In many ways, 2011 marked the definitive turning point for Sporting Kansas City as an MLS franchise.
This transformative season saw the Kansas City Wizards become Sporting Kansas City, marked the dawn of the Children's Mercy Park era, and kickstarted a decade of unprecedented, trophy-laden success under Manager Peter Vermes.
The 2011 campaign began in earnest nine years ago today as Vermes' men, decked in Sporting Blue for the very first time, set out on a 10-game road swing ahead of the June 9 grand opening of Children's Mercy Park.
The first fixture on the calendar took Sporting to Dignity Health Sports Park for a showdown with now-extinct-but-never-forgotten Chivas USA. And much to the delight of Kansas City fans, the Sporting era began with an emphatic bang as rookie C.J. Sapong scored inside two minutes and high-profile newcomer Omar Bravo bagged a brace with two assists from Kei Kamara.
Chivas showed signs of mounting a rally, notably receiving a goal from former Kansas City great Jimmy Conrad, but Sporting maintained the upper hand through the full-time whistle. The end result was a 3-2 triumph that foreshadowed a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference and a prolonged run as a perennial title contender in MLS.
