Ooooh. Anywhere I can hear that or read a transcript?

There is something very special about this Sporting team.. great players and great chemistry is obviously a huge start, but this team is fun, the stadium is rocking, guys like Kei on and off the field are a great representation of the team as a whole. Just a very fun, very talented team. This is light years away from the the games at Arrowhead or the Blue Valley DAC of a decade ago. So much fun.

This gets talked about so much...talked about to death but I still like talking about because it is so unique and so enjoyable and such a contrast to other game experiences.

Love this team.

Lots of sporting kc at the royals game tonight. Soccer balls in the A4 parking lot being kicked around.

it's on the podcast at 810... i'd fastforward until at least 12 minutes in.

http://www.stationcaster.com/player_...c=375&f=491051

Start at 13:19. It's pure gold. Seriously, it's a severe condemnation of the Glass (and Hunt) way and it is outstanding.

If this keeps up there could be a promo opportunity. Buy a ticket to Sporting and get a ticket to a Royals game FREE! :D

Its great that the SKC are doing great and its good for the city....

But in fairness, Fans are angry, bitter and mad at the Chiefs and Royals because they have nothing to show for their loyalty after so many years.

The SKC dont exactly have decades of pent up fan frustrastion and expectations to deal with.

Deberg, therein lies the rub. The Royals now, but the Chiefs have forever, have an attitude of make money first and last. The rest is icing on the cake. The Royals were successful and not making boat loads of money when Kauffman owned them and wanted to put a great product on the field no matter what.

I think if you need any further proof of how the old way no longer works then check out the difference in the soccer team just under the new owners. Seriously, the Hunts and Glasses of the professional sports world are the old school dinos. Unfortunately for this city, there are loyal fans who will continue to support the product to their own detriment.

If the Chiefs and Royals have 'decades' of anger as fans with two different franchises the common denominator is THE FANS. Their willingness to shell out money for mediocrity and settle for the status quo creates the dynamic that plagues the Sports Complex.

Seriously, look at the complex itself, it's location, the decay and dying surrounding area and ask yourself if that energy is that of success? It's not. I've said what Keitzman said for a long time. The Sporting owners were brilliant in not accepting the Bannister Mall location and KCMO did THEM a HUGE FAVOR making it difficult to want to go there.

Every time I drive up to the bustling area, have to park far away, see all of the busy shops, restaurants, and bars, and the Speedway, I thank my lucky stars that KCMO shot itself in the foot...AGAIN.

That. Is. Awesome.

There are 80-100 supporters making the trip northwest for the Vancouver and Portland games.

Ouch. LOL Was that actually in the paper?

Yup.

When? I must have one.

This morn I believe. Haven't seen it with my own eyes.

Pre-Match Ramble: Is it time to tinker with Sporting's lineup?

Charles Gooch
The Kansas City Star
Six games. Six wins. 18 points. This actually needs more numbers to make it a completely mind-altering sentence: Sporting KC have trailed for a grand total of 24 minutes, just finished a streak of not allowing a shot on goal in 335 minutes and, oh yeah, have only ceded one solitary goal.

To amass this streak, manager Peter Vermes has been pretty consistent: 10 players have started all six games. If it weren't for Teal Bunbury getting the nod over C.J Sapong in the season opener, that would probably have been 11 players with six starts.

Chance Myers, Matt Besler, Kei Kamara and Roger Espinoza have logged the maximum 540 minutes. Seth Sinovic is one minute shy of joining that group. Aurelien Collin and Graham Zusi have played more than 500 minutes.

What's more: While 17 players have actually seen the pitch this year, only the top 12 have accrued more than 90 minutes on the field (and Bunbury has just over that mark with 92). The most popular substitutes, Paulo Nagamura and Jacob Peterson, have logged just 85 and 52 minutes of action, respectively.

It's hard to argue with the results and you hate to break up a good thing. But this season is a marathon not a sprint. Kansas City improved its depth in the off-season to combat the length and difficulty of an MLS season.

There are going to be challenging weeks (schedule-wise), injury concerns (KC have been very fortunate to date) and man-management headaches (Michael Harrington could start for a few teams in MLS, but has only 1 minute on the field this season).

With a tough back-to-back ahead (Vancouver on Wednesday and Portland on Saturday) and the first injury (midfielder Julio Cesar has already been ruled out of Wednesday's match with a hamstring strain) though, it's time for Vermes to put the team's depth to good use.

The most likely change will be Nagamura replacing Cesar in the defensive midfield role -- which is what happened last Saturday when Cesar went down in the 6th minute.

After that, it's anyone's guess what Vermes will do. This is the first real test of Vermes' man management skills this season. Can he find a way to rotate his squad without sacrificing the momentum that his starting lineup and substitutes have created?

That's the key question. But there are others to be answered over the next four days.

Does Harrington give Myers/Sinovic a rest at fullback? Will Dom Dwyer get his first start (or, if not that, his first appearance)? Are there minutes for Soony Saad? Can Vermes afford to rest either Espinoza or Zusi with Cesar injured? Is it better to rest a central defender now (Collin or Besler) than risk an injury through over-playing later? Will some of the young guys who impressed during pre-season and/or reserve matches (Dom Dwyer, Soony Saad, Konrad Warzycha) get a chance to prove themselves?

My educated guesses? Peterson and Harrington will get a start (though not at the same time) for Convey and Sinovic, respectively. Dwyer and/or Saad will get minutes off the bench. And, if Cesar returns to the lineup on Saturday, I think we could see Luke Sassano give Roger Espinoza a breather (either as a starter or a second-half sub).

Getting the young guys and the fringe starters action now could be a huge help later if an injury presents itself. The more chances a player can gel with his teammates, the easier the transition.

If, for whatever reason, Vermes decides to continue riding the hot hands (which wouldn't be too crazy: after the team's game on Saturday, it won't play again until May 5) he'll definitely have to start rotating in May when the U.S. Open Cup looms.

About the Match

Kickoff is 9 p.m. on Wednesday on KSMO-TV with Callum Williams and Jake Yadrich on the call.

The Whitecaps are 2-1-2 on the season with both wins coming in the first two weeks of the season. Vancouver last played on April 7 and lost 3-1 to San Jose. The goal was the team's first since March 17th.

Projected line-up for Sporting KC: GK: Jimmy Nielsen-c; DEF: Chance Myers, Aurelien Collin, Matt Besler, Seth Sinovic; MID: Paulo Nagamura, Graham Zusi, Roger Espinoza; FWD: Kei Kamara, C.J. Sapong, Jacob Peterson. SUBS: Jon Kempin, Lawrence Olum, Michael Harrington, Luke Sassano, Soony Saad, Teal Bunbury, Bobby Convey.

Prediction time: Kansas City 1, Vancouver 0. The winning streak continues as the slumping 'Caps struggle to score.

What has to bother us fans the most is the goal that disappeared due to an unknown foul. Why aren't refs required to announce fouls publicly to all like in American football games (by hand signals)? Why are there not follow-up official explanations/announcements/apologies from the league after they review mysterious/questionable calls so at least some accountability and some sort of closure can occur?

The foul that was wrongly called was a push off on CJ Sapong.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...1016#f8d72bb2c

http://www.mlssoccer.com/sites/leagu...s-training.jpg

SANDY, Utah – There’s no doubt that Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis has strong beliefs about the way in which he would like to see the game of soccer played. Not only does he want to be successful in a results sense, but he also wants to win with an attractive, flowing style.

So is Kreis a fan of the style implemented by Sporting Kansas City, who topped RSL 1-0 over the weekend in a matchup between arguably the two best teams in the league so far this season?

“No, I’m not. I think that it’s an overly physical style,” Kreis told Salt Lake-based ESPN700 Sports Radio on Tuesday. “I think that it relies on being a very disruptive game. There’s not much rhythm to any game that you watch that they play in. I don’t feel like they create a ton of their own chances. I feel like they are picking up a lot of chances off of winning the ball in the opponents' half of the field.”

Kreis did acknowledge, however, that the tactics are working for Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes, no matter the impact on the aesthetic quality of the game.

“I will say this – it’s proving to be extremely effective right now,” Kreis said. “Over the second half of last season and the first six matches, they’ve won a lot of games. And that is [ultimately what dictates] whether you are successful or not. It’s not always whether you play pretty soccer, it’s how many wins you can tuck into your belt, and they’re doing that very well.”

Just don’t expect to see RSL adopt a similar brand of soccer anytime soon.

Don't they communicate what they saw to an official scorer? Is that what the little Madonna mic is for? I'm seriously asking because I don't know, just guessing.

Ya I am not sure about the exact process either.

I know at least in the MLS the refs are pretty communicative about what is going on with a foul be it from just talking on the field or letting the 4th official know.

"Overly Physical" What does that even mean?

RSL can get pretty chippy themselves. Sounds like a combo of sour grapes/stubbornness from Kreis

soccer...the only sport where calling someone "physical" is an insult.

Kreis is a moron, and he clearly hasn't watched any games....including the one he was coaching against Sporting in. I guess corner kicks aren't chances...because I distinctly remember seeing about 15 of them. 2 goals scored on those corners.

His critique also doesn't line up with the stats on OPTA. No one can pass against Sporting anywhere on the field, but they especially can't do it in the offensive third, and sporting has dominated possession against every team but RSL, who kicked the ball around their defensive third all night and *actually* created no chances (except for one shot by an offsides player). So SKC isn't just relying on taking the ball and starting fast breaks. They take the ball in their own third and then buildup with possession. Lead the league in shots, shots on goal, corners, and just about everything else.

RSL had more fouls and yellow cards.


I thought the game was pretty nice and flowing when Kei ran past the RSL defense on the wing in the 52' only to be pulled down from behind to give RSL a yellow card.

What a joke. Take your loss asshole.

Sporting came out and set the tone of being physical early with Esponiza crashing into people. Good. Our house!

Salt Lake is insufferable. I circled that game on the calendar when I bought the season tickets. I said, "if Sporting only wins one game all year, I hope it is that one."

Beckerman is an absolute tool.

also...remember how we have now had three balls hit the back of the RSL net in the last two games that have been disallowed? RSL can't hold SKC's jock strap, and is only staying in games because of questionable refereeing.

Nailed it. SKC's game was far smoother than RSL's. Kreis' plan did not work because SKC defeated it.

This was fan made on re-edit. They are gonna have different kits this year. Not drastically different and I believe the whole set is actually finalized but I thought this was kind of cool.

Those stripes that come from the logo represent the state line with it being a true KC team that Kansas and Missouri both share.

http://i.imgur.com/STN30.png

I like it, but don't love it. I'd just assume they leave it how it is...since I own one of those indigo jerseys.

Nice incorporation of the logo, but I'm not in love with it either. I kind of like simple and plain designs. I may be one of hte few who hopes we never get a primary sponsor on our shirts.

Even more hilarious, Kreis and the radio host transition away from hating on SKC's style and lack of chances et al, to promoting Nick Rimando for save of the week...for stopping Kamara's shot.

1-0 score line
another goal wiped out by Olave's dive
and Rimando made the save of the week?

It seems like by Kreis' own arithmetic, it should have been a 3-0 victory for a team that creates no chances and plays "overly physical."

full interview...3:15ish is where the skc discussion starts. http://espn.kall700sports.com/wp-con...is-4-17-12.mp3

Working on someone getting me a picture but it seems as though the Whitecaps supporter group's bar has been over run by Kansas City fans.

Awesome job Cauldron.

https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images...3/city-sun.png

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Big shout out to @<a href="https://twitter.com/SportingKC">SportingKC</a> 6-0-0! Keep it up!</p>&mdash; Rob Riggle (@RobRiggle) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobRiggle/status/192772784013852674" data-datetime="2012-04-19T00:33:07+00:00">April 19, 2012</a></blockquote>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

FINALLY wearing the road navy blues! swag.

****ing Aurelien Collin lol

GOoooooooaal!!

AC again! he's a machine on set plays.

Great hustle play.

I think if the stripes were more transparent, I'd love it. Little bit of subtly.

Also, I want to marry Collin.

Kamara is having a sloppy game so far.

Kamara can play crappy then head one in and look like he had a good game.

SPORTING KICKS DICK

Take a freakin number. LOL.

Zusi as well. Sinovic almost scored on Nielsen.

Not a pretty game so far but can't complain on the road.

And there it is...

Kei's having a great game.

Kamara just ****ing danced on some fools

Sloppy, sloppy tonight.

played like shit and still won 3-1.

last year we'd of lost that game with the way we played.

that shows how far this team has come.

It is always nice when you can get away with a bad game and come up with a win. Heck, KU did that all the way to the championship game in the NCAA tournament this year, lol. I guess it will give the coach something to work on.

21/21

BLACKJACK!


Keep up.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...50547087_n.jpg

LMAO awesome

I know Bunburry is loopy in his effort. The regular joe schmo fan turning in for the first time may not know that. I don't like it when the T.V. guys go "We all know the story of so and so" Yesterday it was Teal. No...We don't know the story.

Yeah, I had to do a Google search and found the stuff on his Dad being a Canadian and wanting him to play for Canada's national team and then Teal changing his mind or some other soap opera crap close to that.

|Zoccer|

Does Simon like soccer? When are you two getting married in New York?

SJ vs RSL should be a damn fine game.

VAN and FCD are both good teams as well.

The NBC game is a snoozer.

Portland is down and looking shitty but we are playing a lot of games in not many days and walking into the best home field advantage in the league.

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CbrndHhCiYo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

You know, they probably say the same thing about US!

Someone actually conducted a study of what I've been asserting for years...

Study says soccer is like sex for fans


http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/e...or-fans-041812

Yea, its debatable now for sure.

POR, KC, SEA, HOU has its moments as well.

I think this could be the game we lose or tie. All the travel and so many games in the span of the week. We will see!

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...-wins-10-years

We know drama: Comeback wins proliferate in 2012

If the 2012 MLS season feels like it's been a little more dramatic, there's a statistical reason behind it.

On Thursday's edition of ExtraTime Radio, MLS EVP of competition and game operations Nelson Rodriguez pointed out the increase in come-from-behind wins this year.

"The fact that clubs have been able to come form behind is a new kind of phenomenon," Rodriguez said. "What we hope that that portends is that teams are a little more committed to going forward and to search out a goal … Often times when you go from behind and you just draw level, teams would sit at that point and we don't think we're seeing that as much any more."

When Rodriguez uses the word "phenomenon," it's no hyperbole.

The official statistician of MLS, the Elias Sports Bureau, dug through the numbers and found that 18.2 percent of matches thus far in 2012 have seen a come-from-behind win (total of 55 matches). That compares with a rate that hovered between 9.2 percent and 10.5 percent over the last five seasons.

The last time the come-from-behind wins reached these levels was a decade ago in 2002.

The sample size is small and there's still a long way to go in 2012, but the trend is encouraging. That is, if you're not weak of heart.

COME-FROM-BEHIND WINS IN 2012:

March 10: LA Galaxy 1, Real Salt Lake 3

March 12: Portland Timbers 3, Philadelphia Union 1

March 25: Sporting Kansas City 2, FC Dallas 1

March 31: NY Red Bulls 5, Montreal Impact 2

March 31: Portland Timbers 2, Real Salt Lake 3

April 7: San Jose 3, Vancouver 1

April 7: Portland 1, Chivas USA 2

April 14: New England 1, D.C. United 2

April 14: FC Dallas 2, Montreal Impact 1

April 14: LA Galaxy 3, Portland Timbers 1

Game day.

Here's the link where the game will be once it comes on at 9:30.
http://www.firstrowsports.eu/watch/1...nsas-city.html

I knew I shouldnt have turned down the tickets to todays game. Beautiful day in Portland today, the timbers army is going to be friggen loud. Best if KC scores early a couple times to shut them up some. So torn between the timbers and KC. I hope it isn't a tie though, whomever wins.

:toast:

Sweet, thanks! I usually just roll the dice and hope someone posts a link in the Matchcenter on mlssoccer.com

Thanks Old Dog. I'll rep if that works.

I couldn't find the Wednesday night game to save a life.

Here's hoping for a solid game against Portland. Went into the baseball thread and pissed off some of the Royals fans. Oh, well. Funny thing is, if the Royals start seeing their fan base shift to Sporting KC due to their success, Glass might have to get off his ass and actually do something to improve the team.

You realize that most are fans of both, correct? :hmmm:

Portland controlling early.

It seems like we are putting on some pressure finally.

Is is just me or is Chance having a shit game so far?

Dammit!!!

Doesn't help when his own player bumps him and kicks him upside the head.

that was reeruned