SportingKC.com will feature exclusive content leading up to the club's 20th anniversary match against the Colorado Rapids on April 13 at Children's Mercy Park. This week we rank Sporting Kansas City's 20 seasons in ascending order, beginning with missed playoff pushes and ending with glory-filled championship runs.
#5: 1997
Regular season: 21-11-0
Supporters’ Shield: 2nd of 10
Playoffs: Conference Semifinals
Open Cup: Round of 16
International: None
Synopsis: The Kansas City Wizards notched a club-record 21 wins behind an MLS MVP season from Preki, whose 41 points (12 goals, 17 assists) led the league. The team also received significant offensive contributions from Mark Chung (10 goals, eight assists), Digital Takawira (eight goals, seven assists) and Mo Johnston (six goals, nine assists). Kansas City ranked second in MLS with 57 goals, while goalkeeper Mike Ammann patrolled an improved defense that conceded 12 fewer goals from the inaugural 1996 campaign.
The Good: Kansas City set a club record at the time with seven straight league wins in July and August. The strong push lifted the Wizards level with D.C. United in the Supporters' Shield standings by season's end, but D.C. won the tiebreaker with more regulation wins.
The Bad: Despite earning the No. 1 seed in the West, Ron Newman's men went one-and-done in the MLS Cup Playoffs. A pair of losses to the Peter Vermes-led Colorado Rapids brought the season to a screeching halt.
The Defining Moment: Preki assisted all three Kansas City goals in a thrilling 3-2 win over D.C. United on July 19 at Arrowhead Stadium. The match encapsulated the playmaker's phenomenal season as he won the first of his two league MVP awards.
#4: 2012
Regular season: 18-7-9 (63 points)
Supporters’ Shield: 2nd of 19
Playoffs: Conference Semifinals
Open Cup: Champion
International: None
Synopsis: Full of confidence after a strong end to the previous season, Sporting KC flew out of the gates in 2012 to the tune of seven straight wins. This marked only the second time in MLS history that a club had won seven consecutive matches in regulation to start a season. The backline conceded a league-low 27 goals during the regular season, thanks in large part to the continuity of Jimmy Nielsen, Chance Myers, Aurelien Collin, Matt Besler and Seth Sinovic. Graham Zusi orchestrated the offense with five goals and a career-high 15 assists, earning an MLS MVP nomination, while forwards Kei Kamara (11 goals, eight assists) and C.J. Sapong (nine goals) were menaces in the attacking third. Sporting KC finished with a club-record 63 points, finishing three points behind San Jose in the Supporters' Shield standings, and more significantly won its first major trophy in eight years. The 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final at Children's Mercy Park was decided in dramatic fashion, with Sporting KC beating Seattle Sounders FC in a penalty kick shootout.
The Good: Sporting KC started a habit of winning trophies, bouncing Seattle to win its second Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The 2012 campaign ended with Nielsen, Besler, Collin and Zusi receiving MLS Best XI honors — the first time one team had four players on the Best XI in the same year.
The Bad: Two words: Houston Dynamo. Peter Vermes' side fell to the men in orange for the second straight postseason, prolonging Kansas City's wait for another MLS Cup championship. Fortunately, the team and its supporters wouldn't have to wait much longer.
The Defining Moment: In the shootout of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, Seattle Sounders forward Eddie Johnson blasted his spot kick over the crossbar and into the euphoric Cauldron, ensuring that Sporting KC would lift the cup at Children's Mercy Park.
#3: 2004
Regular season: 14-9-7 (49 points)
Supporters’ Shield: 2nd of 10
Playoffs: MLS Cup finalist
Open Cup: Champion
International: None
Synopsis: After three seasons of mixed results and no trophies, head coach Bob Gansler led Kansas City to another successful season defined by defensive toughness and opportunistic goal scoring. Jimmy Conrad and Nick Garcia powered a defense that allowed an MLS-low 30 goals, while third-year midfielder Davy Arnaud enjoyed a breakout season with nine goals and eight assists. Kansas City won its first-ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title with a 95th-minute golden goal from folk hero Igor Simutenkov. The match was played at Arrowhead Stadium and the club's founder and owner Lamar Hunt was in attendance. The Wizards carried momentum into the postseason and advanced all the way to MLS Cup.
The Good: Conrad and Kerry Zavagnin received MLS Best XI honors and played pivotal roles in Kansas City's excellent defensive displays throughout the season. The Wizards went on an eight-game home winning streak from August to November (a club record at the time), recording a clean sheet in every single match for a shutout streak that spanned 751 minutes minutes.
The Bad: Kansas City fell just short of an epic Open Cup and MLS Cup double, falling 3-2 to D.C. United in the MLS Cup in Carson, California.
The Defining Moment: The Wizards entered the second leg of the 2004 Wester Conference Semifinals trailing the defending MLS Cup champion San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 on aggregate. But Kansas City crafted a masterful comeback in the return leg at Arrowhead Stadium, and Jack Jewsbury's goal in the 92nd minute sent the hosts through to the conference championship with a 3-2 aggregate victory.
#2: 2013
Regular season: 17-10-7 (58 points)
Supporters’ Shield: 2nd of 19
Playoffs: MLS Cup champion
Open Cup: Round of 16
International: 2013-14 CCL Group Stage
Synopsis: After momentum-building campaigns in 2011 and 2012, Peter Vermes’ men broke through to deliver Kansas City a second MLS Cup championship. Matt Besler and Graham Zusi were MLS Best XI selections for the second straight year, while the emergence of Oriol Rosell and the addition of Benny Feilhaber provided a game-changing dynamic in midfield. The club’s playoff run was as thrilling as it was dramatic, as Sporting KC erased deficits against New England, Houston and Real Salt Lake en route to the title. As a bonus, Sporting KC marked its return to international competition with a first-place finish in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League group stage. Revered goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen announced his retirement two days after MLS Cup, walking into the sunset as a champion.
The Good: Sporting KC kicked the proverbial monkey off its back, avenging postseason losses to the Houston Dynamo in 2011 and 2012 with a cathartic 2-1 win in the decisive leg of the Eastern Conference Championship at Children’s Mercy Park. That set the stage for 2013 MLS Cup, which ended in an epic penalty shootout victory over Real Salt Lake.
The Bad: Four losses in five games from late July to late August may have cost Sporting KC a trophy, as Peter Vermes’ side finished a single point behind the New York Red Bulls in the Supporters’ Shield race.
The Defining Moment: Ten-degree temperatures did nothing to prevent a record crowd of 21,650 from witnessing the pinnacle moment in club history at Children’s Mercy Park. In the coldest MLS match ever recorded, Sporting KC prevailed in a 10-round penalty shootout after playing Real Salt Lake to a 1-1 draw.
#1: 2000
Regular season: 16-9-7 (57 points)
Supporters’ Shield: 1st of 12
Playoffs: MLS Cup champion
Open Cup: Round of 32
International: None
Synopsis: The Kansas City Wizards orchestrated one of the greatest turnarounds in MLS history, going from Western Conference bottom dweller in 1999 to Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup champion in 2000. Newcomers Peter Vermes, Kerry Zavagnin, Nick Garcia and Miklos Molnar joined the likes of Tony Meola, Chris Klein, Chris Henderson, Mo Johnston and Preki to form a well-balanced side that raced out to a 10-0-2 start. Meola and Vermes were named MLS MVP and Defender of the Year, respectively, Molnar cemented his folk hero status with five playoff goals and Bob Gansler earned MLS Coach of the Year honors in his first full season. The breakout campaign culminated with a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Fire in MLS Cup.
The Good: Kansas City recorded an MLS-record 16 shutouts during the 32-game regular season, thanks in part to career seasons from Meola and Vermes. The Wizards went 681 minutes without conceding a goal from April to May, setting the tone for a banner year.
The Bad: Injuries limited Molnar to 17 regular season appearances. The Danish striker netted 12 goals during that time, but could have pushed for the MLS Golden Boot with an additional 10 to 15 games played.
The Defining Moment: The 2000 MLS Cup will forever be one of the club’s crowning achievements. But another magical moment came in the decisive third game of the Western Conference Finals at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City defeated the LA Galaxy 1-0 in regulation to force a sudden death mini-game, setting the stage for Molnar’s golden goal.