Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City is an American men's professional soccer club that plays in Major League Soccer (MLS) and is based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the team clubhouse and practice facilities are located in Kansas City, Kansas, near Children's Mercy Park. The club competes as a part of the league's Western Conference.
| Full name | Sporting Kansas City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Wizards, Wiz | ||
| Short name | SKC | ||
| Founded | June 6, 1995 (as Kansas City Wiz) | ||
| Stadium | Children's Mercy Park | ||
| Capacity | 18,467 | ||
| Owner | Sporting Club | ||
| Head coach | Peter Vermes | ||
| League | Major League Soccer | ||
| 2023 | Western Conference: 8th Overall: 15th Playoffs: Conference Semifinals | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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Sporting Kansas City began play in 1996 as a charter team in the league, then known as the Kansas City Wiz. The team was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1995. Since moving across the state line, they have been the only major professional sports league franchise to play their home games in Kansas.
Starting in 1997, the franchise was known as the Kansas City Wizards. The team rebranded in November 2010, coinciding with its move to its new home stadium, Children's Mercy Park. The franchise has won the MLS Cup twice (2000, 2013), the Supporters' Shield in 2000, and the U.S. Open Cup in 2004, 2012, 2015 and 2017.
The club also has a reserve team, Sporting Kansas City II, that began play in the second-tier USL Championship in 2016 and switched to MLS Next Pro in 2022.