyguard shows sprinter speed to eliminate pitch invader

Yassine Chueko showed the speed and awareness of a lethal No. 9

If Inter Miami is ever short on players, Yassine Chueko looks like he would at least have the speed to get a job done.

Chueko, better known as Lionel Messi’s bodyguard, showed the speed and awareness of a lethal No. 9 during Inter Miami’s game against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, flying off the touchline as a pitch invader closed in on Messi for a selfie.

More than 72,000 fans were in attendance at Arrowhead Stadium as Inter Miami defeated Sporting KC 3-2 in a thrilling match.

Messi was the star of the show, notching an assist and a stunning goal as the Herons took home three points. On Monday, the Argentina legend was named the MLS player of the week.

Chueko also had a big night on Saturday, as the match was delayed multiple times due to fans charging onto the pitch.

In one instance, Chueko had a lot of ground to cover — and he did so with impressive haste.

Watch Messi’s bodyguard sprint onto the field

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This MLS playoff race is an absolute mess

Put on your boots, because we’re about to wade into a mess

The race for the MLS playoffs is promising that Decision Day will be as bonkers as it ever has been.

The final day of the regular season is less than a month away, with 28 of the league’s 29 teams set for two breathless rounds of simultaneous kickoffs, one for each conference (sorry D.C. United, you’re just going to have to follow along at home).

There’s an old MLS truism that a team just needs to stay in touch until late August or so, and that if said team can start to heat up around Labor Day, you’re looking at a major threat coming from what on paper is a low playoff seed. Plenty of teams with multiple MLS Cups in their trophy case have at least one season where they followed this plan to a tee.

However, in 2023 it’s not so much about getting hot at the right time as simply ending up next to an empty seat during a poorly-played game of musical chairs. Seven teams have clinched their playoff berths already, and two more are simply abysmal.

That leaves 20 teams vying for 11 postseason spots in what is an extraordinarily forgiving set-up. The problem is that almost none of this group seems able to get a solid hold on their invite to the big dance.

Put on your boots, because we’re about to wade into a mess:

Sporting KC’s nightmare 2023 continues unabated

When you have as many red cards as goals, that’s bad!

The 2023 season is going all wrong for Sporting Kansas City.

One of MLS’s most consistent teams over its existence is mired in a ten-game winless run dating back to the final game of 2022.

The latest setback is a 2-1 road defeat against the New England Revolution, which by the standards of 2023 counts as a decent night at the office.

The Revolution effectively put the game to bed in the first 35 minutes, because at this point when you score on Kansas City, you’re probably won.

Even Giacomo Vrioni, New England’s wayward DP forward, is finding goals against Sporting in 2023. First, Carles Gil’s turn at midfield saw Vrioni and Emmanuel Boateng suddenly looking at a two-on-one from 40 yards. Boatang supplied the cross, and Vrioni tapped home one of the easier goals he’ll ever score.

Vrioni struck again four minutes later, with Boateng and Gil heavily involved once again. Sadly for Sporting, a New England player was a step ahead of the KC defense at every turn, with Vrioni once again finishing off a sitter.

On the plus side, KC got the rare sight of a goal for themselves. Johnny Russell ended a 405-minute scoreless run, keeping a team that has been shut out six times already in 2023 from suffering a seventh. However, they’ve still scored just three goals in nine games, which is…bad. It’s bad.

What makes matters worse? Andreu Fontàs was sent off, making it three red cards for Sporting players in nine games in 2023. Which is to say, KC has had as many red cards as they’ve had goals in 2023.

The news is bad elsewhere too. Striker Willy Agada, a key factor in a late-season burst of good form for KC last year, suffered a stress fracture to his tibia last week. The cavalry does not appear to be coming around the corner.

KC still not entirely doomed

As grim as things look for Sporting, they aren’t as bad as they could be. For one thing, that 405-minute scoreless run wasn’t even halfway to the MLS record, which was set by a Toronto FC side that went 824 minutes between goals in 2007.

On the other hand, it’s fairly shocking to see a team that had long been a model of MLS consistency being so punchless going forward, and so consigned to defeat after any concession at the other end. Kansas City has players with MLS success like Russell and Dániel Sallói, and Peter Vermes has won four trophies as a coach. This team should not be in this kind of terrible situation.

Fascinatingly, Kansas City’s underlying numbers are not as dire as all that sounds. They entered Saturday’s round of games with 6.98 expected goals on the season, which is poor, but not disastrous (it’s 27th out of 29 MLS teams). But there are other data points illustrating some of their problems: Sporting started the weekend tied for fourth in MLS with shots attempted (116), and the other teams at or near the top of the shots attempted table have nearly double KC’s xG.

Additionally, the bottom of the Western Conference is enough of a mess that it might be a quick path out of the bottom if Sporting ever gets it together. The LA Galaxy, with fans protesting the presence of team president Chris Klein, kicked off the night ahead of KC on goal difference. MLS’s wildly forgiving playoff format means that even after starting the season 0W-3D-6L, they’re only six points out of a playoff spot.

There’s still 25 games left to get out of this mess, but right now, it may be a historically bad season at Children’s Mercy Park.

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The 10 MLS newcomers you need to know for 2023

These aren’t big names today, but they will be soon

MLS kicks off its 28th season on Saturday, and as befits a league that wants to be seen as growing, there’s a long list of fascinating new additions to the player pool.

There’s an element of the unknown with this year’s crop of newcomers. MLS’s winter additions don’t include any big-name European stars. Cristiano Ronaldo heard Sporting Kansas City out but still chose Al Nassr, while Inter Miami’s pursuit of Leo Messi remains a situation where Miami is interested, rather than the other way around. There’s not even a Gareth Bale equivalent at this point, though the summer window tends to be when those players arrive.

However, that’s not to say that MLS had a bad time in the transfer market. Teams are able to sign younger players from leagues that used to be fairly inaccessible. They may not have the global cache of a big name in their mid-30s, but we’re talking about the current Europa League assist leader, a top-tier European prospect under the age of 21, and strikers with very promising track records. Casuals may not know their names today, but they’re going to be a big deal in the coming months.

These are the 10 MLS newcomers to pay closest attention to:

Sacramento Republic knocks off Sporting KC, continues magical U.S. Open Cup run

The giant-killers are going to the final!

Sacramento Republic FC did it again, seeing off yet another MLS team and advancing to the 2022 U.S. Open Cup final, getting past Sporting Kansas City on penalties Wednesday night thanks to some heroics from goalkeeper Matt Vitiello and some raw determination all over the field.

It’s just the fourth time since the MLS era began in 1996 that a non-MLS team has made the final, and the first time since 2008. It continues a run at home for Sacramento that has seen them advance in 16 of 17 Open Cup matches played on the California state fairgrounds.

Sacramento has now knocked three MLS teams out en route to the final, with Kansas City joining the San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy.

A packed house at Heart Health Park saw both teams provide early threats, though Kansas City’s Johnny Russell’s near miss was the closest look either team produced in the early moments.

Keko Gontán and Douglas Martínez both went close for the home side as the half wore on, though, with Sacramento starting to find space attacking the Sporting KC left. At the other end, Matt Vitiello had to make the trickiest save of the first half late, denying Daniel Salloi’s 19-yard blast at full stretch.

Play became more physical as the teams came out from the halftime break. However, a poor clearing header from Ben Sweat set Gontán up for a golden 61st minute chance that Jon Pulskamp did brilliantly to tip away. Kansas City, despite having more of the shots, never went closer than a late Felipe Hernández shot that zipped over the bar.

Extra time saw the chances start to pile up for Kansas City. Salloi bent one wide, while Vitiello had to make a stop as the field started to tilt against the USL Championship side. Salloi then went even closer in the 98th minute, cracking a shot off the bar that then nearly rebounded in off of defender Dan Casey, only to float mercifully wide.

Kansas City then appealed for a handball that was ignored, while substitute Willy Agada took one too many touches, allowing Vitiello to snag a loose ball before he could shoot from a promising position.

Russell was predictably at the heart of every promising KC attack, and tried to go it alone in the 116th minute only for Vitiello to produce another excellent stop.

It was all Sporting, until the very last play of the match. A long throw-in was allowed to bounce around before Casey shot low only to be denied by Graham Zusi’s block, and Lee Desmond shot the rebound into the stands.

Vitiello thought he’d given Sacramento the edge in the third round of penalties, denying Agada’s attempt, but referee Allen Chapman ordered a re-take that Agada didn’t waste.

However, Vitiello delivered his hero turn in the fifth round, as he flew to his left to slap away Zusi’s take, setting the stage for Republic cult hero Rodrigo López to convert the winning penalty.

Sacramento advance to face Orlando City, who will host the final after crushing the New York Red Bulls 5-1 earlier on Wednesday.

Watch Sacramento pull off the upset

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WATCH: Odds and bets on Los Angeles FC vs. Sporting Kansas City, 8/4

ThePostGame checks out the recent trends between the MLS Western Conference opponents Los Angeles FC and Sporting Kansas City.

Los Angeles FC hosts Sporting Kansas City Wednesday in the teams’ second matchup of the season. In their June contest, Kansas City came away with a 2-1 win over the visiting LAFC. This time, Sporting KC is the road team, and is coming off a rare home loss to FC Dallas. LA will try to keep the momentum away from the Western Conference’s No. 2, aiming to give the club a second straight loss for the first time this season. Go to Tipico Sportsbook for the most updated odds.

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Sporting Kansas City vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS is Back Tournament Live Stream, Schedule, Start Time, TV Channel

MLS is Back Tournament has reached the Knockout Stage, Round of 16. Sporting Kansas City will take on the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Major League Soccer has just wrapped up the Group Stage of ‘The MLS is Back Tournament’, and will now move on to the Knockout Stage, Round of 16.

The tournament champion will qualify for the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League. The Champions League 2020 season is scheduled to resume after the completion of this tournament.

Sporting Kansas City  vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

  • When: Sunday, July 26
  • Time: 11:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FS1
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

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SCHEDULE OF MATCHES

  • July 25-28: Knockout Stage (Round of 16) begins
  • July 30-August 1: Quarterfinals
  • August 5-6: Semifinals
  • August 11: Final

MLS Odds and betting lines

MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds last updated Sunday at 8:45 p.m. ET.

Sporting Kansas City (-295) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (+800)

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