Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Video: U13 Highlights
Monday, January 30, 2012
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.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Video: NSCAA Convention
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sporting KC Youth Camps
First up is the 2012 Spring Break Camp, just 50 days away! The camp is designed for 9-16 year old boys who are currently playing in the Juniors program or who are looking to become part of Sporting's youth academy. The three-day camp will be held from Monday, March 12th thru Wednesday, March 14th and the cost is $130, which includes a Sporting KC t-shirt. Register here.
Other camps available are:
- Invite-Only Sessions for U11-U14 boys ($205 for current SKC Juniors)
- Pre-Tryout Camp for U11-U14 boys ($130)
- Development Camp for boys & girls ages 8-12 ($130)
- Sporting Youngsters Camp for boys & girls ages 4-7 ($100)
- Development Camp for boys & girls ages 8-12 ($150)
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Video: U13 Juniors futsal highlights
- U13 SKC Jrs - Croatia, 6-0-0 (66 goals scored), 1st place
- U13 SKC Jrs - Argentina, 5-1-0 (41 goals scored), 1st place
- U14 SKC Jrs - Italy, 3-0-0 (25 goals scored), 2nd place
- U14 SKC Jrs - Portugal, 2-1-0 (13 goals scored), 4th place
- The U16 & U18 Juniors are dueling it out in their own division, with the U18 SKC Jrs - Netherlands currently atop the standings with a 5-1-0 record
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Q&A with Jon Parry
Congratulations go out to former Juniors player and Rockhurst University defender Kyle Miller on his selection by Sporting Kansas City in the MLS Supplemental draft on Tuesday! Miller was one of two former Sporting KC Juniors to be taken in the draft, as Matt Kuhn was selected by D.C. United as well.
Sporting Kansas City Juniors Director of Coaching Jon Parry took time on Wednesday to answer a few questions following the big news and shared his thoughts on the selections...
Having coached Kyle, can you tell us a little bit about him as a player and about your experience coaching him?
Parry: I coached Kyle at Blue Valley Soccer Club and originally he was on our second U16 team, but we pulled him up to the first team a few weeks after the season started and he has been with us ever since. He’s really versatile. He fits well into the system that Sporting play, the 4-3-3, because he can play a lot of different positions in the midfield and he can play out wide. Overall, he’s a good fit. He’s got an engine on him, a tireless work ethic and he is an awesome kid.
He was also a member of the Sporting Kansas City Juniors program. As the Juniors director, what was your reaction to hearing he had gotten drafted yesterday?
Parry: I was very excited to have been able to have coached him for so many years. He really helped start a legacy in regards to our Juniors program. He was on our 2008 team that went to the McGuire Cup final and he was a big part of that. It is always nice to get a homegrown kid. He definitely deserves the opportunity, and I think he is going to make the most of it, so I was very excited for him.
Another former Sporting KC Junior – Matt Kuhn – was drafted by D.C. United yesterday. How special is it to see these Juniors products getting opportunities with Major League Soccer clubs?
Parry: Matt is quite good, really good in 1v1 situations. He played out wide for us and he was on that same team – that 2008 Wizards team that went to the National Finals. He scores goals and has some pace. I think he has a good chance of making it as well.
It’s awesome. That’s why we started the program five years ago. We have demonstrated we can develop players. Our goal now, is not just to get them in, but to get them into the starting lineup for the home team. It is nice to see those kids going out and getting the opportunity to play at the highest level.
With all of the Sporting KC Juniors players now playing in college, how do you encourage or prepare them for transitioning into the next level of professional soccer?
Parry: I think the most important thing for those guys is that they come back and they train with the senior team in the summer months. That gives the staff a chance to see how good they are, what their qualities are and how they respond to coaching. Once those kids start coming back, we’ll have a pretty good indication of who we want to sign.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Video: Juniors help out NSCAA
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Juniors at NSCAA Convention
KC Star All-Metro
First Team: FWD Shane Woods (Kearney, senior), MF Derek Schrick (Rockhurst, senior), MF Chris Tuso (Blue Valley NW, senior), Matt Peterson (Blue Valley North, junior), Clay Stewart (Olathe South, junior), GK Jacole Turner (Lee's Summit North, senior)
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Walter to play at Colgate
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
DeJulio Chooses Creighton
As ESPN told its thousands of Twitter followers earlier today, Sporting Kansas City Juniors defender Eric DeJulio has verbally committed to Creighton! The Bluejays are coming off an impressive 2011 season in which they appeared in the semifinals of the NCAA College Cup before ultimately falling 4-1 in a shootout to Charlotte in Hoover, Alabama.
In post-season rankings, Creighton finished second among Division 1 Men’s Soccer Programs in RPI while the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) deemed them fourth in their end-of-the-year poll. Creighton -- alma mater of Sporting KC first team defender Seth Sinovic -- held a 21-2-1 record at the conclusion of the 2011 season, maintaining an undefeated (14-0-0) status at home.
DeJulio earned recognition through his performances with the Sporting Kansas City Juniors, as well as with his high school team, Blue Valley Northwest. DeJulio helped lead the Juniors to a second place finish in the Frontier Conference last season and he is the only Sporting Kansas City Juniors player to start all six games of the current 2011 US Soccer Development Academy season.
DeJulio captained Blue Valley Northwest and served as the anchor of his teams defensive line, leading them to the final four in Class 6A in Kansas. DeJulio scored six goals and added two assists, earning him the third highest points total on the team at the conclusion of the 2011 high school season.
DeJulio joins several other Sporting Kansas City Juniors players who have made their college choices, including Andrew Brown (Bradley), Nate Opperman (Evansville), Daniel Hare (Loyola), David Isaacks (Rhode Island), Evan Wright (Saint Louis) and Derek Schrick (Southern Methodist). To view a list of 2012 high school boys' soccer NCAA Division 1 verbal commitments on ESPN.com, click here.