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 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 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.

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

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.

U13's and U15's in Kansas City Invitational

The Sporting KC Juniors U13’s and U15’s are back in action this weekend, taking part in the Kansas City Invitational. The U13’s, who will be playing a year up in the U14 Boys Gold pool, have three group games scheduled:

• Saturday at 7:30am vs. Blue Valley White Tigers
• Sunday at 7:45pm vs. KCFC Liverpool 96/97
• Monday at 10:30am vs. KC Fusion Academy

The top two teams in the group will advance to the finals, scheduled for Monday afternoon. All games will be held at the Overland Park Soccer Complex.

The U15’s will also be playing a year up in the U16 Boys Gold pool. They will be playing four group games, with the team with the highest total points being crowned champions.

• Friday, 9:30pm vs. 94-95 BGFC
• Sunday, 12pm vs. KCFC Arsenal
• Sunday, 6:15pm vs. Salina Speed
• Monday, 1:30pm vs. Futura Juventus

Like the U13’s, all U15’s games will be held at the Overland Park Soccer Complex.

U15s get a promotion

The U15s finished out Midwest Regional League play over the weekend in Illinois with more wins, more points and a promotion. They beat Chicago Fire 3-2 and drew with SC Waukesha 1-1 on Saturday, but settled on top of the standings with a 2-0 win against FC Milwaukee on Sunday. Having dominated the division with a goal differential of +15, the SKC U15s will be promoted to the Premier Division.

Goals were scored by forward Cole Stevenson (one in each game), Joey Piatczyc (two) and Mason Leonard (one).

The U13s, the youngest of the Junior clubs was also in action in St. Louis with a few friendlies. They beat the SLSG Metro U13s 3-1, but lost to the two SLSG U14 clubs in their other matches. Nevertheless, it was a good challenge for the team and the kids played well against the older boys.

Don’t forget to check out the SKC Reserves match at Swope Park this morning at 11:30 a.m. CST. Two Juniors, Seo-In Kim and Wes White are in the lineup, so make sure to catch the young guys in action.

Juniors back on the pitch

It's sure to be an exciting weekend with all Juniors teams in action.

The U16s and U18s travel to St. Louis to face both Scott Gallagher clubs there. They play Metro on Saturday and Missouri (who each team just played last Saturday) on Sunday. These games are a part of USSDA league play where the U16s sit in first and the U18s are looking to get back on track after dealing with injuries and Reserve team call-ups over the last few weeks.

It's a big weekend for the U15s who head to Rockford, IL for a trio of matches that could place them atop the Midwest Regional League leader board. Sporting KC is currently undefeated in four games with a hefty goal differential of +12. They'll play Chicago Fire and first-place SC Waukesha on Saturday and finish up against FC Milwaukee Sunday morning.

The U13s also travel to St. Louis and play in a slew of friendly's. They play three games over Saturday and Sunday against the SLSG Metro and Missouri clubs.

Make sure to check back next week for results.

U15s continue to roll

The U15s kept their unbeaten streak going in Midwest Regional League play with a 4-1 win last Friday at Swope Park. They took down the previously unbeaten FC Porto, also of Kansas.

Steven Enna finished with a brace while Dante Guerrero and Cole Stevenson also found the back of the net.

The club now has three wins and one draw in four league matches. They will travel to Rockford, IL next weekend to face the Chicago Fire U15s.

U15s undefeated on weekend

At the Overland Park Soccer Complex this weekend, the SKC U15s started the Midwest Regional League on the right foot, going undefeated in three matches.

After a 0-0 draw to start things off against the PSA Cosmos, they proceeded with a 8-2 win against Edina Swarm and a 3-0 shutout of the Minnesota Thunder Academy.

The U15s next match will be this Friday, the 22nd against FC Porto of Kansas U15. It will take place a 7 p.m. CT at Swope Park.

U15s start MRL play

The U15s are set to start league play this weekend in the Midwest Regional League. Matches will be played locally at the Overland Park Soccer Complex. These will be the first games played by the team under newly appointed Head Coach Jon Parry. The complete SKC schedule can be found below.

Saturday, April 16^th

• vs. PSA Cosmos (MN) at 1:15 p.m. CT
• vs. Edina Swarm (MN) at 7:00 p.m. CT

Sunday, April 17th

• vs. MN Thunder Academy 96 White (MN) at 11:15 a.m. CT

Come out and watch the future of Sporting Kansas City in action.

Results from Columbus

All four Sporting Kansas City Junior clubs traveled to Columbus, OH over the weekend to play in friendlies with other MLS Academy teams. Each team was successful for the most part as this served as a precursor for tournaments and league play in the coming weeks.

The SKC U18s started off on Friday with a 0-1 loss off an unfortunate own goal against the Chicago Fire. They came back over the weekend, drawing Fire 3-3 and beating Columbus Crew 3-2. Goals were scored by Will Witherspoon, Jordan Rideout, Tom Adams and Andrew Mobberly (two).

The U16s faced future SUM Cup opponents and had a little trouble breaking ground. They lost to Toronto 1-4, but were able to pull off two draws in their next two games against Columbus (2-2) and Chicago (0-0). The three goal scorers, Seo-In Kim, Wes White and Derek Schrick, also played in the Sporting KC Reserve match on Monday.

The U15s started off strong with a 4-2 win against the Chicago U14s, but followed it up with a 1-3 loss to the Chicago U15s. They finished up on Sunday with a 1-1 draw against Columbus. Steven Enna was the leading scorer with two.

There seemed to be little competition for the most successful SKC team of the weekend, the U13s. They won 2-0, 2-0 and finished up with a 6-0 beat down on the Columbus Crew Juniors. Dakota Karns and Logan Lucas each found the back of the net more than once.

The U16s and U18s will start the second half of the U.S. Soccer Developmental League campaign this weekend against Saint Mary's Soccer Academy.

Juniors travel to Ohio

This weekend all Junior teams will be headed to Columbus, OH to play against other MLS academy clubs. All squads will face Chicago, Toronto and Columbus Juniors. The U16s will be preparing for the SUM Cup as they will see some of the same teams for the tournament in July.

Jon Parry, the Director of Coaching for the Juniors and U16 coach, believes the team is close to ready for the long haul of the season and the Cup. "We're currently in phase two of the preseason and the eighth week of fitness training," Perry added. "And although the SUM Cup is important, our main focus is the season (U.S. Soccer Development Academy)."

Unfortunately for the Juniors, the age group in the SUM Cup is U17, and SKC currently has a U16 and U18 squad. "It's a certain group which makes it tough to balance ages, and the main tournament takes place in July which is usually when the kids are on a break. It's frustrating," Parry said.

While it is frustrating, the Juniors will hope to improve on last year's performance.

As for the rest of the age groups, the overall goal will be to have the SUM Cup including a wider range for the tournament instead of just one age group. Nevertheless, the U13s, U15s and U18s will get a chance to play friendlies against top competition this weekend.

U15 Results from Dallas

This past weekend, the U15 Junior team traveled to Texas to play in the Dallas College Showcase.

The first game didn't end so great with the team losing 0-2 to FC Dallas and defender Erik Palmer-Brown went down with a broken wrist. Their next game against ASG 96 Boys Gold Central was just the opposite. The U15s won 9-0 in a game where everyone seemed to have the golden boot. Goals were scored by Pierluigi Cassiraghi (3), Jojo Piatzcyk (2), Dante Guerrero (2), Jake Wood (1) and Mason Leonard (1).

In the final game of the weekend against the Dallas Texans, the Juniors had their best performance tactically. Unfortunately, they finished on the losing end after an unfortunate goal late in the game for the Texans. Jake Wood scored for the second straight game.

All of the Junior clubs will be in Columbus, Ohio to compete in the SUM Cup at the end of the month.

U15s travel to Dallas

The U15 Juniors will compete in the FC Dallas College Showcase this weekend. It takes place at Pizza Hut Park and will provide an opportunity for the players to showcase their talents to coaches from NCAA programs and Junior Colleges. The coaches will also be supplied with a player resume book that includes player's academic and athletic ability.

The SKC Juniors travel on Friday and play in three games over the weekend, starting on Saturday. They will play against other junior clubs from FC Dallas, ASG Dallas Futbol and the Dallas Texans.

Check back next week for results on how the team did.

U13s and U15s in St. Louis

Over the past weekend in St. Louis, the U13 and U15 Sporting Kansas Juniors teams competed against some of the top clubs in the nation.

The U13s had a successful run against three of Chicago Magic's Pre-Academy clubs. They finished with two wins and one draw against two U13 teams and one U14 side. The boys got off to a quick start in the first game when Trevor Cissell put one past the keeper just two minutes into the game. They went on to draw with the PA1 U13s when the opposition scored with the clock winding down in the first half.

In the U13s other two matches, the Juniors outscored Chicago by a combined 5-1 (2-1, 3-0). Dakota Karns, John Leisman and Logan Lucas all helped with the goals. Lucas put a stamp on the weekend by scoring the team's final four goals.

The U15s had a rough time against last year's National Champions, but were also battling absences as seven players on the primary roster were unable to make the trip. Jojo Piatczyc was the lone goal scorer for the Sporting U15s.

These games served as a tune-up for when all four Sporting Kansas City Juniors clubs head to Columbus at the end of the month for the 2011 SUM Cup.

U13s and U15s head to St. Louis

The Sporting KC Juniors will be in full action this weekend when the U13 and U15 teams travel to St. Louis to play against the Chicago Magic Pre Academy clubs.

The Magic U13 squad is currently ranked the No. 1 team in Illinois while the Magic U15s were named National Champions last November.

Wish the Juniors luck as they go out and face one of the top clubs in the country.

National Futsal Tournament Results

Over the weekend, a slew of SKC Junior squads played in the Super F Champions Cup, a National Futsal Tournament. Over 90 teams were there to compete, with over half of them coming from out of state.

The U13, U15 and U16 SKC teams were each split into two separate teams for the tournament and placed in opposite groups. The U13s faced each other in the semifinals of the U14 division. The winning side (Italy) went on to lose in PKs in the final game against FC Black Nights from Boston.

The U15s played in the U16 division. Neither team qualified for the playoffs, but they were both able to keep pace in each game with the older boys.

The U16s played in the High School Boys division. Again, the SKC teams faced each other in the semifinals. The winner (USA) was able to go on and win in the finals against Central Falls Warriors (from Cleveland) pretty handily, 7-1.

Also, make sure to check out The Back Post for pictures, a review of the championship games and an interview with Keith Tozer, the Head Coach of the US Men's National Futsal team, from Friday's clinic.

Rugova Shows His Skills

Kia (in white) being "defended" by Edmond Rugova (in blue) -- photo by Thad Bell

Sporting Kansas City U15 Juniors Coach Edmond Rugova can still play. His playing career began in the 1970's in his native Kosovo for KF KXEMK, KF Liria Prizren, RHMK Kosovo and KF Prishtina before he came to the United States as a member of the New York Cosmos and eventually ended up indoors with the Kansas City Comets for the 1986-87 season, wearing #24.

Last Friday night, Rugova was back in a Comets uniform for the team's Reunion Night as he showed off his skills at halftime of the Missouri Comets game against the Milwaukee Wave at the Independence Events Center. Photographer Thad Bell (backpost.net) was fieldside to snap some great shots of the halftime reunion game, including the pictures of Rugova above and below.

Edmond Rugova, Gino Schiraldi and Vlatko Andonovski -- photo by Thad Bell

Catch Up-Some Old, Some New

I am sure I am forgetting plenty of articles about our Juniors but here is some of them from the past few months. There was a good profile on Konner Knoll here. Cameron Wallace of the U16s was given the award as "Star of the Day" here.

The U15s coached by Edmond Rugova won their division while playing in the Premier Heartland league by defeating KCFC Dragons 1-0. The complete table can be found here.

Jon Kempin and three other members of the Senior Squad visited Blue Valley North HS to play a little Soccer Volleyball. Since we only had four players, Kempin grabbed two of his U18s teamates: Jordy Rideout and Paul Oliver to make a full 6 man team. Check out the video from the event.