Sporting Kansas City facts for kids
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| Full name | Sporting Kansas City | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Wizards | |||
| Short name | SKC, Sporting KC, Sporting | |||
| Founded | June 6, 1995 (as Kansas City Wiz) | |||
| Stadium | Children's Mercy Park Kansas City, Kansas |
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| Stadium capacity |
18,491 | |||
| Owner | Sporting Club | |||
| Head coach | Kerry Zavagnin (Interim) | |||
| League | Major League Soccer | |||
| 2024 | Western Conference: 13th Overall: 27th Playoffs: Did not qualify |
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Sporting Kansas City is a professional soccer team from the Kansas City metropolitan area in the United States. They play in Major League Soccer (MLS) as part of the Western Conference. The team's main offices are in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Their practice fields and clubhouse are in Kansas City, Kansas. Since 2011, they have played their home games at Children's Mercy Park.
The club started playing in 1996 as one of the first teams in the league. Back then, they were called the Kansas City Wiz. Lamar Hunt founded the team in 1995. In 1997, the team changed its name to Kansas City Wizards. In November 2010, they changed their name again to Sporting Kansas City. This happened when they moved to their new home stadium, Children's Mercy Park.
Sporting Kansas City has won the MLS Cup twice, in 2000 and 2013. They also won the Supporters' Shield in 2000. The team has won the U.S. Open Cup four times: in 2004, 2012, 2015, and 2017.
The club also has a reserve team called Sporting Kansas City II. This team started playing in the second-tier USL Championship in 2016. In 2022, they moved to MLS Next Pro.
Contents
Team History
Starting Out (1996–1999)
The Kansas City MLS team was started by Lamar Hunt. He also founded other sports leagues and teams, like the Kansas City Chiefs. The Kansas City Wiz played their first game on April 13, 1996. They beat the Colorado Rapids 3–0 at Arrowhead Stadium. Key players for the Wiz included Preki, Mo Johnston, and Digital Takawira. Ron Newman was their coach.
In 1996, the Wiz finished third in their conference. They made it to the first-ever MLS Playoffs. They won against the Dallas Burn but then lost to the LA Galaxy.
After the 1996 season, the team changed its name to the "Wizards." This was because of a legal issue with an electronics store. In the 1997 MLS season, they had a great record and won the Western Conference. Preki was even named the MLS MVP that year. However, they lost in the first round of the playoffs. The Wizards had tough seasons in 1998 and 1999, finishing last in their conference both years. Coach Ron Newman was replaced by Bob Gansler in 1999.
Winning the MLS Cup (2000)
In 2000, under coach Bob Gansler, the Wizards started the season with a 12-game unbeaten streak. Goalkeeper Tony Meola set an MLS record with 16 shutouts. He won MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and MLS MVP. Peter Vermes was named 2000 MLS Defender of the Year. The Wizards finished the regular season with the best record in the league, winning the MLS Supporters' Shield. This award goes to the team with the most points in the regular season.
In the 2000 playoffs, the Wizards faced the LA Galaxy. They came back from being behind to win the series. This sent them to their first MLS Cup final. At RFK Stadium, the Wizards, known for their strong defense, played against the Chicago Fire, who had a powerful offense. Miklos Molnar scored an early goal for the Wizards. Tony Meola and the defense held strong, and the Wizards won their first MLS Cup Championship. Tony Meola was named the MLS Cup MVP.
Challenges and Comebacks (2001–2004)
After winning the championship, the team faced challenges in 2001. They made the playoffs but lost to the Miami Fusion. In 2002, they struggled again but still made the playoffs. They lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy, who went on to win the championship.
The Wizards improved in 2003. They reached the conference final but lost a close game to the San Jose Earthquakes. In 2004, the Wizards had a strong finish to the season. They won the Western Conference regular season championship.
In the 2004 playoffs, they made it to their second MLS Cup final. They played against D.C. United. The Wizards scored first, but D.C. United scored three goals quickly. Josh Wolff scored a penalty kick for KC, but they lost the final 3–2.
Moving East and Rebranding (2005–2012)
In 2005, the Wizards moved to the Eastern Conference. They missed the playoffs that year. After the season, their veteran player Preki retired. In 2006, they just missed the playoffs again. In August 2006, Lamar Hunt sold the club to a local group called OnGoal, LLC. This group wanted to keep the team in Kansas City.
The club dedicated its 2007 season to Lamar Hunt, who had passed away. They had a good start and picked up goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. They made the playoffs but lost to the Houston Dynamo in the conference final.
In 2008, the Wizards played their home games at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas. They made the playoffs but lost to the Columbus Crew. In 2009, the team struggled to score goals. Coach Curt Onalfo was replaced by general manager Peter Vermes. The Wizards finished near the bottom of the league.
In July 2010, the Wizards played a friendly game against Manchester United F.C. They won 2–1 in front of a record crowd of over 52,000 fans. In the 2010 regular season, they finished third in the Eastern Conference but just missed the playoffs.
In November 2010, the team changed its name from Wizards to Sporting Kansas City. This new name was inspired by European sports clubs. With the new name came a new stadium, Children's Mercy Park, in Kansas City, Kansas. This made Sporting the first major-league team to play in stadiums on both sides of the state line in Kansas City.
Because their new stadium was not ready, Sporting Kansas City played their first ten games of the 2011 season away from home. They only won one of these games. Once they started playing at Children's Mercy Park, they found more success. They finished the regular season with the most points in the Eastern Conference. They beat the Colorado Rapids in the semifinals but lost to the Houston Dynamo in the conference finals.
Sporting KC started the 2012 season with seven wins in a row. They set an MLS record for not allowing a shot on goal for 335 minutes. They finished first in the East. Key players included Graham Zusi, Jimmy Nielsen, and Matt Besler. They lost to the Houston Dynamo in the playoffs. However, KC won the 2012 U.S. Open Cup, beating Seattle Sounders FC in the final. This win helped them qualify for the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League.
MLS Cup Champions Again (2013)
In 2013, Sporting Kansas City kept important players like Graham Zusi and Matt Besler. They finished second in the Eastern Conference. In the 2013 MLS Playoffs, Sporting KC defeated the NE Revolution and the Houston Dynamo. This sent them to MLS Cup 2013. SKC won the MLS Cup by beating Real Salt Lake in a penalty shootout (7–6) after the game was tied 1–1. It was the coldest MLS Cup game ever recorded.
Return West (2014–Present)
In the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs, Sporting was knocked out by the New York Red Bulls.
On October 27, 2014, MLS announced that Sporting Kansas City would move from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference. This happened because two new teams joined the league in 2015. Sporting finished sixth in the Western Conference that year and made the playoffs. They were eliminated by the Portland Timbers in a penalty shootout.
Neal Patterson, one of Sporting's owners, passed away in July 2017. The team honored him on their jerseys and at Children's Mercy Park. Later that month, the club traded player Dom Dwyer for a record amount of money.
The team won the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup by beating the New York Red Bulls 2–1 in the final. This was Sporting's fourth Open Cup title and their third in six years. Coach Peter Vermes had a perfect record of 4–0 in cup finals with the club. Sporting Kansas City became only the second team in Open Cup history to win four finals in four appearances.
Pat Curran, another owner, passed away in October 2024. Peter Vermes ended his 15-year time as the team's head coach in March 2025. This happened after the team had a winless start to the season.
Team Colors and Badge
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Sporting Kansas City's official colors are "sporting blue" and "dark indigo." "Lead" is a third color. The main logo is shaped like a teardrop. It shows a special design of the Kansas–Missouri state line. The "Kansas" side has "sporting blue" stripes, and the "Missouri" side has an "SC" design. The shape of the logo is a nod to the team's old "Kansas City Wizards" logo.
The state line in the logo shows that Sporting's fans come from both the Kansas and Missouri parts of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The eleven blue and indigo stripes represent the eleven players on a soccer team. The "SC" stands for Sporting Club. It is inspired by symbols of health, strength, and movement. It also takes ideas from the Spanish architecture of Kansas City's Country Club Plaza. Since 2013, Ivy Funds became the team's first uniform sponsor. New home and away jersey designs were revealed, along with an alternate argyle design.
Team Sponsors
| Years | Kit Maker | Shirt Sponsor | Sleeve Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–2012 | Adidas | — | |
| 2013–2019 | Ivy Investments | — | |
| 2020 | Compass Minerals | ||
| 2021 | Victory Project | Compass Minerals Children's Mercy |
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| 2022–present | Compass Minerals | — | |
Home Stadiums
Arrowhead Stadium
From 1996 to 2007, the Wizards played their home games at Arrowhead Stadium. This stadium is mostly used for American football by the Kansas City Chiefs. For many years, parts of the stadium were covered, limiting seating for soccer games. In 2006, fans could sit all around the field, but in 2007, seating was again only along the sides.
After 2007, the Wizards still used Arrowhead for some big games. In 2008, they played a regular season game there against the Los Angeles Galaxy. This was to fit the large crowd expected for David Beckham's first game with the Galaxy. In 2010, the Wizards played a friendly game against English club Manchester United and won 2–1. The club also used the stadium for their game against Inter Miami to fit the large crowd for Lionel Messi's first appearance in Kansas City. Inter Miami won that game 3-2.
CommunityAmerica Ballpark
The Wizards agreed to use CommunityAmerica Ballpark, home of the Kansas City T-Bones baseball team, for the 2008, 2009, and 2010 seasons. This stadium is in Kansas City, Kansas. The Wizards helped pay for a new seating section to increase its capacity to 10,385. This made the Wizards one of the few MLS teams to share a stadium with a baseball team.
The Wizards had planned to build a new stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. However, the financial crisis in 2008–09 stopped those plans.
Children's Mercy Park
The team then looked for a new stadium location. They chose a spot in Kansas City, Kansas, near CommunityAmerica Ballpark and the Kansas Speedway. In September 2009, officials in Wyandotte County, Kansas, approved using money to help build the soccer complex. On January 19, 2010, the county approved the bonds to help pay for the stadium. The next day, the groundbreaking ceremony took place.
When the Kansas City Wizards became Sporting Kansas City, they built Livestrong Sporting Park. This complex cost $200 million and was the first "European style" soccer complex in the United States. The stadium was first named after the Livestrong Foundation. After issues with Lance Armstrong, Sporting Kansas City changed the name to Sporting Park.
On November 19, 2015, the stadium was renamed Children's Mercy Park. This was part of a ten-year agreement with Children's Mercy Hospital.
| Name | Location | Years in use |
|---|---|---|
| Arrowhead Stadium | Kansas City, Missouri | 1996–2007 |
| CommunityAmerica Ballpark | Kansas City, Kansas | 2008–2010 |
| Children's Mercy Park | 2011–present |
Team Culture
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Supporters
Sporting Kansas City often sells out its games. As of August 2017, they had over 100 straight sellouts. The team has 14,000 season-ticket holders, with a waiting list of 3,000 people. Sporting KC has many young fans, with season-ticket holders having an average age of 29.7 years.
The main group of supporters for Sporting Kansas City is called "The Cauldron." They cheer from the North side of Children's Mercy Park. The name comes from the large pots used for boiling potions, linking to the team's old name, "Wizards." Since the team's rebranding in 2010, the fan section has grown a lot. Many fan groups now add to the energy of The Cauldron.
Some of these groups include The Emeritus, Drainage Pond SC, Monster Squad, La Barra KC, Mass Street Mob, King City Yardbirds, Fountain City Ultras, Trenches, and Ladies of SKC. The South Stand SC cheers from the south end of the stadium. This group includes The Wedge and Ad Astra SKC. The American Outlaws – Kansas City Chapter also has fans in the stands.
Team Mascot
"Blue the Dog" is the official mascot for Sporting Kansas City.
Team Rivalries
Houston Dynamo
Sporting KC and the Houston Dynamo have played each other many times. They were both in the Eastern Conference for a while. During that time, they often met in the playoffs, which started their rivalry. As of 2022, SKC has a close record against the Dynamo.
Real Salt Lake
Sporting KC and Real Salt Lake have also had many close games. As of October 2023, their overall record is very close. The two teams played against each other in MLS Cup 2013. That game was the coldest MLS Cup final at the time.
Portland Timbers
Recently, both Portland and Kansas City have become big soccer cities. This is because their soccer teams have performed well. Their women's soccer teams, the Portland Thorns and the Kansas City Current, have also become big rivals. This is especially true since the Thorns beat the Current 2–0 in the 2022 NWSL Championship.
St. Louis City SC
Sporting KC started a rivalry with St. Louis City SC when St. Louis joined the league in the 2023 season. Before their first game, a St. Louis fan podcast caused some tension between supporters. Sporting Kansas City believed the podcast was using a trademarked phrase. St. Louis City won their first game in May 2023. However, Sporting KC won the second game in September at Children's Mercy Park. The two teams played in their first playoff series in the 2023 MLS Cup playoffs. Sporting Kansas City, the #8 seed, upset the #1 seeded St. Louis in a best-of-three series.
Broadcasting Games
Since 2023, every Sporting Kansas City game can be watched on MLS Season Pass through the Apple TV app.
Before 2017, games were shown on KMCI-TV. Nate Bukaty was the play-by-play announcer, and former goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum provided commentary. The Sporting Kansas City Television Network also showed games in six states.
Later, games were shown on Fox Sports Kansas City. In 2022, KMCI returned as a broadcast partner for fans in the Kansas City area. Other areas could stream games on the club's website.
Local radio coverage in English is provided by Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Kansas City 99.3FM. Spanish broadcasts are on KCZZ (ESPN Deportes Kansas City 1480AM).
Players and Staff
Current Roster
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Head Coaches
| Name | Nation | Time as Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Ron Newman |  |
October 11, 1995 – April 14, 1999 |
| Ken Fogarty (interim) |  |
April 14, 1999 – April 28, 1999 |
| Bob Gansler |  |
April 28, 1999 – July 19, 2006 |
| Brian Bliss (interim) | |
July 19, 2006 – December 31, 2006 |
| Curt Onalfo | |
November 27, 2006 – August 3, 2009 |
| Peter Vermes | |
August 4, 2009 – November 10, 2009 (interim) November 10, 2009 – March 31, 2025 |
| Kerry Zavagnin (interim) | |
March 31, 2025 – Present (interim) |
General Managers and Presidents
| Name | Time in Role |
|---|---|
| Tim Latta | 1996 |
| Doug Newman | 1997–1999 |
| Curt Johnson | 1999–2006 |
| Robb Heineman | 2006–2016 |
| Jake Reid | 2016–present |
Team Achievements
| National Titles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Competitions | Wins | Seasons | |
| MLS Cup | 2 | 2000, 2013 | |
| Supporters' Shield | 1 | 2000 | |
| U.S. Open Cup | 4 | 2004, 2012, 2015, 2017 | |
Other Club Awards
- MLS Fair Play Award (4): 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006
- CONCACAF Champions League Fair Play Award: 2019
Team Records
Season Performance
This is a partial list of Sporting Kansas City's recent seasons. For a full history, see List of Sporting Kansas City seasons.
| Season | League | Position | Playoffs | USOC | Continental / Other | Average attendance |
Top Goalscorer(s) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div | League | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Conf. | Overall | Name(s) | Goals | ||||||
| 2017 | 1 | MLS | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 40 | 29 | +11 | 49 | 1.44 | 5th | 11th | R1 | W | DNQ | 19,565 |  Gerso Fernandes |
8 | |
| 2018 | MLS | 34 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 65 | 40 | +25 | 62 | 1.82 | 1st | 3rd | SF | QF | 19,774 |  Dániel Sallói |
14 | |||
| 2019 | MLS | 34 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 49 | 67 | –18 | 38 | 1.12 | 11th | 21st | DNQ | R4 | CONCACAF Champions League | SF | 18,601 |  Felipe Gutiérrez |
12 | |
| 2020 | MLS | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 38 | 25 | +13 | 39 | 1.86 | 1st | 5th | QF | NH | MLS is Back tournament | QF | 21,188 |  Alan Pulido |
6 | |
| 2021 | MLS | 34 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 58 | 40 | +18 | 58 | 1.7 | 3rd | 4th | SF | NH | DNQ | 18,757 | Dániel Sallói |
16 | ||
| 2022 | MLS | 34 | 11 | 16 | 7 | 42 | 54 | -12 | 40 | 1.18 | 12th | 23rd | DNQ | SF | 18,365 |  Johnny Russell |
8 | |||
| 2023 | MLS | 34 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 48 | 51 | -3 | 44 | 1.29 | 8th | 15th | SF | R4 | 18.616 | Alan Pulido |
14 | |||
| 2024 | MLS | 34 | 8 | 19 | 7 | 51 | 66 | -15 | 31 | 0.91 | 13th | 27th | DNQ | RU | 21,193 |  Willam Agada |
10 | |||
1. Avg. attendance includes statistics from league matches only.
2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in league, MLS Cup playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, MLS is Back tournament, CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and other competitive continental matches.
Top Goalscorers
| # | Name | Years Played | MLS Goals | Playoff Goals | Open Cup Goals | CCL Goals | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preki |
1996–2000 2002–2005 |
71 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 81 |
| 2 | Johnny Russell |
2018–2024 | 60 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 67 |
| 3 | Dom Dwyer |
2012–2017 | 57 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 66 |
| 4 | Dániel Sallói |
2017–present | 52 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 65 |
| 5 | Davy Arnaud |
2002–2011 | 43 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 52 |
| 6 | Josh Wolff |
2003–2006 2008–2010 |
43 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 46 |
| 7 | Chris Klein |
1998–2005 | 39 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 43 |
| 8 |  Kei Kamara |
2009–2013 | 38 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 41 |
| 9 | Alan Pulido |
2020–2024 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 |
| 10 | Graham Zusi |
2009–2023 | 31 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 35 |
| 11 | Mo Johnston |
1996–2001 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| Benny Feilhaber |
2013–2017 2019 |
29 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 32 | |
| 13 |  Vitalis Takawira |
1996–2000 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 31 |
| 14 |  Scott Sealy |
2005–2008 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 |
The following records are for MLS regular season games only:
- Most Games Played: Graham Zusi (355)
- Most Goals: Preki (71)
- Most Match-Winning Goals: Dániel Sallói (17)
- Most Assists: Preki (98)
- Most Wins (Goalkeeper): Tim Melia (73)
- Most Shutouts (Goalkeeper): Tim Melia (52)
- Most Saves (Goalkeeper): Tim Melia (530)
- Most Ejections: Roger Espinoza (11)
Sporting Legends Hall of Fame
Sporting Legends is a special program started in 2013. It honors people who played a very important part for Sporting Kansas City and helped soccer grow in the area.
Here are the people named as Sporting Legends, when they were honored, and why:
- Preki (2013) – Named one of MLS's All-Time Best XI players in 2005. He was MLS MVP in 1997 and 2003. He is the club's all-time leader in goals and assists.
- Tony Meola (2013) – Named to MLS All-Time Best XI in 2005. He was MLS MVP and Goalkeeper of the Year in 2000. He was also MLS Cup MVP in 2000.
- Bob Gansler (2013) – MLS Coach of the Year in 2000. He led the team to the MLS Cup and Supporters Shield in 2000.
- Peter Vermes (2014) – As a player, he was MLS Defender of the Year in 2000 and won the MLS Cup and Supporters Shield in 2000. As a manager, he won the U.S. Open Cups in 2012, 2015, and 2017, and the MLS Cup in 2013.
- Jimmy Conrad (2014) – Named to MLS Best XI multiple times. He won the U.S. Open Cup in 2004 and was MLS Defender of the Year in 2005.
- Lamar Hunt (2014) – A founder of Major League Soccer. He owned the Kansas City Wizards from 1996 to 2006.
- Chris Klein (2015) – Won the MLS Cup and Supporters Shield in 2000. He also won the U.S. Open Cup in 2004 and was an MLS All-Star multiple times.
- Kerry Zavagnin (2016) – Won the MLS Cup and Supporters Shield in 2000. He also won the U.S. Open Cup in 2004 and was an MLS All-Star and MLS Best XI in 2004.
- Mo Johnston (2017) – Won the MLS Cup and Supporters Shield in 2000. He was an MLS All-Star from 1996-1998.
- Josh Wolff (2019) – Won the U.S. Open Cup in 2004 and the MLS Western Conference Championship in 2004.
- Jimmy Nielsen (2021) – Won the U.S. Open Cup in 2012 and the MLS Cup in 2013. He was named to MLS Best XI and MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2012.
- Davy Arnaud (2022) — Won the U.S. Open Cup in 2004. He was the team captain from 2010 to 2011.
- Benny Feilhaber (2024) — Won the MLS Cup in 2013 and the U.S. Open Cups in 2015 and 2017.
Hat Tricks (3+ Goals in a Game)
| Player | Date | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Vitalis Takawira |
May 16, 1998 | New England Revolution |
| Preki |
September 5, 1998 | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Davy Arnaud |
July 3, 2004 | Dallas Burn |
| Eddie Johnson |
May 26, 2007 | New England Revolution |
| June 2, 2007 | New York Red Bulls | |
 Birahim Diop |
October 23, 2010 | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Dom Dwyer |
July 1, 2015 | FC Dallas |
| Gerso |
May 17, 2017 | Seattle Sounders FC |
| Johnny Russell |
April 20, 2018 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
| Krisztián Németh |
March 30, 2019 | Montreal Impact |
| Johnny Russell |
May 26, 2019 | Seattle Sounders FC |
+ Dom Dwyer scored four goals in this game
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See also
In Spanish: Sporting Kansas City para niños
