We've Moved: New Home

The Junior Way has been called up to the full team! All the same news and notes we've been delivering here on blogger are destined for a new address and can now be found at SportingKC.com/Junior-Way.

We're excited about the new opportunity to show off the Juniors alongside the other series of new blogs on SportingKC.com. A vast majority of the traffic to this blog originated at SportingKC.com all along, so now the new location can truly serve as a one-stop shop for readers.

But before we go, we'll leave you with some of the stats from our run right here on blogspot:

• First post? October 20, 2009
• Total number of posts? 270
• Total number of views? 150,000+
• Most viewed? Wayne Rooney's poster of Paul Rideout
• Our favorites? Jon Kempin and Kevin Ellis sign as Homegrown Players

We'll leave this up for the archives, but please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds so you don't miss a single sentence. See you on the other side!

U13s: Border Battle champs

Congratulations go out to the Sporting Kansas City U13 Juniors, who were crowned champions of the 2012 Border Battle Tournament this weekend! The Under-13 squad went 2-0-1 in Pool A of the Boys U13 Russia division, advancing to the final and securing a 2-0 win over SLSG Metro - Pre Academy 98/99.

Check out video highlights below, with all 11 goals from the weekend captured by Chris Bihuniak...

The U14 Juniors were also in action at the tournament, hosted in Overland Park, and went 0-1-2 while playing up a year in Pool A of the Boys U15 Switzerland division. The Under-14's opened the competition with a 1-1 draw against KCSC Blackstars 96/97 before falling 3-2 to eventual group winners Galaxy 96/97 Blue on Saturday. The Juniors rebounded on Sunday with a scoreless draw versus FCX North Black.

Photos: U18s vs FC Dallas

Check out the photo slideshow below from the Sporting Kansas City U18 Juniors match on Friday against FC Dallas in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Some great shots!

Photos courtesy of Lightner family

U16s draw vs FC Dallas

The Sporting Kansas City Juniors opened the spring season of the 2011-2012 U.S. Soccer Development Academy on Friday night at the Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park. The U18's kicked off the doubleheader against FC Dallas, dropping a 3-0 result versus the Texas Division leaders. Sporting KC fell behind early after conceding a penalty kick and FC Dallas scored twice more in the first half for their 16th win in 19 USSDA matches.

The U16's fared better, sending the visitors home with a 2-2 draw. Jon Parry's squad led twice in the opening 45 minutes on goals from Rockhurst High School classmates. Luke Stanley opened the scoring on a penalty kick and Cole Stevenson put the Juniors back ahead 2-1 with his strike, but an FC Dallas penalty kick in the second half drew the teams level.

Sporting KC will continue the USSDA season at home next weekend when both teams face St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro on Saturday. Mark your calendars, U18s kick off at 11:30am followed by U16s at 2:00pm!

Development Academy resumes

After playing their first six games in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy's 2011-2012 season in November/December, the Sporting Kansas City U16 and U18 teams will resume play in the USSDA tonight at home against fellow MLS foe FC Dallas!

The Under-18 Juniors, led by Paul Rideout, enter the match with a 4-2-0 record but they will be facing an FC Dallas squad that has already played 18 games this season with only one loss. Their match kicks off at 4:30pm at the Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park.

The Under-16 Juniors, led by Jon Parry, will play after the U18's at Swope with kick off scheduled for 7pm. With a .500 record (2-2-2) through their first six games, the U16's will be out to start 2012 on a winning note against FC Dallas (7-4-7).

Both matches are free and open to the public. Come show your support for Sporting KC and catch a doubleheader of Development Academy action tonight between two Major League Soccer teams.

Juniors at Border Battle

The Sporting Kansas City U13 and U14 Juniors will be competing at the 2012 Border Battle Tournament this weekend. Games will be held at the Overland Park Soccer Complex and Heritage Soccer Park, beginning tonight!

The Under-13 Juniors will play in Pool A of the Boys U13 Russia division. Their game schedule is as follows:

• vs Toca FC MLS at 5:15pm on Friday (OP-12)
• vs KCFC Magic at 8:20pm on Saturday (OP-4)
• vs KC Fusion Academy 98/99 at 3:30pm on Sunday (HSP-15)

The Under-14 Juniors will play up in Pool A of the Boys U15 Switzerland division.

• vs KCSC Blackstars 96/97 at 9:15pm on Friday (OP-3)
• vs Galaxy 96/97 Blue at 2:15pm on Saturday (HSP-8)
• vs FCX North Black at 3:00pm on Sunday (OP-2)

Good luck to both teams!

Champions: Jrs at Futsal Nationals

The Sporting Kansas City Juniors strong showing at the United States Youth Futsal Nationals culminated today with an SKC squad in the championship match of all five age groups that Sporting entered teams into for the tournament. With all the results in from the Overland Park Convention Center today, Sporting Kansas City crowned four new champions!

• Sporting KC U13 Jrs Croatia were 8-2 winners over 99 SportsTutor Ligers
• Sporting KC Juniors Italy were 5-4 victors versus Magical Futsal Academy
• Sporting KC Juniors Portugal triumphed 6-4 against Sporting BVSC U15B
• U16s Sporting KC Jrs - Uruguay prevailed 5-4 past Sporting BVSC 94/95

Today's lone loss came in a narrow defeat as U16 Sporting KC Jrs fell 7-6 to BNC Revolution A in the Boys U16 Super Group finale. Congrats to all the Sporting KC Juniors on their performances at the US Youth Futsal Nationals and best of luck as they wrap up their seasons this weekend in the Futsal KC league.

2012 Spring Break Camp

Spots are filling up fast for the 2012 Spring Break Camp, which begins two weeks from today! The three-day camp is open to competitive boys players between the ages of 9 and 16, and will be held at the Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park.

The camp costs $130, which includes an adidas Sporting KC t-shirt and the opportunity to be evaluated by the Sporting Kansas City Juniors coaching staff. Click here for more information and to register while spots are still available.

Last year, the camp was sold out with over 150 campers! Click here to see a photo slideshow from the 2011 Pre-Academy Camp.

Video: Jrs at Youth Futsal Nationals

Here is a recap of each of the Sporting KC teams in the tournament...

• In the Boys U13/U14 bracket, it was an all-SKC Juniors semifinal as Sporting KC U13 Croatia (3-0-0) advanced past Sporting KC U13 Argentina (1-1-1) with a 6-4 victory on Sunday. The U13's are now facing 99 SportsTutor Ligers at 9am this morning.
• In the Boys U14 Super Group, Sporting KC Juniors - Italy went a perfect 3-0-0 in pool play and face Magical Futsal Academy in the finals at 9:15am this morning.
• In the Boys U15 division, Sporting KC Juniors - Portugal went 3-1-0 in pool play and will have a shot at avenging their lone loss in the championship when they play Sporting BVSC U15B at 8:15am this morning.
• In the Boys U16 Super Group, the U16 Sporting KC Jrs went 3-0-0 in pool play and won 8-6 in the semifinals to advance to the 9am CT final against BNC Revolution A.
• In the Boys High School Super Group, both U16 Sporting KC Juniors - England and U16 Sporting KC Juniors - Uruguay went 3-0-0 in pool play. Uruguay advanced to the championship match at noon today against Sporting BVSC 94/95.

Video: Juniors Signing Ceremony

Sporting Kansas City held a special signing ceremony on Wednesday at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park for the SKC Juniors who have signed their National Letters of Intent to play college soccer this fall. Check out the video below to see footage from the event and hear from DOC Jon Parry, as well as future SMU Mustang Derek Schrick.

For more on Wednesday's gathering, check out Thad Bell's article on Examiner.com -- the first of several more on the Sporting KC Juniors youth development academy.

Video: KSHB covers futsal

As we mentioned yesterday, several Sporting Kansas City Juniors teams will be competing in the US Futsal Nationals this weekend. Well today, NBC Action News caught up with Sporting Kansas City Juniors Director of Coaching and US Youth Futsal Executive Director Jon Parry to talk about the tournament while the playing surface was being installed at the Overland Park Convention Center.

Watch below for the report from Jack Harry during the 6pm newscast...

Video: Two new Juniors

Wichita's CBS affiliate KWCH picked up the story on two of the newest members of the Sporting Kansas City Under-18 Juniors, Dodge City's Armando Hipolito and Jovanny Bonilla. Armando is a member of the Region II 94 ODP team, while Jovanny was named to the SWKSCA 6A All-Regional Team. Check out the news feature below...

US Futsal Nationals in OP

The 2012 United States Futsal Nationals will be held this weekend - Feb. 17 thru 20 - in the Overland Park Convention Center for boys and girls teams from across the country in the U8-U19 age groups. Among the 100+ teams registered to participate, the Sporting Kansas City Juniors will have a large presence:

• U16s Sporting KC JRS - Uruguay in Boys High School division
• U16s Sporting KC Jrs in Boys U16 Super Group
• Sporting KC Juniors - Portugal in Boys U15 division
• Sporting KC Juniors - Italy in Boys U14 Super Group
• Sporting KC U13 Croatia in Boys U13/U14
• Sporting KC U13 Argentina in Boys U13/U14

"To have all 1100 players along with coaches and families in one space will create an atmosphere that is nothing short of electrifying," said John Sciore, director of development for US Youth Futsal, in this Examiner.com preview.

Admission is open to the public with weekend passes available for $8 or Saturday/Sunday passes sold for $5. Mondays finals will be free of charge! Follow @usyouthfutsal on Twitter for updates and news throughout the tournament.

Podcast with Jon Parry

Sporting Kansas City Juniors DOC Jon Parry sat down this week with Andy Edwards, host of the Talkin' Touches podcast, to discuss the club's approach to the academy and the Juniors recent affiliation with TSC Hurricane in Tulsa, Okla.

Click here to listen to the interview and hear what Parry has to say about a wide-range of topics related to the Sporting Kansas City Juniors.

Q&A with Eric DeJulio

Blue Valley Northwest's Eric DeJulio, a defender and captain on the Sporting Kansas City Under-18 Juniors this season in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, has logged a LOT of minutes for the Juniors each of the last three seasons. After leading all players on the U16 Juniors in 2009-2010 with 29 games started, he then started every match for the squad in 2010-2011.

Now off to a strong start in 2011-2012, he's the only player to have started all six matches for Paul Rideout's team and his play within the academy led to his recruitment by Division I powerhouse Creighton, to whom he recently signed his National Letter of Intent to play college soccer for in the fall.

SB Nation contributor Alex Englen caught up with Eric for a Q&A on his college plans and his experience with the Sporting Kansas City Juniors. Check it out!

Congrats, Betsy!

Mr. and Mrs. Maxfield

Sporting Kansas City's Director of Youth Soccer Betsy Pollard (shown above at Wembley Stadium in London) oversees all the behind-the-scenes details that go into providing the Juniors program with every last element the teams need to be successful. From scheduling flights and hotels for road trips to coordinating tryouts and youth soccer camps right here in KC, her influence is felt across all aspects of the academy...including this blog.

So it only seems appropriate that we use this space to be among the first to not only wish Betsy a happy birthday today, but also a blessed wedding day! She'll be tying the knot with her fiancé Ryan in sunny Manhattan Beach, California (and yes, last we heard, a game of beach soccer was on the day's itinerary).

Best wishes from all of us at Sporting KC on the first of many more cherished memories for the newlyweds!

Hare & Schrick sign NLI's

Wednesday marked a major moment for several Sporting Kansas City Juniors players as the first day of February brought the NCAA's official signing day for high school seniors to sign their National Letters of Intent for college soccer. Sporting KC will hold a formal ceremony in two weeks at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park to recognize all the college commitments from our soon-to-be graduates and we'll have plenty of photos and video to share from that event.

Two of the college-bound Juniors are Rockhurst High's Daniel Hare and Derek Shrick, whose friends and family gathered yesterday for their school's signing ceremony, led by Hawklets Coach Chris Lawson.

Hare signed with Loyola of Chicago and Schrick will play for Southern Methodist University. After the signing, both the Hare family and the Schrick family shared their excitement and anticipation for the boys further success as they embark on the next step of their soccer and academic careers.

Adam Hare, a Rockhurst Alum, was in attendance wearing a Sporting KC windbreaker to support his younger brother, as he and the two signee's ensured they would continue to follow Sporting Kansas City and their voyage in 2012.

Check out the video below to see footage from the event:

Video: U13 Highlights

Yesterday we told you the U13 Juniors went undefeated en route to a first place finish at the Michael Brown Winter Classic in Frisco, Texas this past weekend and today we now have the video highlights courtesy of Chris Bihuniak. Some scrappy finishing at first and then some serious skills on display by the youngest of our academy teams.

Juniors at Michael Brown Winter Classic

The Sporting Kansas City U13 and U14 Juniors were in Frisco, Texas this weekend at the Michael Brown Winter Classic.

The U13s went undefeated in their four matches at the FC Dallas Soccer Complex, posting a 3-0-1 record and finishing atop the standings in the U13 Gold group. "The boys played well and got better every game," said coach Matt Trumpp. "The weekend was a good start to our Spring season. We look to improve as we move into NPL."

The U13's opened the weekend with back-to-back 3-0 wins over Huskies Soccer Academy and Comets Soccer Academy, respectively. The team allowed their lone goal of the weekend on a penalty kick in a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas Academy 00 on Sunday morning, but goalkeeper Diego Alanis responded with his third shutout of the weekend with a 3-0 win later that day against FC Dallas Academy 99.

The U14's kicked off their tournament on Saturday with a 1-1 draw against Dallas Texans 98B in the morning and a 3-0 victory over TFC 98B Royal in the evening. Sunday started off strong with a 5-0 win against the FC Dallas 98B Blue before the team fell 2-1 in the fourth and final match of the trip versus group winners DFW Tejanos 98B Premier. With four games -- and two wins -- under their belt in the first outdoor action of 2012, Dustin Ottesen's squad will now have their sights set on gearing up for the Spring season ahead.

Video: NSCAA Convention

As promised, all-access video footage from the Sporting Kansas City Under-16 Juniors at the NSCAA Convention earlier this month. Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes led the session, titled "Approach Play in a 4-3-3."