KANSAS CITY, Kan. – MLS fans will have their eyes on Kansas City once again on Sunday, when Sporting Kansas City host the Los Angeles Galaxy in a nationally-televised matchup featuring two of the three most recent MLS Cup winners (2 pm ET; FOX, Fox Sports GO, ESPN Deportes in the US | MLS LIVE in Canada).
That means yet another opportunity for Kansas City – though the success levels of its club teams are not up to previous seasons – to repeat its claim to the title of “Soccer Capital of America.”
The latest piece of evidence supporting the claim is taking shape just across Interstate 435 from Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. Ground broke this summer on a U.S. Soccer training facility that also will house a state-of-the-art pediatric sports medicine facility operated by Children's Mercy Hospital.
In addition to hosting Sporting's matches in MLS and CONCACAF Champions League play, Children's Mercy Park has also played host to the US men's and women's national teams this year, in friendly matches ahead of the men's appearance in Copa America and the women's trip to the Rio Olympics.
“When it's a big match – whether it's Sporting, whether it's the US men's and women's teams, whether that's the Gold Cup from an international standpoint, we want those games at our venue,” Sporting president Jake Reid told MLSsoccer.com by phone this week. “We think we've got one of the best venues, if not the best, to host in any part of North America. You've seen US records here have been fantastic. It's been kind of a fortress not only for us here at Sporting, but also for our national teams.”
And across the state line in Kansas City, Missouri, the Swope Soccer Complex – also operated by Sporting – welcomed new USL side Swope Park Rangers and will once again host the Big 12 Conference tournament this fall.
“Clearly, from a location standpoint, Kansas City is right in the center of the country,” Reid said, “but for us it was important not only to deliver for Sporting Kansas City and our home matches, but any big competition that we could get into the city.
“One, that's just great for Kansas City in general, and two, for us from a soccer-culture standpoint, I think that continues to drive it home.”
And while the match will likely draw extra attention on Sunday, because of Landon Donovan's return to the Galaxy last weekend after 18 months in retirement, it was on FOX's national broadcast schedule well before Donovan's decision.
Children's Mercy Park makes an especially attractive venue for national broadcasts, Reid said, because it looks and sounds good on TV – in large part because of a loud, passionate fanbase who have filled the seats since the club rebranded and moved into their new home in 2011.
“FOX had done a couple of studies through the course of the [2015] season, trying to analyze the ratings,” Reid said. “Children's Mercy Park came back as the biggest ratings driver in that mix for FOX. In their world, they felt that people were tuning in to see the environment, the atmosphere, kind of that gameday in-the-stadium feel, if you will, came through pretty well in their opinion.
“I think that was the main reason, combined with the look and feel and vibe of the stadium when the fans are there on a matchday. It's spectacular, and that clearly comes through better to viewers than something from a stadium that may not have that kind of energy.”
There are plenty of playoff and Supporters' Shield implications in Sunday's match to keep that energy level ramped up: The Galaxy's late-season surge has them tied for the second-best point total in MLS, while Sporting are fighting to stay above the red line as they aim for a sixth straight postseason appearance.
Sporting manager Peter Vermes also expects his club to play attacking, wide-open soccer both home and away – and that, he said, also looks good on TV.
“I think usually our games at home, environment-wise, they're great,” Vermes told reporters on Friday. “I think the play on the field with the teams is usually very good. It's fast-paced, and there's a lot of action – and I think a lot of times, a lot of goals as well. That's good for television.”
