Des Moines Menace News Release -- www.menacesoccer.com
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – They’ve long dreamed about playing in front of thousands of Major League Soccer fans.
Tonight, the Des Moines Menace’s players will get that opportunity. For the first time in the Menace’s 20 Premier Development League seasons, the team takes center stage in an MLS stadium. And not just any stadium: The incomparable Sporting Park – a state-of-the-art, $200 million spectacle that will host the 2013 MLS All-Star Game in July.
The opponent: Sporting Kansas City. The competition: the third round of the 100th annual Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – a storied national tournament that affords amateur teams like the Menace the chance to go toe to toe with professional teams like Sporting KC.
Sporting KC is the reigning U.S. Open Cup champion. Peter Vermes’ side is 6-4-4 in MLS play, after rallying for a 1-1 draw with Eastern Conference foe Houston on Sunday. Just two days before they get to step on this same field, Menace players watched this nationally televised game played in front of more than 20,000 fans at Sporting Park.
Tonight’s winner advances to a June 12 date with the winner of a contest between the Colorado Rapids (MLS) and Orlando City (USL PRO) – teams that face off tonight at 6:30 CT in Florida. If the Menace can pull off an upset, its fairytale continues on the road. If Sporting KC wins, its title defense continues at home.
Since knocking off Minnesota a week ago, the Menace has received national recognition in unexpected places. The team received mentions from ESPN announcers on broadcasts of a couple high-exposure soccer matches: Manchester City-Chelsea on Thursday and Los Angeles Galaxy-Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday.
“It’s been pretty exciting,” said Menace defender Taylor Diem. “It’s nice to get noticed, but we know we need to stay humble and work hard. I think we’re all nervous and excited. We’re all ready to show up and play, and we all want to show what we got, on such a big stage.
“Putting up a bunch of college kids against an MLS team – this is a dream.”
ABOUT THE MENACE
- Earned tonight’s match with 1-0 defeats of Minnesota United FC and the Madison 56ers.
- Suffered its first loss on Saturday – 1-0 at St. Louis.
- Is 2-0 in the U.S. Open Cup and 1-1-1 in the PDL. All three wins have come by 1-0 counts.
- Has yet to play in a match in which either side scores more than once.
- Has received a goal from four different players: David Santamaria, Jimmy Tulloch, Taylor Diem and Brandon Fricke.
- Finished 8-5-3 in 2012, missing the Heartland Division’s second and final playoff spot by a single point to Real Colorado (8-4-4).
- Began 2013 under the direction of a new general manager (Matt Homonoff) and head coach (Mike Jeffries). The last time Des Moines did this, in 2005, the team advanced to the fourth round of the Open Cup and ended the season as PDL champion (GM Alan Oatsvall and coach Casey Mann).
- The updated roster: www.MenaceSoccer.com/men/roster
ABOUT SPORTING KC
- Begins its defense of the 2012 U.S. Open Cup championship tonight.
- In a dramatic 2012 Open Cup final that came down to a shootout (Aug. 8 at Sporting Park), prevailed over three-time defending Cup champ Seattle, on a 3-2 PK advantage, following a match knotted 1-1 after 120 minutes of play.
- Outscored five Open Cup foes 11-3, en route to the 2012 title.
- Carries a 17-12-5 all-time mark in the Open Cup.
- Also won the Open Cup in 2004 and MLS Cup in 2000.
- Is 6-4-4 in 2013, with identical marks of 3-2-2 at home and on the road.
- Has finished atop the Eastern Conference standings each of the last two seasons, including an 18-7-9 finish in 2012 that included a 12-match unbeaten streak.
- Jimmy Nielsen, the 2012 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, has made 24 saves.
- Claudio Bieler leads the team with six goals and 13 points.
- Is without the services of Matt Besler and Graham Zusi, who yesterday joined the U.S. Men’s National Team for a five-match tour. Besler is the 2012 MLS Defender of the Year; Like Besler, Zusi (who currently leads MLS with five assists) was named to the 2012 MLS Best XI. Sporting KC’s Jimmy Nielsen and Aurelien Collin also made this exclusive group.
- Is also without forward Sonny Saad, who recently joined the Lebanon national team for the first time.
- Fan favorite Kei Kamara scored his first goal of the season on Sunday, rallying SKC to a 1-1 draw against his former team, the Houston Dynamo.
- C.J. Sapong has five career Open Cup goals (in eight matches) – tied for the most in franchise history.
ALL-TIME SERIES
- Sporting KC eliminated the Menace from the Open Cup’s in 2005 (fourth round) and 2006 (third round).
- On July 12, 2006, Kansas City (then called the Wizards) needed a stoppage-time goal from Scott Sealy (92rd minute) to win 2-1 over Des Moines at Blue Valley District Activity Center (Overland Park, Kan.). The Menace’s Brad Whitsitt tied the match in the 72nd minute; Edwin Disang assisted.
- On Aug. 3, 2005, the Wizards began their title (2004) defense with a 6-1 triumph over a Menace team that won the PDL title 10 days later. Playing at Julian Field in Parkville, Mo., the Wizards got all-star performances from Josh Wolff and Davy Arnaud. Wolff converted two penalty kicks and assisted two scores; Arnaud scored twice and added an assist.
MENACE’S TIES TO SPORTING KC
- Menace goalkeeper Scott Angevine, a native of Kansas City, Kan., played for Sporting KC in 2012 and also played for the Sporting KC Academy.
- Menace defender Brandon Fricke, whose header goal late against Minnesota set up tonight’s matchup, played for the Sporting KC Academy U18s.
- More than 25 Menace players have gone on to play in the MLS, and five have played for Kansas City:
Kevin Souter (2007 Menace; 2008-09 Wizards)
Michael Kraus (2005 Menace; 2007-09 Wizards)
Corey Farabi (2005 Menace; 2006 Wizards)
Stephen Shirley (2003 Menace; 2006 Wizards)
Chris Brunt (2002 Menace; 2002-04 Wizards)
- Menace Academy product Tyler Peeler, who interned with the Menace the last two seasons, is interning with Sporting KC.
FRICKE NAMED “PLAYER OF THE ROUND”
- Menace defender Brandon Fricke is the “Player of the Round” for the second set of matches in the 2013 Open Cup, announced this morning by TheCup.us.
- Fricke, the Menace’s captain in a 1-0 win over Minnesota Unite FC, scored the lone goal in the team’s 1-0 upset win. His game-winning header came in the 86th minute, set up by a corner kick from Jimmy Tulloch.
- The Grimes native, in his fourth season with the Menace, as he prepares for his senior year at Butler University.
- Fricke edged out Reading United goalkeeper John McCarthy (second) and Menace goalie Scott Angevine (third) for the award, voted on by the staff at TheCup.us and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters.