Sporting Kansas City CEO to discuss end of stadium naming rights deal with Livestrong

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Sporting Kansas City CEO Robb Heineman is expected to comment on his team’s decision to drop Livestrong from their stadium’s name during a previously-scheduled media appearance Friday.

The soccer team is holding its first training session of the 2013 season at the Kansas City Chiefs’ indoor practice facility at Arrowhead Stadium.

Heineman, as well as coaches and players, is expected to speak with media after the session.

Heineman announced in a statement Tuesday night Sporting was ending its naming rights partnership to their stadium in Kansas City, Kan., with the Livestrong Foundation.

The announcement came just a day after news broke that bicyclist Lance Armstrong, the foundation’s founder who has since stepped down, admitted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his historic seven-year run as winner of the Tour de France.

The Oprah interview with Armstrong aired Thursday night .

But Heineman’s statement never mentioned Armstrong; Instead, he blamed the decision on a business deal gone awry.

The stadium, known as Livestrong Sporting Park since it opened in 2011, is now known just as Sporting Park. The team is looking for a new sponsor for a naming rights deal .

Sporting Kansas City leaves for Tucson, Ariz., on Sunday for the first leg of their 2013 preseason.