Stoke City Adds Sporting Kansas City Friendly to US Summer Tour Schedule

Stoke City has added a friendly against Sporting Kansas City to its 2012 US summer tour itinerary. Plus, a friendly against Central Florida club Orlando City is expected to be announced shortly.

Sporting Kansas City will play Stoke City on Wednesday, August 1st at Livestrong Sporting Park.

“We look forward to welcoming Stoke City during their preparation for the 2012-13 Premier League season,” Sporting Club CEO Robb Heineman said. “Kansas City continues to be a destination for international soccer matches and this will be another opportunity for us to showcase Sporting Kansas City and LIVESTRONG Sporting Park this summer.”

Ticket prices begin at $20 and will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CT on Wednesday, May 16on Ticketmaster.com or at the LSP Box Offices.

Stoke City is expected to hold training sessions at the Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park as part of their pre-season. VIP packages, including the opportunity to attend a Stoke City FC training session and a coaching clinic with the team’s technical staff, will be made available at a later date.

Stoke City’s match against Sporting Kansas City is the second officially announced date of their summer tour. Stoke will play Columbus Crew on July 24, 2012.

In addition to those two friendlies, Stoke City is expected to announce a friendly soon against Orlando City. The Florida team is owned by a Stoke City board member. Plus, Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has a son named Anthony who plays midfield for Orlando, the current PDL champions. And there’s one more important connection. Former Stoke City footballer Adrian Heath manages Orlando.

Last summer, Orlando City played Newcastle United at the Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando, where Orlando defeated Newcastle 1-0 on an artificial pitch.