FC Kansas City is an American professional women's soccer club based in Kansas City, Missouri. The team began play in the National Women's Soccer League in 2013 and won the championship in 2014 after defeating Seattle Reign FC 2â€"1 on August 31, 2014. They repeated as NWSL Champions after again defeating Seattle 1â€"0 on October 1, 2015.
History
Establishment and inaugural season
In November 2012, it was confirmed that a Kansas City-based women's professional soccer team had been accepted into a new women's professional soccer league, later named National Women's Soccer League. The KC ownership group is composed of Chris Likens, his two sons Brad and Greg Likens, and Brian Budzinski, the same owners of the Missouri Comets of the Major Indoor Soccer League.
On December 12, 2012, FC Kansas City announced that Vlatko Andonovski, a former professional player and head coach of the Kansas City Kings of the PASL and Missouri Olympic Development Program (ODP), would be head coach of the team. On January 11, 2013, a new logo was unveiled for the team that features the team's colors: blue, white and black. According to a team-issued press release, "the new logo also represents the ever-flowing qualities that make up the game of women's professional soccer."
On January 14, 2013, as part of the NWSL Player Allocation, Nicole Barnhart (USA), Lauren Cheney (USA), Renae Cuéllar (MEX), Marylin Diaz (MEX), Becky Sauerbrunn (USA), Desiree Scott (CAN), and Lauren Sesselmann (CAN) were named to the team. On January 18, the team selected Kristie Mewis, Erika Tymrak, Whitney Berry, and Nia Williams in the 2013 NWSL College Draft. The team signed Sinead Farrelly, Jen Buczkowski, and Leigh Ann Robinson as free agents. During the February 7, 2013 NWSL Supplemental Draft, the Blues selected Courtney Jones, Bianca Henninger, Merritt Mathias, Casey Nogueira, Tina DiMartino, and Casey Berrier.
The Blues finished second during the regular season with an 11â€"6â€"5 record earning a berth to the playoffs. Post-season, the team swept the majority of the league's annual awards with Lauren Holiday receiving Golden Boot and League MVP honors, Erika Tymrak the recipient of the Rookie of the Year, and Becky Sauerbrunn winning Defender of the Year. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski won Coach of the Year. Four players were also named to the league's Best XI: Nicole Barnhart, Leigh Ann Robinson, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Lauren Holiday.
New ownership
In January 2017, it was announced that FCKC had been purchased by Elam Baer, the CEO of Minneapolis-based North Central Equity, LLC. Jean-Yves Viardin was named the new general manager and Vlatko Andonovski remained as head coach. NWSL Commissioner Jeff Plush stated, "Elam is committed to strengthening FC Kansas City’s roots throughout the entire Kansas City metropolitan area and beyond. Elam and his partners will look to build off of what has been started by the Likens family, whose support of and many contributions to the establishment and growth of the league will never be forgotten."
Players and coaches
Current squad
- As of August 3, 2017
Head coaches
- Vlatko Andonovski (2013â€"present)
Retired numbers
Year-by-year
Stadium
During the inaugural season, the Blues played their games at Shawnee Mission District Stadium in Overland Park, Kansas. The stadium has a 6,150 seating capacity. At that time, it was the third largest stadium in the NWSL after Providence Park in Portland, Oregon, home of the Portland Thorns and Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, New York, home of the Western New York Flash. Sporting Kansas City, then called the Kansas City Wizards, played at the stadium in a match against the Colorado Rapids during the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The team announced on January 8, 2014, that they would move to the Durwood Soccer Stadium on the UMKC campus to play there through 2015.
However, for the 2015 season, FC Kansas City entered into a partnership with Sporting Kansas City to use their training grounds at Swope Soccer Village for training and play matches at the complex's championship field. The stadium has seating for 1500, but was expanded to 3,557 using the bleachers FC Kansas City had purchased for use at Durwood Stadium for the previous season.
Broadcasting
As of April 2017, FC Kansas City games are streamed exclusively by Go90 for American audiences and via the NWSL website for international viewers. For the 2017 season, the Blues will be featured in three nationally-televised Lifetime NWSL Game of the Week broadcasts on June 3, August 16 and September 9.
Ahead of the 2013 season, it was announced that games would be broadcast on the team's website and YouTube. Eight games were broadcast locally on Time Warner Cable’s Metro Sports. During the 2014 season, nine games were broadcast on the same channel.
Supporters
FC Kansas City's official supporters group is called the KC Blue Crew.
Honors
- NWSL Championship
- Winners: 2014, 2015
See also
- List of top-division football clubs in CONCACAF countries
- List of professional sports teams in the United States and Canada
References
External links
- Official website
- FC Kansas City on Twitter
- FC Kansas City on Facebook