Ten 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 decade 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.
The 2020 MLS campaign will mark Sporting's 10th season in the friendly confines of Children's Mercy Park. Manager Peter Vermes' side will kick off MLS action on Feb. 29 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC before hosting the Houston Dynamo on March 7 in the club's highly anticipated home opener.
The best way to guarantee tickets for 2020 home matches at Children’s Mercy Park is to join the Sporting Kansas City family and become a Season Ticket Member. Several multi-game ticket packages for the 2020 season are also on sale now at SportingKC.com, including the limited-time Home Opener Pack that bundles the game on March 7 with two flex matches. Single-game tickets for the first half of Sporting’s home schedule will go on sale to the general public in the near future.
