Eleven years ago today, Sporting Club broke ground on a stadium that would soon become one of North America's most heralded soccer cathedrals.
On Jan. 20, 2010, some 24 hours after Wyandotte County approved the bonds to help finance the world-class venue in Kansas City, Kansas, Robb Heineman used heavy machinery to move dirt on the construction site during an official groundbreaking ceremony.
In the 11 years since, Children's Mercy Park has stood among the best soccer-specific stadiums on the continent, regularly hosting the U.S. Men's and Women's National Teams in addition to serving as the home of Sporting Kansas City. From cup finals and All-Star games to World Cup qualifiers and NCAA national championships, Children's Mercy Park has hosted several of soccer's biggest sporting events on an annual basis.
Construction of the $200 million stadium started precisely one decade ago and unfolded at breakneck speed, finishing in time for Sporting to inaugurate the venue in an MLS match against the Chicago Fire on June 9, 2011.
The rest, as they say, is history.
