MLSsoccer.com Senior Host & Producer Andrew Wiebe selected his Mount Rushmore for Sporting Kansas City this weekend, rounding out a series that saw MLS staffers pick Mount Rushmore quartets for 24 MLS clubs.
Preki
MLS named the MVP award after Landon Donovan, but only one man has won it twice in his career. Preki was 32 years old when Major League Soccer kicked off in 1996, but age doesn’t matter when you can do what the Belgrade-born U.S. international could do with the ball at his feet. He won his second MVP at the age of 40 and spent all but one MLS season in Kansas City – a 2001 stint with the Miami Fusion, complete with Supporters’ Shield – and brought the then-Wizards their first MLS Cup and Shield in 2000.
Jimmy Conrad
Conrad’s run from 2004-2008, a stretch that included four Best XIs and a Defender of the Year award in five years, is arguably the best run by a defender in the history of this league. He brought personality and toughness to Kansas City, and made the city and club proud in the 2006 World Cup. He’s one of 10 players to play more than 200 games in the history of the club. He’s a club legend, even if he didn’t retire in Kansas City.
Matt Besler
How’s this for a career: Hometown kid gets drafted in the first round by the club he grew up supporting and ends up the all-time leader in games. He’s a one-club man, team captain, MLS Cup champion, three-time US Open Cup champion, Defender of the Year (2012), two-time Best XI selection and four-time All-Star. Besler took the torch from Conrad, made himself into one of the best central defenders in the league and helped establish Sporting as one of the strongest clubs in MLS.
Graham Zusi
This was tough. In the Wizards era, you’ve got Peter Vermes (the don’t-even-need-to-think-about-it top coach in the history of the club), Kerry Zavagnin, Tony Meola, Chris Klein and Davy Arnaud. In the Sporting KC era, it’s Roger Espinoza, Benny Feilhaber, Seth Sinovic (hometown guy) and Jimmy Nielsen. Zusi is our choice for his combination of longevity (just behind Besler on the all-time games list, never played for any other club), individual excellence (7x All-Star, 2x Best XI) and trophy haul (MLS Cup, 3x USOC). He’s a Sporting icon.
