Running throughout the season on Sports Radio 810 WHB, the Sporting Kansas City Show is available on several podcast hubs including Spotify and iTunes as well as SportingKC.com. With Nate Bukaty, Carter Augustine and Aly Trost hosting the weekly program, Sporting fans have a place to go to catch up on club storylines, guest interviews and more.
A must-listen season finale of the Sporting Kansas City Show debuted Wednesday night on Sports Radio 810 WHB as Nate Bukaty, Jacob Peterson, Carter Augustine and Aly Trost recapped Sporting's wild and unprecedented 2020 MLS campaign.
Sporting’s long and winding season spanned a remarkable 278 days, beginning on Feb. 29 and concluding last Thursday with a playoff defeat to Minnesota United FC in the Western Conference Semifinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs. In between, Manager Peter Vermes’ men navigated a four-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, returned to play in the historic MLS is Back Tournament at Walt Disney World, then returned to home markets for a breathless run of matches through the fall and into the postseason.
After recapping a topsy-turvy playoff campaign that saw Sporting rue missed chances against a Minnesota side that went on to drop a 3-2 thriller to Seattle Sounders FC, the discussion transitioned into a wide-ranging reflection on Sporting’s accomplishments over the course of a challenging year.
Despite numerous injury setbacks and the looming anxiety brought on by COVID-19, Sporting pulled off the greatest year-over-year turnaround in MLS history. Vermes’ men jumped from 19th to third in the Supporters’ Shield standings, returned to the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years and set a club record with 1.86 points per match by virtue of their 12-6-3 regular season record. Sporting also earned their fourth first-place conference finish since 2011, all under the guidance of Vermes.
With news dropping yesterday on Sporting’s roster moves ahead of the 2021 season, the hosts saved special remarks for longtime captain and club legend Matt Besler. The Overland Park native is out of contract with the club and will not return for his 13th season at Sporting, but his legacy is firmly established as an MLS Cup winner, a three-time Open Cup champion, a World Cup veteran with the U.S. Men’s National Team and a humanitarian in the Kansas City community. The segment also included press conference statements from Vermes, who spoke to media on Wednesday for the final time in 2020.
Lastly, the hosts looked ahead to what will surely be an exhilarating 2021 in Major League Soccer. As the world continues to cope amidst the pandemic, a return to normalcy at some point next year is highly anticipated for countless reasons—among them the fact that stadiums will once again welcome fans at full capacity. Bukaty, Peterson, Augustine and Trost all shared what they’re looking forward to most about 2021 before giving one last sign-off in 2020.
