History

Sporting Kansas City is currently celebrating the organization’s 16th year in Major League Soccer riding a wave of development on and off the field. Two changes heading into the 2011 season represent perhaps the most momentous in the club’s history.

The organization opened its new $200+ million dollar, world-class soccer-specific stadium on June 9th near Village West in Kansas City, Kansas. After 15 seasons without a permanent home, including 12 seasons at a stadium built for football and three seasons at a stadium built for baseball, the team will now call America’s finest soccer facility home.

Along with the new stadium, the team took on a new name. In November 2010, the Kansas City Wizards became known as Sporting Kansas City, reflecting the club's desire to become a dynamic organization focused on creating opportunities for social, cultural and athletic connections.

Winners of the 2000 MLS Cup, the 2000 MLS Supporters’ Shield and the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Sporting Kansas City is one of only five MLS clubs to have won all three major domestic titles.

Kansas City was introduced as one of the 10 charter members of MLS on June 6, 1995. Four months later, the league unveiled the nicknames, logos and uniform designs for the franchises, including Kansas City's newest professional sports team - the Kansas City Wiz.

In April 1996, the Wiz began play under Head Coach Ron Newman. Led by star midfielder Preki, who earned his first of four career MLS Best XI selections, the inaugural season ended with a losing effort in the Western Conference finals. The team also officially extended its name to “Wizards” following the 1996 season, ending the short, but memorable life of the "Wiz" moniker.

In 1997, the re-christened Wizards finished 21-11 and atop the Western Conference, but, surprisingly, bowed out in the first round of the playoffs. Preki led MLS in scoring with 41 points and was named League MVP. He was joined on the MLS Best XI squad by Mark Chung and Richard Gough.

The 1998 and 1999 seasons were rough for Wizards fans, as the team missed the playoffs both years.

During the 1999 season, Head Coach Ron Newman was replaced by former U.S. National Team manager Bob Gansler.

The Wizards ushered in a new era before the 2000 season, as the team offices moved to Arrowhead Stadium. Also, adidas, the official outfitter of MLS, unveiled a shade of blue as the team’s primary color, which sat alongside white as the organization's official colors.

The team's roster underwent an overhaul in that off-season as well, including the acquisitions of defender Peter Vermes (now Manager), midfielder Kerry Zavagnin (now a coach) and Miklos Molnar, a pure goal scorer from Denmark. The Wizards got off to a 10-0-2 start and went on to win both the Supporters' Shield (regular-season champion) and the 2000 MLS Cup.

The route to MLS Cup included what most long-time Wizards fans would name as the most memorable match in club history, a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Western Conference final, followed by a 1-0 golden goal victory in the "mini-game" immediately following regulation that broke the overall series tie and sent the Wizards on to the Cup.

The players and technical staff were showered with individual accolades commensurate with the team’s success. Tony Meola was named MLS Cup MVP, League MVP, Goalkeeper of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year. Peter Vermes won MLS Defender of the Year, and Bob Gansler was named MLS Coach of the Year. Both Vermes and Meola were named to the MLS Best XI.

The next three seasons saw the team advance to the postseason, but no silverware was added to the trophy case. 2003 will be most remembered for Preki's remarkable season at age 40 that garnered him his second league MVP award.

In 2004, the Wizards won another of U.S. Soccer's most coveted trophies, claiming the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with an overtime win versus the Chicago Fire at Arrowhead with Mr. Hunt in attendance. The Wizards also returned to the MLS Cup final, where they fell 3-2 in dramatic fashion to D.C. United.

2005 was a season of change. Prior to the season, Lamar Hunt announced his intent to sell the team. Wizards fans, community leaders and corporate interests all mobilized to help keep the team in town, though it would be a long time before their efforts bore fruit.

Missing the playoffs on the last day of the season for a second consecutive year was a disappointment, but 2006 will not be remembered for events on the field. On August 31, 2006, the Wizards began a new era as an ownership group now known as Sporting Club purchased the club from the Hunt Sports Group. New ownership brought about a change on the soccer side as well as the business. Former Wizards great Peter Vermes was brought in as the Technical Director, and he hired Curt Onalfo as the Head Coach.

2007 marked a return to the playoffs. The organization's new commitment to attack showed itself immediately, as the Wizards led the league in shots by a wide margin. After going through conference champ Chivas USA in the first round, a showdown in Houston ended 2-0 in favor of the Dynamo, who went on to win MLS Cup.

2008 brought not only a change in the team’s uniforms, adding navy and yellow accents to a new primary shade of blue (Cobalt), but a much bigger change: a new stadium. CommunityAmerica Ballpark proved to be a successful home ground for the Wizards, with the team posting their second-best home record in club history. Claudio Lopez also became the first player signed under the MLS Designated Player rule; the two-time World Cup vet for Argentina went on to lead all MLS newcomers in scoring. Unfortunately, the team couldn't top its playoff performance from the previous season, going out to eventual champion Columbus in the first round.

The 2009 season was something of a disappointment for the club, punctuated by the dismissal of Curt Onalfo as manager in August. Technical Director Peter Vermes took over the head coaching responsibility, which he retained for 2010 and will continue into 2011. In the draft, the Wizards went local, selecting Blue Valley West and Notre Dame defender Matt Besler in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft. Josh Wolff claimed top honors as the team's leading scorer, notching 11 goals.

The 2010 season had a disappointing end, with the team barely missing the playoffs, but a late-season run led the team to a finish only seven points out of the post-season picture. Newcomers played a key role in 2010. Ryan Smith brought flair and speed to the left side of the attack, leading the team in assists. Stéphane Auvray of Guadeloupe anchored the defensive midfield. First-round draft pick Teal Bunbury notched five goals in a part-time role, and earned a call-up to the US National Team. New goalkeeper Jimmy “White Puma” Nielsen from Denmark won the NAPA Save of the Week award six times.  Roger Espinoza’s MLS play helped him earn a spot on the Honduras World Cup squad for South Africa 2010, where he started twice.

The club’s commitment to Kansas City had its first physical manifestation in June 2007 when a new, world-class training center opened in Swope Park. That commitment will continue with the club's next major initiative, the construction of more than a dozen soccer fields in Kansas City, Kansas to attract regional, national and international events.