It might be hard to believe for the recent generation of sports fans, but there was a time when Kansas City and New York were considered great sports rivals. In the late 1960s, the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets combined to win three of four AFL championships.
The 1970s and 80s ushered in the era of the Kansas City Royals / New York Yankees rivalry. The Yankees won the American League pennant ahead of the Royals from 1976-1978, with the Royals getting revenge in 1980. Few will forget the famed pine tar incident of 1983 where Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett was accused of using an illegal substance to enhance his bat against the Yankees, leading to one of the more memorable moments in MLB history (video, above).
The Royals won the World Series in 1985 before falling into a 29-year postseason drought. In their stead, the Yankees regained control of the American League - and baseball in general - with seven AL pennants and five World Series titles over the next 25 years.
So why do we bring this up? Because while Sporting Kansas City has played important matches against New York teams in the past - including the 2014 Eastern Conference Knockout Round match at Red Bull Arena - this Saturday starts a new era in the Kansas City / New York rivalry when the club travels to Yankee Stadium to take on New York City FC. It might not be the same Yankee Stadium that saw Brett charge out of the third base dugout, but the memories are still there.
It's an iconic venue that welcomed Major League Soccer with more than 45,000 fans in its inaugural match. Yankee Stadium has featured many great Kansas Citians including Casey Stengel, whose No. 37 jersey hangs in Monument Park (pictured, right) after leading the club to 10 pennants and seven World Series titles in his 12-year career as manager of the Yankees.
On Saturday, Kansas City's own Matt Besler, Seth Sinovic and Kevin Ellis will have a chance to write their own chapter in this once great rivalry. The people may have changed, but the memories have stayed the same. As the Royals look to build off their first World Series appearance since 1985 and the Yankees look for their first World Series title since 2009, a new rivalry could be blossoming. Will you be watching?
