Local pro sports teams have t urned the tables from past years and are now producing excellent results to the delight of their many fans.
Sporting Kansas City, soccer team, sits on top of the Eastern Conference standings in the MLS and second in the MLS overall. New York Red Bulls ended Sporting’s four game win streak with a 1-1 tie at Livestrong Sporting Park. The streak dated all the way back to Sporting’s 1-1 draw against English Premier League team Stoke City in a friendly. The streak also includes winning the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup over Seattle Sounders in front of a record breaking crowd at Livestrong. The club has taken a complete turnaround after the opening of Livestrong finishing last in the MLS two years ago.
Junior Jenna VonBargen was enthused about Sporting’s recent victory.
“I was really excited when they won the Open Cup,” VonBargen said.
The Tampa Bay Rays snapped the Kansas City Royals three game win streak last week at Tropicana Field. The streak included a three game sweep of the AL Central leaders Chicago White Sox. Currently the Royals are in a four game series in Boston. The Boston Red Sox currently lead the series 2-1. The Royals won 10-9 on Saturday to avoid a potential Red Sox sweep. The Royals currently sit in third of the AL Central, 15 games back from the White Sox and 12.5 games back from the Detroit Tigers.
Senior Tyler Cawley had high hopes for seasons to come.
“It’s not going that good now,” Cawley said, “they are a young team, so hopefully they’ll grow and turn in some wins over the next few years.”
The Kansas City Chiefs are 1-2 in their preseason campaign. The Chiefs won 27-17 over the Arizona Cardinals at Arrowhead Stadium before traveling to St. Louis to fall to the Rams 31-17. Last Friday, the Chiefs were pounded by the Seattle Seahawks 44-14 at Arrowhead. The Chiefs look to be lead back to the playoffs by starting quarterback Matt Cassel. The Chiefs start the regular season at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Sep. 9 at Arrowhead.
Sporting will host Toronto FC at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sep. 1, at Livestrong Sporting Park. The game will air on KSMO-TV.
Meanwhile, the Royals are back in action at 12:35 p.m. today in Boston. The game will air on Fox Sports Kansas City.