Sporting Kansas City
| Sporting Kansas City | |||
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| Basic data | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Surname | Sporting Kansas City | ||
| Seat | Kansas City , Missouri , USA | ||
| founding | 1995 (as Kansas City Wiz) | ||
| owner | Sporting Club | ||
| CEO | Robb Heineman | ||
| Website | sportingkc.com | ||
| First soccer team | |||
| Head coach | Peter Vermes | ||
| Venue | Children's Mercy Park , Kansas City , Kansas | ||
| Places | 18,500 | ||
| league | Major League Soccer | ||
| 2019 | Western Conference: 11th place Overall table: 21st place |
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Sporting Kansas City is a franchise of professional football - League Major League Soccer (MLS) from Kansas City , Missouri . The franchise was founded in 1995 and began operating in the 1996 premiere season . The team colors are blue and white. The team plays its home games in Children's Mercy Park in the nearby city of the same name in the state of Kansas .
history
The first years (1996 to 1999)
The club was founded in 1995 under the name Kansas City Wiz. The first owner was the entrepreneur Lamar Hunt . Due to a copyright dispute, the name was changed to Wizards after the first season. The name refers to the Wizard of Oz .
The first game was played on April 13, 1996 against the Colorado Rapids . It ended 3-0 for the Wizards through the goals of Vitalis Takawira and Frank Klopas. The Englishman Ron Newman was the team's first coach. Under him, the team was able to successfully complete the first season with qualification for the play-offs. There the team met Dallas Burn and won after three games. In the semifinals, however, the Wiz lost to Los Angeles Galaxy .
The success of the first season continued in 1997. Kansas City was able to win the Western Conference and again qualify for the play-offs. There the team was defeated, however, against the Colorado Rapids . Record goalscorer Preki was named the best player in Major League Soccer. The 1998 MLS season turned into a disaster for the Wizards. The team reached the last place in the Western Conference and thus no qualification for the play-offs. In 1999 this downward trend continued and during the season the previous coach Ron Newman was replaced by the former US national coach Bob Gansler . Despite the change of coach, the team landed again in last place in the Western Conference.
MLS Cup 2000
In the 2000 MLS season , the team returned to their 1996 and 1997 form. In addition to coach Gansler, the players Tony Meola and Miklos Molnar played a major role in this . Meola remained clean for 681 minutes. At the end of the regular season Kansas City set a record with 16 wins and only 7 losses in 32 games and won the MLS Supporters' Shield as the best team at both conferences . In the play-offs, the team prevailed against the Colorado Rapids and Los Angeles Galaxy . In the MLS Cup game, the team secured a 1-0 victory over Chicago Fire and thus the championship. Molnar scored the goal in the 11th minute.
Years after the victory (2001 to 2010)
For the 2001 season the record scorer Preki left the team in the direction of Miami Fusion . Former US national striker Roy Lassiter was signed as a replacement . The Wizards were able to qualify for the MLS play-offs, but lost in the quarterfinals against Miami Fusion. This was repeated in 2002, but the play-off opponent was Los Angeles Galaxy. By winning the MLS Cup 2000, the team qualified for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2002 . Kansas City made it to the semi-finals, but lost to Monarcas Morelia from Mexico. Participation in the US Open Cup was also more successful than in the league. After victories against Rochester Rhinos and Milwaukee Rampage, the team reached the semi-finals. There, however, the Columbus crew won.
In 2004, the Supporter's Shield was narrowly missed. After beating the San José Earthquakes and the Los Angeles Galaxy , the Wizards reached the MLS Cup for the second time. In Carson they lost to DC United 3-2. After the season, the Wizards moved to the Eastern Conference. On August 31, 2006, it was announced that Lamar Hunt had sold the team to a group of local business people. Hunt wanted to sell the Wizards since the end of 2004, but couldn't find a buyer.
After a disappointing 2006 season, Curt Onalfo took over as coach. Previously, the previous coach Bob Gansler, who looked after the team for six years, was dismissed. In the following season, the team was able to reach the semi-finals of the play-offs. The new signing Kevin Hartman, who ensured the necessary security in the goal, played a large part in this.
For the 2008 season, the team moved to the CommunityAmerica Ballpark and was able to reach the play-offs again. They couldn't do this in 2009 and 2010. Former US international Peter Vermes has been coach of the Wizs since August 2009 .
Success with a new name
After the 2010 season, the team was renamed Sporting Kansas City. According to the team owners, the aim was to create a new identity that aimed at a closer relationship with the fans. On June 9th, the team moved into the new stadium, Livestrong Sporting Park.
In terms of sport, things went extremely well under the new name. In 2011 and 2012, Sporting KC was the first to end the regular season at the Eastern Conference. In 2013 the great success came with winning the MLS Cup and thus the second championship title in Major League Soccer since the club was founded. In 2012 and 2015, Sporting also won the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup .
Coat of arms and colors
The Sporting Kansas City logo consists of dark indigo and "Sporting" blue. The coat of arms has the shape of a shield . This shows the state border between Kansas and Missouri , representing the fan base on both sides of the border. The eleven different lines that line the six stripes on the right-hand side symbolize eleven players who represent a team on the field. The intertwined "SC" goes back to the staff of the Greek Asclepius , god of healing. This also stands for health and fitness. Other symbols for this are the Greek statue of Nike of Samothrace and the Spanish architecture of the Country Club Plaza's in Kansas City.
Kansas City Wiz Logo (1996)
Kansas City Wizards Logo (1997-2006)
Kansas City Wizards logo (2006-2010)
Logo Sporting Kansas City Wizards (since 2011)
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Stadion
- Arrowhead Stadium : Kansas City, Missouri (1996-2007)
- Blue Valley Sports Complex: Overland Park (Kansas) (2001, 2004, 2006) - 5 games in the US Open Cup
- Julian Field: Parkville (Missouri) (2005) - 2 games in the US Open Cup
- CommunityAmerica Ballpark : Kansas City, Kansas (2008-2011)
- Hermann Stadium: St. Louis (Missouri) (2009) - 1 game in the North American SuperLiga
- Stanley H. Durwood Stadium: Kansas City (Missouri) (2010) - 1 game in the US Open Cup
- Children's Mercy Park : Kansas City (Kansas) (since 2011)
From 1996 to 2007, the Wizards played their home games at Arrowhead Stadium . This American football stadium was also used by the Kansas City Chiefs . In 2007 the stadium was renovated, so the wizards had to look for a new venue.
From 2008 to 2011, the Wizards used the CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City, Kansas. This resulted from an agreement with baseball team Kansas City T-Bones from the Northern League. The stadium is located in Kansas City, Kansas and not like Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Hence the team's move came about. Both cities are in the immediate vicinity.
For some time now, the club owners have been planning to build their own football-specific stadium. In 2007 plans were announced, according to which Sporting sought a site in southeast Kansas City (Missouri). At the end of 2007, the zoning plans were approved by the city council, and at the end of 2008, financing was clarified with the State of Missouri. As soon as the Bannister Mall, a former shopping center, was demolished, construction of the stadium, known as the “Trails Stadium”, should begin. Because of the economic crisis, the plans were discarded and a location in Kansas City (Kansas) was sought instead. This was found at the location near the "Village West" and after all permits had been obtained, construction work on the stadium finally began on January 20, 2010. The USD 180 million Livestrong Sporting Park has 18,500 spectators. The stadium was opened on June 9, 2011. The first game took place on the same day and ended 0-0 against Chicago Fire.
Fans and rivals
Fan groups
Sporting has a fan club called "The Cauldron".
Rivalries
There is no rivalry with any other MLS club. Like New England Revolution , Sporting does not take part in any "MLS Rivalry Cup".
owner
The Sporting Club has owned Sporting Kansas City since August 31, 2006 . Previously, the franchise belonged to Lamar Hunt . The Sporting Club is a Kansas City investor group and consists of five people: Neal Patterson (CEO and Co-Founder of Cerner Corporation), Clifford Illig (Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of Cerner Corporation ), Pat Curran (Founder of C3 Holdings), Greg Maday (CEO of SpecChem), Robb Heineman (CEO of OnGoal, partner of Rock Island Capital).
The Sporting Club also owns the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the NBA Development League and the Kansas City Blues, which play rugby divisions 1 & 3 in the USA.
Youth and development
Since 2007, Sporting Kansas City has had its own youth and player development program, the Sporting Kansas City Academy. There are currently four youth teams in the Academy, namely the age groups U-18, U-16, U-14 and U-12. The Major League Soccer's "Home Grown Player Rule" gives the Academy players the opportunity to join the first team at Sporting without participating in a draft selection. The U-14 to U-18 teams play in the leagues of the US Soccer Development Academy. The U-12 and U-14 teams play in various regional leagues.
In addition to its own academy, SKC has other partnerships with youth training centers across the United States.
Players and staff
Current professional squad
Status: February 26, 2019
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Previous players
→ see main article: List of Sporting Kansas City players
Coaching staff
As of August 31, 2018.
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Peter Vermes (Trainer / Technical Director) -
Kerry Zavagnin (assistant coach)
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Zoran Savic (assistant coach) -
Alec Dufty (goalkeeping coach)
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Mateus Manoel (fitness trainer)
Previous trainers
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Ron Newman (1996-1999) -
Ken Fogarty (1999; interim trainer)
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Bob Gansler (1999-2006)
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Brian Bliss (2006; interim trainer)
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Curt Onalfo (2006-2009)
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Peter Vermes (2009-)
successes
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MLS Western Conference
- Winner (Regular Season) (4): 1997, 2000, 2004, 2018
- Winner (Playoff) (1): 2004
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MLS Eastern Conference
- Winner (Regular Season) (2): 2011, 2012
statistics
Seasonal balance
| season | Regular season | Play-offs |
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup |
CONCACAF Champions League |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Wizards | ||||
| 1996 | 3rd place (west) | Semifinals | Quarter finals | not qualified |
| 1997 | 1st place (west) | Quarter finals | Round of 16 | not qualified |
| 1998 | 6th place (west) | not qualified | Round of 16 | not qualified |
| 1999 | 6th place (west) | not qualified | not qualified | not qualified |
| 2000 | 1st place (west) | master | 2nd round | not qualified |
| 2001 | 3rd place (west) | Quarter finals | Round of 16 | not carried out |
| 2002 | 5th place (west) | Quarter finals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| 2003 | 2nd place (west) | Semifinals | Round of 16 | not qualified |
| 2004 | 1st place (west) | final | winner | not qualified |
| 2005 | 5th place (east) | not qualified | Quarter finals | Quarter finals |
| 2006 | 5th place (east) | not qualified | Round of 16 | not qualified |
| 2007 | 5th place (east) | Semifinals | 1st qualifying round | not qualified |
| 2008 | 4th place (east) | Quarter finals | Quarter finals | not qualified |
| 2009 | 6th place (east) | not qualified | Quarter finals | not qualified |
| 2010 | 3rd place (east) | not qualified | 2nd qualifying round | not qualified |
| Sporting Kansas City | ||||
| 2011 | 1st place (east) | Semifinals | Quarter finals | not qualified |
| 2012 | 1st place (east) | Conference semifinals | winner | not qualified |
| 2013 | 2nd place (east) | master | 4th round | Quarterfinals (2013/2014) |
| 2014 | 5th place (east) | Knockout Round | 5th round | Group stage (2014/2015) |
| 2015 | 6th place (west) | Knockout Round | winner | not qualified |
| 2016 | 5th place (west) | Knockout Round | Round of 16 | Group stage (2016/2017) |
| 2017 | 5th place (west) | Knockout Round | winner | not qualified |
| 2018 | 1st place (west) | Conference finals | Quarter finals | not qualified |
| 2019 | Semifinals | |||
- ↑ From 2002 to 2017 the competition began in autumn of the previous year. Until 2008 under the name CONCACAF Champions' Cup .
Club records
These records relate to the regular season up to and including the 2017 season:
- Most games: Davy Arnaud , 240
- Most goals: Preki , 71
- Most assists: Preki , 98
- Most clean sheet games: Tony Meola , 37
Visitor average
Regular season / play-offs
- 1996: 12.878 / 7.754
- 1997: 9.058 / 10.174
- 1998: 8,073 / not qualified
- 1999: 8,183 / not qualified
- 2000: 9.112 / 8.243
- 2001: 10,954 / 5,803
- 2002: 12.255 / 9.484
- 2003: 15,573 / 10,712
- 2004: 14.816 / 11.077
- 2005: 9,691 / not qualified
- 2006: 11,083 / not qualified
- 2007: 11,586 / 12,442
- 2008: 10,686 / 10,385
- 2009: 10,053 / not qualified
- 2010: 10,287 / not qualified
- 2011: 17.810 / 19.702
- 2012: 19,364 / 20,894
- 2013: 19,709 / 20,777
- 2014: 20,003 / not qualified
- 2015: 19,687 / not qualified
Web links
- Official website (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Kansas City Wizards Change Name To Sporting Kansas City ( Memento of March 7, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Sporting Kansas City: Explore Our Brand
- ↑ Sporting Kansas City Academy . Sporting Kansas City. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
- ↑ SCN Academy Affiliate Program . Sporting Kansas City. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
- ↑ Sporting Kansas City - Players. Accessed February 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Sporting Kansas City - Technical Staff. Accessed August 31, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l MLS Factbook 2012. (PDF; 1.2 MB) MLSsoccer.com, archived from the original on December 24, 2012 ; accessed on July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ TheCup.us - game details for the competitions. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ rsssf.com - game details for the competitions. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ MLS - 1996 Full Season Stats. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ MLS - 1997 Full Season Stats. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ MLS - 1998 Full Season Stats. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ MLS - 1999 Full Season Stats. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ MLS - 2000 Full Season Stats. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ MLS - 2001 Full Season Stats. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ MLS - 2002 Full Season Stats. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ MLS - 2003 Full Season Stats. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ MLS - 2004 Full Season Stats. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ MLS - 2005 Full Season Stats. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ MLS - 2006 Full Season Stats. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
- ↑ MLS - 2007 Full Season Stats. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
Eastern Conference: Atlanta United | Chicago Fire | FC Cincinnati | Columbus Crew | DC United | Inter Miami | Montreal Impact | New England Revolution | New York City FC | New York Red Bulls | Orlando City | Philadelphia Union | Toronto FC
Western Conference: Colorado Rapids | FC Dallas | Houston Dynamo | LA Galaxy | Los Angeles FC | Minnesota United | Nashville SC | Portland Timbers | Real Salt Lake | San Jose Earthquakes | Seattle Sounders | Sporting Kansas City | Vancouver Whitecaps
Future Franchises: Austin FC (2021) | Charlotte (2022) | Sacramento Republic (2023) | St. Louis City (2023)
Former franchises: CD Chivas USA (2005–2014) | Miami Fusion (1998-2001) | Tampa Bay Mutiny (1996-2001)