Thursday at 7 p.m. CT, SportingKC.com will stream the match that changed the course of soccer in Kansas City.
On July 25, 2010, the largest soccer crowd in Kansas City history gathered to see the Wizards face English powerhouse Manchester United at Arrowhead Stadium. The 52,424 in attendance were treated to an inspired performance from the hosts, who notched a 2-1 victory with goals from Davy Arnaud and Kei Kamara.
What truly set the game apart, however, was the noise and passion generated by fans. Though many came to the stadium donning United red, all supporters were pulling for an upset in the latter stages.
The remarkable response from the crowd was a harbinger of things to come. Given how perfectly the afternoon went, the club's players and owners believed more than ever that soccer had a bright future in Kansas City. And boy, did they have every reason to believe.
To this day, the Manchester United friendly is seen as an instrumental juncture in team history, proving that Kansas City had a tremendous appetite for soccer and that the sport was here to stay.
Per MLS rules, Thursday's stream will be geofenced to viewers in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska.
