With the 2020 MLS season on temporary hold, SportingKC.com is taking daily strolls down memory lane with an "On This Day" web series that celebrates memorable moments in team history. As one of Major League Soccer's proud charter members, Sporting has a decorated past full of thrilling victories, amazing goals, momentous off-the-field developments and more. "On This Day" pays tribute to these specific instances, turning back the clocks while treating fans to nostalgia and club history lessons. To catch up on the series as it unfolds, visit SportingKC.com/OnThisDay.
The 2000 season is viewed among Kansas City soccer fans as the magical turning point that saw the Wizards go from worst to first, storming out of the gates and ultimately securing a Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup double.
However, the first waves of this remarkable shift began rippling as early as April of 1999, with the Wizards rooted at the bottom of the table. After starting 0-6 with two goals scored through a half-dozen games, Kansas City appointed its second permanent head coach in American soccer pioneer Bob Gansler.
Like current manager Peter Vermes, Gansler had Hungarian descent and represented the United States at the international level. He served as the U.S. Men's National Team head coach at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, having qualified the U.S. for the country's first World Cup in 40 years, and was later inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2011.
Gansler managed the Wizards for eight seasons from 1999-2006, winning 86 regular season matches and leading the side to five straight playoff appearances from 2000-2004. Gansler was named 2000 MLS Coach of the Year for his role in the team's double-winning campaign and went on to secure Kansas City's first Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2004.
Rather appropriately, Gansler was a member of the inaugural Sporting Legends class alongside midfielder Preki and goalkeeper Tony Meola, joining a pair of generational talents he coached in Kansas City.
