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.

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!

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: U13s Futsal Action

Video courtesy of Chris Bihuniak

The Sporting Kansas City Juniors have taken their seasons indoors during the winter months in KC and can now be seen playing in Futsal KC, one of more than 40 US Youth Futsal leagues throughout the country.

Sporting Kansas City has played a major role in the growth and progress of the sport and the league in the U.S., as juniors Director of Coaching Jon Parry and Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes are both on the leadership team for US Youth Futsal. Check out the video above of the Sporting KC U-13 Juniors in action this past weekend.

Goals by the Bunches

The Under-13 and Under-14 Sporting Kansas City Juniors demonstrated the desire to go to goal in their season finales in the National Premier League's Great Lakes division on Saturday as each team tallied five goals on the weekend.

The U14 Sporting KC Juniors earned their 5-0 result against a very good Blue Valley Soccer Club team. The win was a complete team effort with five different players notching goals. With the win and goals from Dakota Karns, Paul Whitner, Jacob Weaver, Dorian Hernandez and Logan Wilson, the U14's are back in striking distance for the league title and playoffs come this spring. The victory also marked the return of a number of injured players and the strong performance from the healthy squad will hopefully indicate what is yet to come for the boys.

The U13's also played their final game of the NPL Fall season against BVSC. Despite a sluggish start, the U13 Sporting KC team earned a 5-1 victory as result of a hard-fought battle. Allowing only their second goal of the season in Saturday’s match, the defense had a strong performance. Alex Kaddah anchored the backline from the center back position while Maxwell Harrington and Tanner Richardson pushed forward from their outside back positions, making great runs up the flanks. The win moves the U13 Sporting Juniors to 5-0-0 on the season, with 15 points and the team sits in first place going into the spring season.

Check out the video below to view the highlights from Sporting Kansas City Juniors U13 match against BVSC...

U13's Video/Photo Recap

The Sporting Kansas City Under-13 Juniors are the only team in the Midwest Development League with four wins through their first four matches, after picking up two victories in Chicago last weekend. Check out the video below and click here for a photo gallery to see the U13's in action.

Video a collaboration between Peter Wilkinson, Chris Bihuniak & Gerry High

U13s Remain Atop MDL Standings

The Sporting Kansas City U13 Juniors extended their winning streak to 10 straight matches this weekend and remain in first place in the Midwest Development League after two wins in Illinois.

On Saturday, the U13's earned a 2-1 win over Sockers FC Chicago on goals from Oliver Bihuniak and Memo Carrasco. Goalkeeper Diego Alanis withstood the windy conditions in net for the victory.

With eight goals scored in their first three MDL matches, the U13s nearly doubled their offensive output on Sunday with a resounding 7-0 win over FC United. Dorian Hernandez led the way with two goals, and head coach Matt Trump touted the midfield unit of Evan Carlisle, Roman Knox, Patrick Wilkinson, Edson Murguia, and Chase Bromstedt for controlling the match throughout.

The U13's lead all MDL teams with the maximum 12 points from their first four matches and will resume League play on October 29th against BVSC at the Overland Park Soccer Complex.

Juniors in action in Illinois

The Sporting Kansas City under-13 and under-14 Juniors will travel North this weekend to take on Sockers FC Chicago on Saturday and FC United on Sunday in the Great Lakes Division of the Midwest Developmental League. Sporting KC U13's are currently in a three way tie for the lead in the NPL Midwest League's Great Lakes division with the Chicago Magic and Chicago Fire Academy. With only three games remaining on this month's schedule, this weekend's games will be vital for their championship hopes.

U13's Schedule:

• Saturday, October 15th vs. Sockers FC Chicago at 12:00 p.m.
• Sunday, October 16th vs. FC United at 9:00 a.m.
• Saturday, October 29th vs. Blue Valley SC at 11:00 a.m.

U14's Schedule:

• Saturday, October 15th vs. Sockers FC Chicago at 2:00 p.m.
• Sunday, October 16th vs. FC United at 11:00 a.m.
• Saturday, October 29th vs. pm Blue Valley SC at 1:00 p.m.

Follow @SKCJuniors on Twitter for all the latest news and information.

Video: U13s Fall Classic Champs

The Sporting Kansas City U13 Juniors were crowned champions of the SLSG Boys Fall Classic on Sunday with three wins in their three matches in the U13 Pre-Academy Division. Read yesterday's post for the full recap, and check out the highlights below for footage from all 14 goals scored in Illinois over the weekend:

Video courtesy of Chris Bihuniak.

U13s at SLSG Fall Classic

The Sporting Kansas City U13 Juniors continued their winning ways this weekend at the SLSG Boys Fall Classic. Playing in the Pre-Academy Division, the top bracket in their age division, the U13s faced the top three ranked teams in Missouri and emerged with three wins after outscoring the competition 17 to 1.

On Saturday, Sporting won 6-0 over Springfield SC. Guillermo "Memo" Carrasco scored twice in a three-minute span and goalkeeper Diego Alanis recorded his seventh shutout of the 2011-12 season in the victory. In their second match of the day, SKC were 4-0 winners over Lou Fusz, with head coach Matt Trumpp crediting the backline of Shane Kopplin, Alex Kaddah, Maxwell Harrington and Tanner Richardson for their performances in holding the St. Louis side to just two shots in the match.

The U13s capped off the weekend on Sunday with a 4-1 win over hosts St. Louis Scott Gallagher Elite. Patrick Wilkinson scored twice for Sporting to highlight a strong showing for the Sporting midfielder.

The U13s have now won their last seven matches with an astounding 31 goals for and just one goal against and will travel to Chicago this weekend to continue play in the National Premier League. They'll look to extend their lead atop the standings against Sockers FC Chicago and FC united.

Juniors at SLSG Boys Fall Classic

The Sporting Kansas City under-13 and under-14 Juniors will travel to Collinsville and Granite City, Illinois this weekend for the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Boys Fall Classic, one of the top events in Region II. Both teams will compete in the Pre-Academy Division, the highest level of competition available in their age group.

U13's Schedule:

• Saturday, October 8th vs. Springfield SC 98/99 I at 7:30 a.m.
• Saturday, October 8th vs. Lou Fusz SC - Stauder - Premier at 1:30 p.m.
• Sunday, October 9th vs. SLSG Elite 98/99 at 10:30 a.m.

U14's Schedule:

• Saturday, October 8th vs. Chicago Magic PSG Pre-Academy 1 at 12:00 p.m.
• Saturday, October 8th vs. Carmel United SC Elite 98 at 6:00 p.m.
• Sunday, October 9th vs. SLSG Elite 97/98 at 7:30 a.m.

Follow @BoysFallClassic on Twitter for news and updates from the tournament, as well as @SKCJuniors for all the latest information.

U13 Video Highlights

The U13 Sporting Kansas City Juniors sit atop the Midwest Development League standings in the U13 Great Lakes Division with wins in each of their first two matches (2-0 vs St. Louis Scott Gallagher-Metro and 4-0 vs St. Louis Scott Gallagher-Missouri). Check out the video below for highlights from their opening weekend in MDL play...

The U13's followed up the successful showing at the Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park with a weekend of friendlies on October 1st and 2nd against Omaha FC and St. Louis Scott Gallagher-Missouri. Special thanks to Chris Bihuniak for the video compilation...

Sporting Kansas City U13 Juniors sit atop the Midwest Development League

The Sporting Kansas City U13 Juniors defeated St. Louis Scott Gallagher twice over the weekend at the Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park, winning 2-0 on Saturday against SLSG Metro and then earning a 4-0 victory over SLSG Missouri on Sunday. After the opening weekend of the Midwest Development League, this puts the Sporting Kansas City U13 Juniors at the top of the table with 6 points (2-0-0).

Check out photos from the U13's successful weekend in the slideshow below, courtesy of Peter Wilkinson.

U13s at MLS Friendlies in Chicago

Courtesy of Chris Bihuniak

The Sporting Kansas City U13 and U14 Juniors spent Labor Day weekend in Chicago for three days of pre-Academy friendlies against fellow midwest Major League Soccer academy teams from the Columbus Crew, FC Dallas and Chicago Fire. Check out video highlights above and a photo slideshow below of the U13's three matches in the Windy City as they prepare to face the Michigan Wolves and Minnesota Thunder Academy in Midwest Development League Fall 2011 Scouting Showcase in Waukegan, Illinois this weekend.

Courtesy of Peter Wilkinson

U13s & U14s at MLS Pre-Academy Friendlies in Chicago

The Sporting Kansas City Under-13 and Under-14 Juniors will compete at the MLS Pre-Academy Friendlies this weekend in Chicago. Their schedules are as follows (subject to change): 


Under-13 Sporting KC Juniors 
vs. Columbus Crew at 7:00pm tonight at the Brothers Rice HS Stadium 
vs. FC Dallas at 1:00pm on Saturday at Toyota Park
vs. Chicago Fire at 1:00pm on Sunday at Toyota Park 


Under-14 Sporting KC Juniors
vs. Columbus Crew at 8:45pm tonight at the Brothers Rice HS Stadium 
vs. FC Dallas at 4:30pm on Saturday at Toyota Park
vs. Chicago Fire at 2:45pm on Sunday at Toyota Park


Good luck Juniors!

Photo Slideshow: U13 Juniors

The Sporting Kansas City Under-13 Juniors reached the championship match of the 2011 Midwest Kickoff Classic on Sunday at the Overland Park Soccer Complex, finishing runners-up in the local tourney. Check out the photo slideshow below for images of the club's youngest academy team in action:

Photos provided by Peter Wilkinson

Midwest Kickoff Classic Results

The Sporting Kansas City Under-13 and Under-14 Juniors each reached the championship match of their respective groups at the 2011 Midwest Kickoff Classic on Sunday at the Overland Park Soccer Complex. With both teams competing at the highest level available at the tournament -- Boys U14/15 Gold -- the Under-14 Juniors went unbeaten (outscoring their opponents 13-0 in the team's three group stage games) en route to a 2-1 win in the final over Sporting BVSC 97/98.

The Under-13 Juniors earned a 4-0 win over MYSA KC Fusion Fury Academy 98/99 and 3-1 victory against Sporting BVSC 98/99 before falling 4-2 in the final in their second loss of the tournament to Nebraska's Columbus 97/98 Chaos. Check out the video compilation below to see the U13's goal scorers on the weekend:

U13s & U14s at Midwest Kickoff Classic

The Sporting Kansas City Under-13 and Under-14 Juniors will compete at the Midwest Kickoff Classic  this weekend at the Overland Park Soccer Complex. Both teams will compete in the Under-14/Under-15 Gold Boys age division, the highest level offered at the tournament. Their schedules are as follows (subject to change):

Under-13 Sporting KC Juniors

• vs. MYSA KC Fusion Fury Academy at 8:45pm tonight on Field 7
• vs. Sporting BVSC 98/99 at 6:45pm on Saturday on Field 6
• vs. Columbus 97/98 Chaos at 10:00am on Sunday on Field 6
• Click here for Results and Standings 

Under-14 Sporting KC Juniors

• vs. KC United Galaxy at 8:45pm tonight on Field 3
• vs. Sporting BVSC 97/98 at 5:30pm on Saturday on Field 2
• vs. Cholita Strikers 98 at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday on Field 4
• Click here for Results and Standings

Good luck Juniors!

Juniors at U14 National Team ID Camp

Congratulations to Sporting Kansas City Juniors Seth Hudson and John Leisman who were invited to the United States Under-14 Boys National Team Identification Camp, which began yesterday at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Seth and John are among 80 players selected by head coach Manny Schellscheidt and the week-long camp brings together the nations top players with 1998/1999 birthdates to train twice a day in an elite environment. The Under-14 Boys National Team is the youngest national team in the U.S. Youth National Team system and is the first step in identifying and developing players for the future.

For the full list of players and more information on the ID Camp, click here for the official announcement by U.S. Soccer.