Sporting Kansas City SC was a founder member of MLS and is one of the most successful clubs in Major League Soccer history. They have experienced two significant periods of dominance: one during the first decade of MLS, and then after a transitional period, another between 2010 and 2020. This is the club founded by Lamar Hunt, the man the US Open Cup is named after, so it’s perhaps fitting that no other club has won it more times than Sporting Kansas SC in the MLS era.
Understandably, a club like this has had countless fantastic players pull on the jersey, and while all have played their part, some have etched their names into the very fabric of what the club were in the past, and what they have become. These are the Sporting Kansas City legends, players who have done more for the club than any other, whose impact is still talked about today.
It’s a short list, shorter than the club’s own Sporting Legends roll of honor, so I couldn’t include everyone. Those I have included were picked based on their longevity, their impact, trophies won, commitment to the club, and relationship with the fans. Honourable mentions go to Mo Johnston, Kerry Zavagnin, Benny Feilhaber, Davy Arnaud, Chris Klein, and Jimmy Nielsen (who played in the MLS Cup with broken ribs!), all of whom have been officially recognised by the club as Sporting Legends. However, I had to try and narrow it down for this list, so here are my top 6 legendary Sporting Kansas City players of all time.
6. Jimmy Conrad: 2003-2010
Jimmy Conrad doesn’t always get the respect he deserves. I think it’s because he played for Kansas during a transitional period, arriving in 2003 and leaving after the 2010 season, so he wasn’t around for many of the glory years, although he did help the team win a US Open Cup in 2004.
He also served as team captain after being a strong voice in the dressing room for many years, and he built a great relationship with the fans as well, coming across as charismatic and good humoured. They loved his commitment on the pitch too.
Conrad was the ultimate professional. As a defender, he was always willing to put his body on the line, and played with real grit and determination. He was physically strong, good in the air, and very difficult to beat one on one. He had surprising amounts of technical ability for a centre half in his era too, unafraid to carry the ball out from the back. He may not have won much silverware, but he played in a playoff final, and on a personal level won MLS Defender of the year in 2005, and was selected in the MLS Best XI four times during his days playing for Sporting Kansas.
5. Tony Meola: 1999-2004
Meola or Nielsen. This was a tough call to make (sorry Tim Melia!) In the end I went for Meola mainly because of that 2000 season, but also because his tenure was longer and his personality was just a perfect match for the club.
Tony Meola was a larger than life character both physically and in terms of his persona. Extremely vocal as an organiser, he commanded his box with real presence and was always in communication with his defence. As for the opposition, they knew they were in for a fight with Meola between the posts. His shot stopping was exceptional, and in the air no one stood a chance against him. The guy was huge and took no prisoners. Add to this his remarkable composure under pressure and you have the complete goalie.
To be honest, some seasons were better than others. He was plagued by injuries but always came back fighting. The legendary 2000 season was a prime example. He had been side lined for most of the 1999 season due to injury, then came back for the 2000 season and won MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, MLS Most Valuable Player, MLS Cup Most Valuable Player, MLS Comeback Player of the Year, and was selected as an MLS All Star. As comebacks go, that’s hard to beat.
Meola only played for two real soccer clubs. He was one of the original members of the Metrostars, but he played longer for Sporting Kansas (although this is back when they were the Kansas City Wizards). Being the first notable goal keeper for Kansas, and given that he was instrumental in them winning their first MLS Cup, he just had to be on this list.
4. Matt Besler: 2009-2020
Almost a one club man but for a final season at Austin FC, Matt Besler spent 12 seasons as a key defensive player for Sporting Kansas. He epitomised the modern centre back: calm under pressure, positionally astute, and excellent at reading the game. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t the most physically imposing, because he had such great anticipation and composure to spare.
Being a local boy, Besler’s connection with Sporting Kansas was deep and personal. He grew up in Overland Park, a short drive from Children’s Mercy Park. This made him an instant fan favourite, especially since he also did the business on the pitch, and even more so when he refused offers from the UK and opted to stay at Kansas. The fans saw him as one of their own, and he was, often giving back to his community through charity work.
As team captain, Besler led by quiet example. He guided the team to multiple trophies including 3 US Open Cups in 2012, 2015, and 2017, and an MLS Cup in 2013. He also represented Kansas as an MLS All Star on 5 occasions, as well as winning MLS Defender of the Year in 2012. He still lives in Kansas, and is a local hero as well as a club legend.
3. Peter Vermes: 2000-2003 and 2009-2025 as Head Coach
As a player, Peter Vermes was only at the club for a few seasons. One of them just so happened to be the 2000 season where KC did the double (MLS Cup and Supporters Shield), but nevertheless, this alone probably doesn’t qualify him for legend status.
However, in 2009 to take over as head coach, and he held that role for 16 years, winning another MLS Cup and 3 US Open Cups during that time. Not to mention 4 regular season conference championships. He was the technical director at the club for 3 years before that giving him 25 years at the club in total, he holds the record for the longest serving head coach in MLS history, and he is the only man to have won the MLS Cup as a player and a coach with the same team. This most certainly qualifies him for legend status.
As a player he was rugged yet intelligent. He played as a defender for Sporting although had been an attacker earlier in his career, giving him a unique edge as a defensive player. He anchored one of KC’s best ever defensive lines, and although his playing career at the club was short, it was hugely significant. Few people have had as big an impact on any football club as Peter Vermes had on Sporting Kansas SC.
2. Graham Zusi: 2009-2023
The club was still called the Kansas City Wizards back when Graham Zusi was drafted, and it was in 2011 when the club rebranded that he had his breakout season. He spent an incredible 15 seasons playing for the club, and never seemed interested in playing for anybody else. A one club man and still Sporting Kansas SC’s record appearance holder, turning out for the club 414 times in all competitions.
He started his career as a winger and creative midfielder, but reinvented himself as a sort of marauding right back later on. It successfully extended his career, allowing him to maintain his work rate and use his tactical intelligence plus his crossing ability to great effect. He worked harder than anyone else on the pitch, the guy would run himself into the ground for his team, and the fans loved him for it.
He was around for some of Sporting’s most successful periods, missing their first period of dominance but being instrumental in an MLS Cup, 3 US Open Cups, and 4 first place Conference finishes. A 7 time MLS All Star, a 2 time MLS Best XI, MLS Top Assists in 2012, not to mention a regular in the US Men’s Team. Graham Zusi was Sporting Kansas SC through and through.
1: Preki: 1996-2000 and 2002-2005
Ask any Sporting Kansas SC fan to name their best player of all time, and it’s odds on they will say Preki.
He is still the club’s top all time assist holder with 98, as well as the top all time scorer with 78 goals in all competitions – and he wasn’t even a striker. Preki played as an attacking midfielder, but his trick was to cut inside and release curling and unstoppable shots into the far corner. He was famous for it. Defenders all knew it was coming, but found it almost impossible to stop him.
He was a beautiful player to watch. His close control was something else, he had flair for days, and he was fiercely competitive. A potent combination, even if he was in his 40s for his final 3 seasons. He electrified the fans and they responded accordingly. He wasn’t just a showman though, he was a real player, ruthless in the final third and with incredible vision.
Preki was Sporting’s first real superstar, giving the club an identity in the early days and plenty of silverware too. It’s unlikely that their first period of dominance would have been quite so memorable without Preki in the team. His tenure was split by a single season at Miami Fusion, but he came back and eventually retired as a Kansas City player, with an MLS Cup, a Supporter’s Shield, a US Open Cup, and 3 first place Conference finishes under his belt. Not to mention a bounty of individual awards such as 5 consecutive MLS All Star appearances between 1996 and 2000, 4 MLS Best XI selections, MLS Most Valuable Player twice (the only player ever to achieve this), and he is one of just 5 players to have won the MLS Golden Boot twice.
Preki is an MLS legend as well as a Sporting Kansas City legend, but KC fans will always claim him as theirs and theirs alone. No one has ever been able to replace him, and maybe they never will.