The 2014 MLS Cup Final is this weekend featuring the LA Galaxy and the New England Revolution. Although Sporting Kansas City's not playing in their second consecutive Cup final, that doesn't mean that Kansas City soccer doesn't have representation in the game.
In fact, six players, coaches or executives from Sunday's finalists are a part of Kansas City soccer history. Let's start at the top.
Both LA Galaxy president Chris Klein (pictured, right) and New England Revolution general manager Mike Burns played for Kansas City. Klein featured more than 200 times for the then-Wizards and was a part of the team that won the MLS Cup / Supporters' Shield double in 2000. Burns joined the squad a year later and played 43 League matches for the club over the course of two years.
Moving down the ladder, let's look at the Galaxy's coaching staff. Three members of the staff have Kansas City soccer ties. Prior to the Galaxy's hire of Bruce Arena as head coach in 2008, the former U.S. Men's National Team moonlighted as color commentator for Kansas City Wizards' television broadcasts. Arena worked a handful of games alongside play-by-play announcer Sean Wheelock.
Although not technically on Arena's first team staff, LA Galaxy II head coach Curt Onalfo managed Kansas City from 2007-2009. And last, but not least, we get to Dave Sarachan, Arena's long-time assistant coach. The two worked together at the University of Virginia, at D.C. United, on the USMNT staff and now with the Galaxy. But before Sarachan began his illustrious coaching career, the New York native spent a year playing indoor soccer for the Kansas City Comets in the original Major Indoor Soccer League.
Kansas City's final connection to Sunday's MLS Cup Final is New England Revolution striker Teal Bunbury (pictured, left). Peter Vermes drafted Bunbury in the first round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft after a standout career at the University of Akron. In four seasons with Kansas City, Bunbury played 89 regular season matches with 19 goals scored and six assists. Bunbury played in two playoff matches last year for Sporting KC including 77 minutes against the Revolution in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Sunday's MLS Cup Final kicks off at 2 p.m. CT from StubHub Center. The match can be seen nationally on on ESPN and UniMas.
Is there a Kansas City soccer connection that we missed? Post it in the comment section below!