When Seattle Sounders FC returns to Children's Mercy Park on Sunday, so too will a Sporting Legend and one of Kansas City's greatest soccer players ever.
Preki starred for the Wizards from 1996-2000 and 2002-2005, finishing his distinguished career as the club's all-time regular season leader in goals (71) and assists (98). The left-footed attacking midfielder, who earned MLS MVP honors twice and helped Kansas City secure its first MLS Cup championship in 2000, is still considered one of the best players in Major League Soccer history.
Upon retiring, Preki made a seamless transition into coaching. After guiding Chivas USA (2007-09), Toronto FC (2010), Sacramento Republic FC (2014-15) and Saint Louis FC (2017), he joined the Sounders coaching staff as an assistant ahead of the 2018 campaign. SportingKC.com caught up with Preki on Saturday, one day before his team faces Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City on ESPN. Tickets for the 3 p.m. CT matchup are available at SeatGeek.com.
You coached Saint Louis FC in the United Soccer League last season, but the schedule never took you to Kansas City to face the Rangers. What is it like being back in a place where you spent nine successful seasons as a player?
It's always great to come back to Kansas City. This is where I spent several years with my family and have so many great memories on and off the field. My career took me to a lot of different cities, but I will always look at Kansas City as a place where I enjoyed both playing and living.
The soccer landscape in Kansas City has changed a lot over the last 10-15 years. What has impressed you the most about this transformation?
The growth of the game in the area is clear with the training facilities and the new stadium (Children's Mercy Park). It's amazing to see how much the city has invested in this whole project. That's something that really stands out to me — the (soccer-specific) facilities that the club and city have invested in. When you have that, the fans will come.
What are your favorite memories of playing in Kansas City with teammates like Peter Vermes, Kerry Zavagnin and Tony Meola?
Obviously we won a few trophies together, and those will always be the most memorable moments. When you win things together as a group, they stay with you for the rest of your life. You always bring them up when you run into these people later on. Winning brings the best memories — the MLS Cup in 2000, competing in the playoffs, and beating some very good teams when people around the league didn't think you had a chance.
You helped Kansas City win the MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield in a historic 2000 campaign. What do you remember most about that season?
That was a great season, of course, and one of the best in my career. In those days we were a small market team. The league always focused on Chicago and LA and D.C. and New York. For us to overcome all of that and win the title was an exceptionally good thing for all of us, especially for the franchise. Look at what the franchise has done since then. There has been a lot of success for the club, and 2000 was really the beginning of that.
When you look at that season, everyone is going to remember the MLS Cup against Chicago. But for me, the best game was the (Western Conference Championship) against LA to get to the final. We won in overtime at home, so that for me was maybe the best game during my time in Kansas City.
You were able to play at a high level until the age of 42, even winning MLS MVP at the age of 40 in 2003. How were you able to stay in peak condition for so long?
There was no real secret to it. I just loved playing. I was like a little kid in a candy store coming to training every day. Some people consider that a lot of work and a grind, but I described it as love. It was a real love for the game. Trust me, if I could have played into my fifties, I would have. Obviously that wasn't possible, but I was thankful that I was able to play that long.
Back in 2013, you were one of the first individuals to be inducted into the Sporting Legends hall of honor. As someone who has experienced so much as a player and coach, what does that accomplishment mean to you?
It's a special honor to be recognized by your peers, the ownership and fans. I don't know who makes those decisions on who gets picked, but it made me feel important. I loved the days that I played here, and to be rewarded for what you put into it is an amazing thing. There are more soccer fans now than there were back then, but I always felt the love from the fans. The soccer community has always been great here. I have a lot of friends in the area, and like I said, I always love coming back to Kansas City.
Having coached in this league with Chivas 10 years ago and then now with Seattle, just how much do you think MLS has improved in quality over the last decade?
There's a lot of great players in this league, more today than there were back then. Obviously the quality of play has improved. When you walk into the store to buy candy, if you have a lot of money, you're going to buy a lot of candy. If you have a little money, you can only have a little candy. MLS has more money now, so of course there will be more quality.
It’s still early in the season, but Sporting KC is off to a strong start. Looking ahead to Sunday, what impresses you most about tomorrow’s opponent?
It's always tough to play here. They're a very hard-working group and Peter (Vermes) has done a great job making sure they are competitive in every game. We know it's going to be a tough test for us.
