Wednesday, June 29, 2011

 U13s Take 2nd at Regionals

After an incredible run to the US Youth Soccer Region II Championships final match, the U13 Sporting Kansas City Juniors finished runners-up with a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Magic Pre-Academy in Fox Cities, Wisconsin this morning.

The Juniors grabbed the momentum early with two first half goals courtesy of Absalom Solorio and Jacob Weaver, who combined for 10 goals in the tournament. But the Magic fought back with three goals in the second half on a dramatic final day. Even after falling behind for the first time all tournament, the Juniors looked to have tied it up at 3-3 in the last five minutes only to have the goal disallowed.

Head Coach Dustin Ottesen commended his team for their performance from the opening match all the way through the final, saying "The boys played well enough to win."

After nearly a week in Wisconsin facing some of the best in the Midwest, the U13s will travel back to Kansas City today. Congrats on the great run boys!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

 U13s in Regional Championship!

The Sporting Kansas City Under-13 Juniors won 3-1 today over Pacesetter Premier Red in the US Youth Soccer Region II semifinals in Fox Cities, Wisconsin and will now play at 8am CT on Wednesday against the Chicago Magic Pre-Academy for the regional championship! Chase Bromstedt, Jacob Weaver and Trevor Cissell all scored for the U13's on Tuesday, who have outscored their regional competition 16-2 in four games so far at the tournament.

Read all about the U13's fantastic run on SportingKC.com and wish them luck in the comments section below.

 U16s Win 3-1 in Playoff Finale

The Sporting Kansas City U16 Juniors ended their run at the US Soccer Development Academy playoffs at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas with a 3-1 win on Tuesday over IMG Academy. Clay Stewart opened the scoring for the U16s in the first half on a corner kick from Daniel Hare, then David Leichty earned man of the match honors with two superb goals in the second half. His first strike came on a perfectly placed free kick to double the U16s advantage before he scored the team's third goal on a chip over the IMG Academy goalkeeper.

The U16s finished in a tie for third place in Group 3 behind fellow MLS clubs LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo, after qualifying as a Top 25 seed for the USSDA Playoffs and earning an automatic entry with a first place finish in the Frontier Division of the Central Conference of the US Soccer Development Academy.

Monday, June 27, 2011

 Monday Recap

U13s: Heading into their third group match on four points, but in need of a positive result to assure a place in today's semifinal, Dustin Ottesen's side came out flying, hammering West Des Moines SC by a 6-0 scoreline. A hat trick performance from Jacob Weaver paced the U13s. Absalom Solorio and John Leisman were also on the scoresheet.

U15s: Coming off a 2-0 win over St. Louis Scott Gallagher and sitting on three points, the U15s entered their final group game yesterday needing a win and some help to progress to the knockout stages of their age division. Progression to the semifinal was not to be, however, as Sporting were held 1-1 by Ambassadors of Ohio North, finishing second place in the group.

U18s: With two wins already in the bag for the U18s at the Academy Showcase, the final match against the Chicago Magic provided one last chance for the players to demonstrate their abilities in front of a fair few college coaches and youth national team scouts. The Showcase, designed for teams that failed to qualify for the playoffs, has been a success for the U18s, and the side ended on a high note Monday, getting goals from Will Witherspoon, Tom Adams, Garrett Pulliam and Jordan Rideout on the way to a 4-1 victory.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

 Sunday Juniors results

It was a busy day for all SKC Juniors teams, with three of the four teams earning victories. First, the U18’s defeated the Virginia Rush at the USSDA Showcase, in Frisco, Texas. Will Witherspoon and Jordan Rideout provided the goals in this one, helping the U18’s go 2-0-0 in the tournament.

Also from Frisco, the U16's fell to the Houston Dynamo, 1-4. Their final game of the tournament will be Tuesday against IMG Academy.

At the Region II Championships in Fox Cities, Wisconsin, the U15’s defeated St. Louis Scott Gallagher on goals from Joey Piatczyc and Cole Stevenson. The most impressive result of the day was also from the Region II Championships; a 6-0 win for the U13’s. The goals came from Trevor Cissell (2), Absalom Solorio, Jacob Weaver, Dominick Parry and Peyton Brown.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

 Saturday Recap

Action continued on Saturday for the Juniors as the U13, U15 and U16 teams all had games.

The U13s drew with FC Milwaukee, 1-1, in their first game of the Region II Championships in Wisconsin. Jacob Weaver scored the team’s only goal and was assisted by Dakota Karns. They play Minnesota Thunder on Sunday, a team they beat 3-0 back in April.

Also in Wisconsin, the U15s lost to the CUP (Cincinnati United Premier) Crew Jrs Gold squad, 0-1, on Saturday. They’ll face local opponents, St. Louis Scott Gallagher early Sunday morning.


In Frisco, Texas the U16s lost their first game of the USSDA playoffs to the LA Galaxy, 1-2. The team’s leading goal scorer, Nate Opperman, found the back of the net once again. The Galaxy were seeded as the country’s fourth-best U16 team so they should find easier waters in their upcoming two matches with the next one coming Sunday against Houston Dynamo.

After Friday’s 3-0 win, the U18s next opponent will be the Virginia Rush, who they play on Sunday. That match starts at 9am.

Make sure to follow the Juniors Twitter feed @SKCJuniors to keep up with all the latest action on the youngsters.

Friday, June 24, 2011

 U18s win in tournament opener

The U18 SKC Juniors took on the Irvine Strikers in their opening match of the USSDA Showcase at Pizza Hut Park, in Frisco, Texas. Our boys earned a fantastic 3-0 win thanks to two goals from Jordan Rideout, and one from Ray Lee.

Will Witherspoon set up Jordan Rideout for his first of the match, with Ray Lee would hitting the back of the net for the second, thanks to the service of Andrew Mobberley. Lee would then turn provider, as his corner kick found Rideout for his second of the match.

The U18s next game of the tournament will take place Sunday at 9am, with the opponent still to TBD.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

 Opperman on TDS Team of the Month

Sporting Kansas City U16 Juniors midfielder Nate Opperman was one of 12 players selected to Top Drawer Soccer's Team of the Month for May in the Heartland Region. Opperman took home the honors with four goals in US Soccer Development Academy Play as the U16s secured second place in the Frontier Division of the Central Conference, earning a berth in the USSDA Playoffs this week in Frisco, Texas.

The Olathe South High School senior has started in two Reserve League matches for the senior team and leads the U16 Juniors with eight goals on the season, scoring twice in a 4-1 win over St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro on May 22nd and adding goals against Minnesota Thunder Academy and Colorado Rush AJ Auxerre.

Be sure to check out TopDrawerSoccer.com throughout the USSDA Playoffs for their continuing coverage of the top youth soccer players and teams in the U.S. Opperman is one of several Sporting Kansas City Juniors academy players on their Top 20 2011 and 2012 Players to Watch for the Heartland Region.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

 U13 featured in Liberty Tribune

U13's player Trevor Cissell (shown on right) was featured in the Liberty Tribune newspaper this week after scoring the game-winning goal in the Missouri State Cup final last Friday against St. Louis Scott Gallagher Premier Navy. The U13's won 5-1, securing their spot in the US Youth Soccer Region II Championships this week in Fox Cities, Wisconsin.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to win the State Cup,” Cissell said. “It’s a dream come true to score the game-winning goal.”
While you're on the Liberty Tribune website, be sure to check out two other articles in their sports section. Bill Knust calls LIVESTRONG Sporting Park the "crown jewel of North American soccer stadiums." Several Liberty residents were in attendance at the inaugural match and their reactions are collected in this article written by Chris Geinosky.

 State Champs to take part in Regional Championships

Two SKC Juniors teams will be back in action this weekend. Champions of their respective state cups, our U13s (Missouri) and U15s (Kansas) will take part in the Region 2 Championships, held in Fox Cities, Wisconsin. The tournament will take place from Friday, June 24th to Wednesday, June 29th. Teams from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Kansas and Missouri will compete for the regional title.

SKC Juniors Tournament Schedule:

U15s

Saturday 4pm, Cup Crew JR Gold
Sunday 8am, St. Louis Scott Gallagher
Monday 2pm, The Ambassadors

U13s

Saturday 8am, FC Milwaukee
Sunday 1pm, Minnesota Thunder Academy
Monday 4pm, West Des Moines Soccer club

Semi-finals Tuesday
Final Wednesday

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

 USSDA Playoffs Announced

The 2010-2011 Development Academy Playoffs have been set to take place in Frisco Texas, from June 24th - June 28th, at Pizza Hut Park. The U16s are seeded 25th and are drawn together with the Los Angeles Galaxy, Houston Dynamo, and IMG Academy. The SKC Juniors first game is scheduled this Saturday at 9 AM Central against LA Galaxy. Their second game is Sunday at 6 PM Central against Houston Dynamo. The U16s third game is Tuesday at 9 AM Central against IMG Academy.

The top team in the group will advance to the Development Academy Finals Week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July 9-16.

The Sporting KC U18s will also be in Frisco, Texas for the USSDA Showcase with a 9 AM Central game this Friday against Irvine Strikers.

For more detailed information on the USSDA Playoffs, please check here.

Friday, June 17, 2011

 Welcome, Matt Trumpp

The Sporting Kansas City Juniors youth development academy welcomes Matt Trump as the head coach for the 2011-12 U13 Juniors. Trumpp (shown on right) joins Boris Pardo (goalkeepers), Dustin Ottesen (U14s), Jon Parry (U16s) and Paul Rideout (U18s) on the Sporting Kansas City Juniors coaching staff for the upcoming 2011-12 season.

He is a proud Baker soccer alum and has coached at Blue Valley Soccer Club since 2005. His full bio is below...

Trumpp is a Kansas City native who played collegiately at Baker University after graduating from Olathe South High School in 2001. He was a mainstay in the Wildcats lineup, starting every game of his college career and leading the program to NAIA national tournament appearances in each of his final three seasons. Trumpp was a two-time All-Conference honoree and in 2004 received All-Region and All-American recognition for his stellar defensive play. As a senior, Trumpp was the Heart of America Athletic Conference’s Player of the Year and was also named Baker’s Student-Athlete of the Year. Most recently, he was inducted into the Baker Soccer Hall of Fame in 2009. Trumpp began his coaching career at Olathe East High School, assisting both the boys and girls programs, and has been on the boys coaching staff of the Blue Valley Stars since 2005. He led the BVSC U16 Boys to State Cup championship appearances each of the last two years and also won the 2011 State Cup in the U12 Boys division, while guiding the U15 Boys to a third-place finish. Trumpp lives in Gardner, Kansas and teaches in the Olathe School District. 

 U13s win Missouri State Cup

Congratulations to the Sporting Kansas City Juniors U13s who won the Missouri State Cup tournament with a 5-1 win over Scott Gallagher earlier today. The first goal of the game took place in the first half from a right-footed strike from 18 yards out into the lower left corner by Logan Lucas in the 23rd minute. The first half ended with a tied score of 1-1, but the U13s would go on to score four more times in the second half. Second half goals were scored by Trevor Cissell 19 minutes into the half on right-footed blast from 8 yards out, Absalom Solorio two minutes later, John Liesman scored 28 minutes into the second half with an assist from Solorio, and Cole McClagan scored the fifth and final goal. With this win, the U13s move on to the Region II Championships in Fox Cities, Wisconsin, that will take place June 24-29. More information on the Region II Championships can be found here.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

 U13s move to finals in Missouri State Cup

Big news for the Sporting KC Juniors U13s as they advance to the finals of the Missouri State Cup tournament following an incredible 7-0 win over Webster Groves WGSC earlier today. The first goal of the match came in the first half from Dakota Karns on an assist from Jacob Weaver. The following six goals of the game occurred during the second half from Trevor Cissel with a 20 yd blast, Cole McLagan off a corner kick (assist by Jacob Weaver), Peyton Brown, Absalom Solorio, Tyler Stoecklein, and Dominick Parry. With this win, the U13s move on to face Scott Gallagher in the finals.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

 Sporting KC U13s advance in State Cup

The Sporting Kansas City Juniors U13s advanced to the semi-finals of the Missouri State Cup tournament with a 2-0 win over Scott Gallagher in the quarter-finals. The first goal of the match came on an amazing throw-in from 40 yards out by Peyton Brown which deflected of the goalkeeper's hands and went in. The U13's second goal of the game occurred after a corner kick from Dominick Parry that was headed into the goal by Dakota Karns. The U13s are currently scheduled to face off with Webster Groves WGSC in semi-final action tomorrow at 11 AM Central.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

 State Cup action for U13s

In exciting Sporting Kansas City Juniors news, the Sporting KC U13s are currently playing in the Missouri State Cup tournament in St. Louis, MO. The U13s had an amazing start to the tournament with a 7-0 win over Lou Fusz. Goals were scored by Logan Lucas, Jacob Weaver, Trevor Cissel, Dominick Parry and Dakota Karns (x3). This win moved the U13s to the quarterfinals where they are currently scheduled to face off with Scott Gallagher tomorrow.

Make sure to check out MissouriYouthSoccer on Twitter, found here, for all up to date Missouri youth soccer information. Also, information on the Missouri State Cup can be located here.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

 U16s and U18s Conclude Season

This past weekend, the Sporting KC Juniors U16 and U18 teams played the last two games of the USSDA regular season. Both teams ended the season with a tie and a loss to the Colorado Rapids U16s and U18s. The Sporting KC U16s are currently 2nd in their conference, while the U18s are currently in 6th. The U16s are also in line for a playoff spot depending on the results from other games in the conference this weekend. Complete results for both teams can be found here and here

 U15s Sweep Competition


Congratulations are in order for U15 team as they won the Kansas State Cup this past weekend. With spectacular playoff showings against KC Premier FC, FC Porto of Kansas, and finally Kansas Rush Nike in the finals, the U15s were able to come away with an awesome victory. Congratulations again to the Sporting KC Juniors U15 team. Complete U15 Boys tournament results can be found here.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

 Juniors fighting for spots in the playoffs

It’s the final weekend of regular season play in the USSDA for our U16 and U18 SKC Juniors. Both teams will be hosting the Colorado Rapids at Sporting Club Training Center at Swope Park on Saturday and Sunday.

U18s:
Saturday at 11:30am vs. Colorado Rapids U18s
Sunday at 10am vs. Colorado Rapids U18s

U16s:
Saturday at 2pm vs. Colorado Rapids U16s
Sunday at 12:30pm vs. Colorado Rapids U16s

This is the first time this season that the U16s and U18s will face the Rapids youth teams. Both sets of teams are fighting for playoff berths, so this should be an exciting group of matches. Again, these games are at Sporting Club Training Center at Swope Park, so be sure to come out and support our boys as they make their push for the playoffs!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

 Congratulations to Betsy Pollard

We have recently found out that Betsy Pollard, Sporting Kansas City's Director of Youth Soccer, has just become engaged to Ryan Maxfield. Ryan currently works for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and formerly helped with the US Men's National Team. Below is a picture of the happy couple moments after the proposal in Chicago.

Congratulations to Betsy and Ryan and good luck!