Sporting Kansas City History
Sporting Kansas City has the honor of being one of the original franchises of Major League Soccer, first kicking off in 1996 as the Kansas City Wiz. One season later, the name changed to the Kansas City Wizards, which remained in use until the end of the 2010 season. The Kansas City soccer franchise was founded by Lamar Hunt, who owned the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL and also helped to create Major League Soccer, the American Football League and the United Soccer Association of the '60s. Hunt Sports Group owned the Wizards until shortly before he died in 2006, when the current Sporting Club ownership group took over.
Kansas City's MLS franchise has been home to some of the greatest names in American and international soccer, including Alexi Lalas, Tony Meola, Preki and Matt Besler. SKC sustained a period of achievement under former Wizards player and 2000 MLS Defender of the Year Peter Vermes, who coached the team from 2009 to 2025.
Sporting KC have claimed the MLS Cup in 2000 and 2013, a Supporters’ Shield in 2000 and four U.S. Open Cup titles (2004, 2012, 2015, and 2017). In 2023, Kansas City reached the conference semifinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs, and followed with a runner-up finish in the 2024 U.S. Open Cup.
Sporting Kansas City Team Info
Conference: Western
Team Colors: Sporting Blue, Dark Indigo, Lead
Team Rivals: St. Louis City SC, Houston Dynamo FC, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake
Sporting Kansas City at Children's Mercy Park
Sporting KC play at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Opened in 2011 as Livestrong Sporting Park, Children's Mercy Park seats 18,467 fans for soccer games. Sporting KC is the only major professional sports team in the state of Kansas, and is the only major sports team to have played in both Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas.
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