Sporting Kansas City at CD OlimpiaTuesday, August 21, 2013

Estadio NacionalTegucigalpa, Honduras

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GAME NOTES

2013 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage // Tuesday, August 21, 2013 - 9:00 p.m. CT

No. Name. Pos Pronunciation 1 Jimmy Nielsen GK neel-sen 2 Erik Palmer-Brown DEF 3 Ike Opara DEF oh-PAR-ah 4 Kevin Ellis DEF 5 Matt Besler DEF BEEZ-ler 6 Paulo Nagamura MID pow-lo na-ga-MOO-ra7 Chance Myers DEF 8 Graham Zusi MID ZOO-see9 Teal Bunbury FWD BUN-buh-ree10 Benny Feilhaber MID FAIL-hob-ber 12 Mikey Lopez MID 13 Lawrence Olum DEF OH-lumm14 Dom Dwyer FWD 15 Seth Sinovic DEF sin-OH-vick 16 Claudio Bieler FWD bee-AY-lurr17 C.J. Sapong FWD sah-PONG18 Eric Kronberg GK krawn-berg19 Peterson Joseph MID 20 Oriol Rosell MID ew-REE-all rohz-EL21 Jon Kempin GK 22 Soony Saad FWD soo-NEE sod 23 Kei Kamara FWD kye kuh-MAH-ruh24 Mechack Jerome DEF ME-shack25 Christian Duke MF 27 Kyle Miller MID 31 Josh Gardner DEF 33 Brendan Ruiz DEF 37 Jacob Peterson FWD 78 Aurelien Collin DEF au-REEL-ee-en94 Jimmy Medranda MID muh-DRAHN-dah

SPORTING KANSAS CITY ACTIVE ROSTER

SPORTING KC ALL-TIME INTERNATIONAL MATCHESGOALS

PLAYER GP G1. Chris Brown 11 42. Roy Lassiter 8 33. Onandi Lowe 3 24. Claudio Lopez 3 14. Jose Burciaga 5 14. Dario Fabbro 2 14. Carey Talley 4 14. Gary Glasgow 9 14. Mike Burns 11 14. Preki 5 14. Francisco Gomez 12 14. Matt McKeon 12 14. Ike Opara 1 14. Dom Dwyer 1 1

SPORTING KC ALL-TIME GAMES PLAYED/STARTEDFIRST LAST GP GSStephen Armstrong 4 3Davy Arnaud 6 4Matt Besler 3 3Chris Brown 11 9Chris Brunt 2 0Teal Bunbury 1 0Jose Burciaga 5 4Mike Burns 11 11Aurelien Collin 1 1Jimmy Conrad 4 4Dom Dwyer 1 1Roger Espinoza 2 1Dario Fabbro 2 2Benny Feilhaber 1 1Nick Garcia 12 12Gary Glasgow 9 5Francisco Gomez 12 7Herculez Gomez 3 2Michael Green 1 1Andrew Gregor 5 4Diego Gutierrez 6 6Michael Harrington 3 1Kevin Hartman 3 3Santiago Hirsig 3 3Aaron Hohlbein 3 3Tahj Jakins 2 2Mechack Jerome 1 1Jack Jewsbury 5 3Mo Johnston 2 1Peterson Joseph 1 0Chris Klein 9 9Michael Kraus 2 0

FIRST LAST GP GSEric Kronberg 1 1Roy Lassiter 8 4Jonathan Leathers 2 1Claudio Lopez 3 2Onandi Lowe 3 3Rauwshan McKenzie 2 1Matt McKeon 12 11Tony Meola 10 10Kurt Morsink 1 0Lawrence Olum 1 1Ike Opara 1 1Bo Oshoniyi 4 4Jacob Peterson 1 1 Preki 5 4Brandon Prideaux 3 1Eric Quill 4 4Oriol Rosell 1 1Soony Saad 1 1Mark Santel 4 2C.J. Sapong 1 0Igor Simutenkov 1 1Seth Sinovic 1 1Khari Stephenson 2 1Carey Talley 4 3Abe Thompson 2 1Peter Vermes 9 8Sasha Victorine 2 2Diego Walsh 2 0Lance Watson 2 2Josh Wolff 5 5Kerry Zavagnin 14 13Alex Zotinca 2 1

GAMES PLAYEDPLAYER GP1. Kerry Zavagnin 142. Nick Garcia 122. Francisco Gomez 122. Matt McKeon 125. Chris Brown 115. Mike Burns 117. Tony Meola 108. Three players tied... 9

GAMES STARTEDPLAYER GS1. Kerry Zavagnin 132. Nick Garcia 123. Matt McKeon 113. Mike Burns 115. Tony Meola 106. Chris Brown 96. Chris Klein 98. Peter Vermes 89. Francisco Gomez 710. Diego Gutierrez 6

GOALS AGAINSTPLAYER GP GA1. Tony Meola 10 152. Bo Oshoniyi 4 83. Kevin Hartman 3 44. Eric Kronberg 1 0

SHUTOUTSPLAYER GP SO1. Tony Meola 3 11. Kevin Hartman 1 11. Bo Oshoniyi 1 11. Eric Kronberg 1 1

SPORTING KC IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION2013-14 CONCACAF Champions LeagueAug. 7: 2-0 W at Real Esteli FC (NIC) at Estadio IndependenciaAug. 27 at CD Olimpia (HON) at Estadio NacionalSept. 17 vs Real Esteli FC (NIC) at Sporting ParkOct. 23 vs CD Olimpia (HON) at Sporting Park

2009 North American Superliga3-1 L vs Club Santos Laguna (MEX) in Group Stage1-1 T at New England Revolution (USA) in Group Stage0-0 T vs. FC Atlas AC (MEX) in Group Stage

2005 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup2-1 L at Deportivo Saprissa (CRI) in Quarterfinals0-0 T vs. Deportivo Saprissa (CRI) in Quarterfinals

2002 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup1-1 T vs CD Monarcas Morelia (MEX) in Semifinals6-1 L at CD Monarcas Morelia (MEX) in Semifinals2-0 W vs Club Santos Laguna (MEX) in Quarterfinals2-1 L at Club Santos Laguna (MEX) in Quarterfinals2-0 W vs W. Connection (TTO) in Round of 161-0 W vs W. Connection (TTO) in Round of 16

2001 Copa Merconorte1-0 L vs Club Santos Laguna (MEX) in Group Stage1-1 T vs. Barcelona SC (ECU) in Group Stage2-1 L at Club Sporting Cristal SAC (PER) in Group Stage3-2 W at Barcelona SC (ECU) in Group Stage4-2 L at Club Santos Laguna (MEX) in Group Stage2-1 L vs Club Sporting Cristal SAC (PER) in Group Stage

GET TO KNOW: CD OLIMPIAFounded in 1912, CD Olimpia are 27-time Honduran champions and are considered the most successful club in the country, capturing both the Apertura and Clausura titles during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. The Lions have represented Honduras extensively in international competition, winning the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup in 1972 and 1988 while finishing runners-up in 1985 and 2000. CD Olimpia qualifed for the 2001 FIFA Club World Champion-ships (along with the LA Galaxy) but the tournament was cancelled.

CD Olimpia are one of only two teams in CONCACAF to participate in all six editions of the CONCACAF Champions League (along with El Salvador’s Isidro Metapan) since 2008-09. The team reached the quarterfinals during the 2010-11 tournament, their best finish under the new format, and are now 10-5-8 all-time in CCL competition with 35 goals for and 26 goals against. CD Olimpia are un-beaten in five of their last six CCL matches (3-1-2), which includes a pair of 1-1 draws against the Houston Dynamo (MLS) in last year’s tournament.

ESTADIO NACIONAL: HOME OF CD OLIMPIACD Olimpia shares Estadio Nacional with rivals CD Motagua, who they will face on Sunday in the Clasico Capitalino. The venue, built in 1948, boasts a capacity of 35,000 and features a grass playing surface at 3,100 feet above sea level. Olimpia is 7-2-2 in CONCACAF Champions League competition at home with 22 goals for and nine goals against. The stadium’s atmosphere can be largely at-tributed to La Ultra Fiel, the official supporters group of the Lions. Tickets range from 50-200 Lempira ($2.50-$10.00) for Tuesday’s match.

The U.S. Men’s National Team is 1-1-1 inside the stadium all-time with a 1-1 draw against Honduras in a FIFA World Cup Qualifier in 1965, a 1-0 victory over El Salvador in a FIFA World Cup Qualifier in 1989 and a 4-1 loss to Honduras in an international friendly in 1993. Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes started and played 80 minutes for the United States in the 1989 match, helping the U.S. secure their first road qualifying win in over 20 years en route to reach-ing the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. Vermes set up the game’s lone goal in the 62nd minute with a shot that was saved and rebounded to Hugo Perez, who finished the opportunity for the match winner.

Sporting Kansas City forward Jacob Peterson has also played inside Estadio Nacional during his career. While with Toronto FC during the 2010-11 CONCA-CAF Champions League, Peterson entered as a second-half substitute in the 72nd minute of a 2-2 draw against CD Motagua during the preliminary round on August 3, 2010. The road result saw Peterson and Toronto FC advance to the group stage with the 3-2 advantage on aggregate.

WELCOME TO TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURASThe capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa is the largest and most populated city (1.2 million) in the country and nearly 1,800 miles from Kansas City. The country is currently in its rainy season and forecasts call for 70-degree temperatures and isolated thunderstorms at kickoff on Tuesday.

Sporting KC will fly into San Pedro Sula, Honduras on Monday and travel more than three hours south by bus to reach the team’s destination in Tegucigalpa.

CD OLIMPIA IN CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE2008-09: 1-0 L at Atlante (MEX) in Group Stage2008-09: 3-1 W at Joe Public (TNT) in Group Stage2008-09: 2-1 L vs. Montreal Impact (CAN) in Group Stage2008-09: 1-1 T vs. Atlante (MEX) in Group Stage2008:09: 1-1 T at Montreal Impact (CAN) in Group Stage2008-09: 4-0 W vs. Joe Public (TNT) in Group Stage2009-10: 2-1 W vs. Arabe Unido (PAN) in Preliminary Round2009-10: 1-0 L at Arabe Unido (PAN) in Preliminary Round2010-11: 1-1 T at Puerto Rico Islanders (USA) in Group Stage2010-11: 4-0 L at Toluca (MEX) in Group Stage2010-11: 2-0 W vs. FAS (SAL) in Group Stage2010-11: 2-1 W vs. Toluca (MEX) in Group Stage2010-11: 4-1 W at FAS (SAL) in Group Stage2010-11: 3-0 W vs. Puerto Rico Islanders (USA) in Group Stage2010-11: 1-0 L at Saprissa (CRA) in Quarterfinals2010-11: 2-1 L vs. Saprissa (CRA) in Quarterfinals2011-12: 3-1 L at Santos Laguna (MEX) in Preliminary Round2011-12: 2-1 W vs. Santos Laguna (MEX) in Preliminary Round2012-13: 3-0 W vs. FAS (SAL) in Group Stage2012-13: 1-1 T vs. Houston Dynamo (USA) in Group Stage2012-13: 2-1 L at FAS (SAL) in Group Stage2012-13: 1-1 T at Houston Dynamo (USA) in Group Stage2013-14: 1-0 W at Real Esteli FC (NIC) in Group Stage

CD OLIMPIA IN LIGA NACIONALFour games into Liga Nacional’s 2013 Apertura season, CD Olimpia currently sit in third place with a 2-1-1 record. The club’s campaign began on Aug. 11 and the squad is now tasked with their sixth match in a 17-day span on Tuesday:

- Aug. 11: 1-1 T vs Platense (Medina 11’) - Aug. 15: 5-0 W vs Deportes Savio (Rojas 16’, 39’, 72’, Padilla 52’, Lozano 92’) - Aug. 18: 2-0 L vs Real Espana - Aug. 21: 1-0 W at Real Esteli FC (CCL) - Aug. 24: 1-0 W at Parrillas One (Lozano 62’) - Aug. 27: vs. Sporting Kansas City (CCL)

CD Olimpia made several changes to the squad from last week’s CCL victory in Nicaragua to Saturday’s league win. Hendry Cordova, Reynaldo Tilguath, Bay-ron Mendez, Douglas Caetano, Rigoberto Padilla and Ramiro Bruschi all saw minutes against Real Esteli but did not feature on Saturday in Tela, Honduras.

XI: Noel Valladares, Henry Bermúdez, Bryan Beckeles, Israel Fonseca, José Escalante (Erick Andino 90), Javier Portillo, Mariano Acevedo (Nery Medina 40), Irvin Reyna, Luis Garrido, Anthony Lozano y Roger Rojas (Carlos Will Mejía 75)

CD OLIMPIA SENDS STARS TO MLS & EPLOn Sunday, CD Olimpia announced the club agreed to loan star striker Roger Rojas to West Ham United FC of the Barclay’s Premier League. The 23-year-old was Liga Nacional’s leading goal scorer last year with 20 goals and had scored three times this season for CD Olimpia. He becomes the third Honduran currently in the EPL, along with former Olimpia players Maynor Figueroa (Hull City) and Wilson Palacios (Stoke City). Rojas was also the club’s all-time leading scorer in the CONCACAF Champions League with eight goals.

Earlier this month, the Houston Dynamo acquired midfielder Alexander Lopez from CD Olimpia as a Young Designated Player. The 21-year-old joins fellow DP and former Olimpia teammate Boniek Garcia playing in Houston. CD Olimpia have sent several players to Major League Soccer over the years, including 2001 MLS MVP Alex Pineda Chacon and 2007 MLS MVP Luciano Emilio.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: CD OLIMPIAOn Sunday, Olimpia had five players named to the Honduras National Team ros-ter for two upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Noel Valladares, Donis Escober, Bryan Beckel, Nery Medina and Luis Garrido were selected for matches against Mexico (Sept. 6) and Panama (Sept. 10). Honduras currently sits in fourth place in the Hexagonal Round with four games remaining on the road to Brazil.

Los Catrachos qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, reaching the game’s big-gest stage for the second time in the nation’s history and first time since 1982. CD Olimpia goalkeeper Noel Valladares started all three games in the group stage and captained his country in a 0-0 draw against Switzerland for Honduras’ first-ever shutout in a World Cup match. Valladares, 36, and Garrido started for Honduras in their 2-1 victory over the United States in FIFA World Cup Qualifying in February -- the U.S. Men’s National Team’s lone loss in the Hex to date.

CD Olimpia second string goalkeeper Donis Escober was also on the World Cup roster and started at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup as Honduras won Group B and advanced past Costa Rica in the quarterfinals before falling to the U.S. in the semifinals. Medina scored versus the U.S. in the 52nd minute of the 2-1 loss.

Anthony Lozano and Garrido were each at Sporting Park for the 2012 CONCA-CAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament as Honduras secured their berth in the Summer Games. Lozano scored in the 1st minute of a 3-2 win over El Salvador in the semifinals and Garrido started the final, a 2-1 loss to Mexico. Both players went on to take the field at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

CCL MATCHDAY 1: CD OLIMPIA 1, REAL ESTELI FC 0Olimpia earned a 1-0 win against Real Esteli FC in Esteli, Nicaragua last Wednesday to pull even with Sporting Kansas City atop Group 2 on three points. Midfielder Bayron Mendez scored the game’s lone goal in the opening minute of the second half and goalkeeper Noel Valladares recorded the shutout.

Olimpia were without defender Brayan Beckles -- who served his one-game suspension stemming from CD Olimpia’s CCL finale a year ago -- and improved to 3-2-1 in CCL openers. With the win, the Lions snapped a four-game winless streak on the road in CCL competition and are now .500 away from home in CCL matches with a 3-3-6 record.

XI: Noel Valladares, Henry Bermúdez, Nery Medina, Hendry Córdova, Javier Portillo, Reinaldo Tilguath (Irving Reyna 62), Israel Fonseca, Bayron Méndez, Carlos Will Mejía, Douglas Caetano (Rigoberto Padilla 75) Ramiro Bruschi (Roger Rojas 77)

24 TEAMS, 1 CHAMPIONThe tournament’s 24 teams are separated into eight groups for a round-robin, home-and-away format. The winner of each group advances to the quarterfinals.

Group 1: Arabe Unido (PAN), Houston Dynamo (USA), W Connection (TTO)Group 2: CD Olimpia (HON), Sporting Kansas City (USA), Real Esteli (NIC)Group 3: Club Sport Herediano (GUA), Cruz Azul (MEX), Valencia FC (HAI)Group 4: Club America (MEX), Alajuelense (CRA), Sporting San Miguelito (PAN)Group 5: San Jose Earthquakes (USA), Montreal Impact (CAN), CD Heridia (GUA)Group 6: Comunicaciones (GUA), Toluca (MEX), Caledonia AIA (TTO)Group 7: Club Tijuana (MEX), CD Victoria (HON), Luis Angel Firpo (ELS)Group 8: LA Galaxy (USA), Isidro Metapan (ELS), Club Sport Cartaginés (CRA)

FOUR ON SPORTING KC WITH PRIOR CCL EXPERIENCEFour Sporting Kansas City players have previously participated in the CON-CACAF Champions League while with other Major League Soccer clubs. Josh Gardner (LA Galaxy 2006, Columbus Crew 2010-11), Kei Kamara (Houston Dynamo 2008-09, 2009-10), Jacob Peterson (Toronto FC 2010-11) and Paulo Nagamura (Chivas USA 2008-09) each bring experience in the tournament to Sporting Kansas City’s 2013-14 quest for the continental crown.

INTERNATIONAL INTRODUCTION: VERMES AS MANAGERManager Peter Vermes leads Sporting Kansas City in the club’s first international competition since taking the helm of the club in August 2009. In friendlies, Ver-mes is unbeaten as a coach against international opponents; highlighted by the team’s historic 2-1 win over Manchester United in 2010 and also including draws against Newcastle United (0-0), CD Guadalajara (2-2) and Stoke City (1-1). Ver-mes missed KC’s 3-0 loss to Montpellier while at the 2012 MLS All-Star Game.

As a player, Vermes appeared in nine competitive international matches while with the club from 2000-2002 and helped the team reach the semifinals of the 2002 Champions’ Cup, the club’s best-ever showing on the international stage.

HOMETOWN HERO ADDS INTERNATIONAL PEDIGREE MLS Defender of the Year and All-Star Matt Besler is the only player on Sporting KC’s roster to have played in a competitive international match for the club prior to this year’s CONCACAF Champions League. Besler started all three games during the 2009 North American Superliga as Kansas City went 0-1-2 in the group stage, including a shutout of Mexico’s Atlas.

KERRY ZAVAGNIN CONTINUES INTERNATIONAL STREAKSporting KC assistant coach Kerry Zavagnin has either played (14) or served on the technical staff (4) for every competitive international match in club history. His 14 appearances in competitive international matches from 2000-2008 are the most by a KC player all-time. He became an assistant coach beginning with the 2009 season. He is currently in his 14th consecutive season with the club.

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PRIMERThe CONCACAF Champions League features the top 24 club teams from across North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The winner of the tourna-ment earns a berth in the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup. The tournament started in 1962 and was originally called the CONCACAF Champions Cup before switch-ing to the current format in 2008. Sporting Kansas City, one of five MLS teams in the tournament, qualified as the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champions.

Record By Tourney... - Superliga: 0-1-2 - CCL: 4-3-2 - Merconorte: 1-4-1Overall: 5-8-5 - Home: 2-3-4 - Away: 3-5-1

- vs USA: 0-0-1 - vs MEX: 1-5-2 - vs CRI: 0-1-1 - vs TTO: 2-0-0 - vs ECU: 1-0-1 - vs PER: 0-2-0 - vs NIC: 1-0-0

Other Stats of Note... - Goals for: 21 - Goals Against: 27 - Shutouts: 6 - Been Shutout: 3

Looking back at the 2012-13 tournament, the eight quarter finalists averaged 10 points in the group stage. Three teams went 4-0-0 during the opening round (Monterrey, Santos Laguna and Seattle Sounders FC), while Xelaju advanced with seven points (2-1-1), the fewest of any quarterfinal participants.

TM GP W L T GF GA GD PTSSKC 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 3OLI 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 3EST 2 0 2 0 0 3 -3 0

CCL MATCHDAY 1: SPORTING KC 2, REAL ESTELI FC 0Sporting Kansas City earned a 2-0 victory over Real Esteli FC at Estadio Inde-pendencia in Esteli, Nicaragua on August 7. Ike Opara opened the scoring in the 31st minute with a header and second-year striker Dom Dwyer - making his first start in a competitive match for the club - sealed the victory with his goal in the 76th minute. Eric Kronberg was given the start in net and kept the clean sheet to move Sporting KC into pole position in Group 2.

XI: Eric Kronberg, Seth Sinovic, Ike Opara, Aurelien Collin, Mechack Jerome, Lawrence Olum, Oriol Rosell, Benny Feilhaber (Peterson Joseph 69), Soony Saad (C.J. Sapong 89), Dom Dwyer (Teal Bunbury 85), Jacob Peterson

KEEPING AN EYE ON CAUTION ACCUMULATION “Any player to accumulate two single yellow cards in two different matches in the CCL is suspended for the following game. Thereafter, each time a player ac-cumulates two single yellow cards in two different matches, he will be suspended for the following game with the exception that single cautions will be eliminated at the end of the Quarter Final Round and at the end of the championship stage.”

Sporting Kansas City defender Mechack Jerome and forward Soony Saad each received cautions in the team’s opening CONCACAF Champions League match. Should either player receive a yellow card during the remaining group stage games, then the player must serve a mandatory one-game suspension for cau-tion accumulation.

GROUP STAGE TIEBREAKERSIn the event that teams are tied on points at the end of the Group Stage, the following tie-breaker criteria shall be applied, in order, to determine the ranking of the teams.

1. Greater number of points earned in matches between the teams concerned2. Greater goal difference in matches between the teams concerned3. Greater number of goals scored away from home in matches between the teams concerned4. Reapply first three criteria if two or more teams are still tied5. Greater goal difference in all group matches6. Greater number of goals scored in group matches7. Greater number of goals scored away in all group Matches8. Drawing of lots

GROUP 2 STANDINGS

FINAL STOP ON ROAD SWINGTuesday’s match will be Sporting Kansas City’s third consecutive game on the road, the longest road swing of the season, and ends a span that saw the club play seven of ten games away from home dating back to July 7. Over that span, the team has logged more than 16,000 miles roundtrip between destinations and will have played in four different countries in one month (July 27 - Aug. 27):

July 7 at Chicago: 826 miles July 20 at Salt Lake: 1,848 miles July 27 at Montreal: 2,318 miles Aug. 7 at Esteli: 3,850 miles Aug. 18 at San Jose: 2,970 miles Aug. 23 at Chicago: 826 miles Aug. 27 at Olimpia: 3,560 miles TOTAL: 16,198 miles

Following Tuesday’s contest, Sporting Kansas City will have three straight games at home and will not travel again until crossing another international border on Sept. 21 to face Toronto FC.

BROADCAST INFORMATIONTuesday night’s match will air live at 9 p.m. CT on FOX Soccer Plus and stream online via FOX Soccer 2Go, which is currently offering a free 14-day trial. The match will also air on tape delay at 5 a.m. CT on Wednesday on FOX Soccer Plus and at 1 p.m. CT on Wednesday on Univision Deportes Network.

Sports Radio 810 WHB will preview the match during The Sporting KC Show from 7-8 p.m. CT on Tuesday with hosts Callum Williams and Andy Edwards. For online coverage during the match, visit the links below:

- SportingKC.com/GameOn or @SKCGameday on Twitter - MLSSoccer.com/scores or Golazo.MLSSoccer.com - concacafchampions.com or @TheChampions on Twitter