The Sporting KC Show Podcast, dropping throughout the season on Sports Radio 810 WHB, is now available on Spotify and iTunes. With Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine hosting the weekly program, Sporting fans now have a place to go to catch up on club storylines, player achievements, guest interviews and more.
Felipe Gutierrez has been an integral part of Sporting Kansas City’s midfield since his arrival ahead of the 2018 season. Over the course of several months since then, the Chilean has become increasingly comfortable with his English, raising a family in Kansas City and the demands of Major League Soccer.
With that contentment comes a palpable relaxation and charisma, which Gutierrez demonstrated in abundance during a wide-ranging discussion on The Sporting KC Show Podcast with hosts Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine.
Gutierrez was one of the stars in Saturday’s match, scoring two goals, but this particular interview centered on his upbringing in Chile and his fascinating life off the pitch. The next 20 minutes provided a terrific narrative full of details that most fans would not have known beforehand.
Among the highlights:
- 6:28 – Sporting displayed a “never say die” attitude in Saturday’s wild 4-4 draw against New England, but a few troubling trends continued in the form of conceded goals and injuries.
- 11:38 – Gutierrez joins the show and documents his rise from the Everton de Viña del Mar Academy to the Universidad Católica first team, where he became a professional at age 18.
- 15:51 – Gutierrez was driven to pursue professional soccer due to a challenging upbringing with his single mother, forging a strong bond with his brother in the process.
- 20:06 – Gutierrez has earned 35 caps for the Chilean National Team, notable helping his country win the 2015 Copa America. He believes Chile’s success this decade stems from players’ modest upbringings, which has bred an incredible worth ethic within the national team. Players aren’t born with privileges, they are earned.
- 25:10 – At the same time, the intensity of the fans and media in Chile creates pressure and, sometimes, negative energy. Gutierrez loves the fact that he can enjoy public life with his family without those pressures.
- 29:03 – Gutierrez recalls being treated like a national hero when Chile won the 2015 Copa America.
For the second half of the show, Bukaty and Augustine welcomed Chief Communications Officer Rob Thomson, one of the few club associates who has just about seen it all since the Kansas City Wiz entered MLS as a charter member.
Having spent two decades with the organization, Thomson has a treasure chest full of stories from Sporting’s fledgling days in the 1990s. As the club prepares to host Retro Night on Sunday—tickets for the match against reigning MLS Cup champion Atlanta United FC are available at SeatGeek.com—Thomson hashed out a few classic anecdotes, including a memorable team photo shoot at the Kansas City Zoo.
Listen to the full podcast below.
