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.