Sporting Kansas City opened its new facility — the $200 million Livestrong Sporting Park — with a game against the Chicago Fire on Thursday.
Livestrong Sporting Park is the first soccer-specific venue at Kansas City. Sporting has found residence in stadiums built for football — Arrowhead Stadium for 12 years — and baseball — three years at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
That all changed on Thursday with the doors to the brand new facility opening at 5:30 p.m., a full 3 1/2 hours before the game.
The fanfare was kicked off with an inaugural concert was held with The Brody Buster Band opening at 6. The concert was headlined by The Republic Tigers.
Guests for the pregame hoopla included Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber and Kansas City, Kansas Mayor Joe Reardon.
Chad Ochocinco, of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, and the soccer team’s first manager, Ron Newman, were also among the special guests expected to be in attendance.
Sporting Kansas City’s ownership group, led by Robb Heineman, Neal Patterson and Cliff Illig, have been trying to put together a deal for a soccer stadium with Kansas City since 2006.
Five year ago, Heineman had his proposal for a soccer stadium in Overland Park discarded by voters and when the economy failed in 2008, it killed his attempt to get a stadium built near Bannister Mall, located in Kansas City, Missouri between I-435 and Hillcrest Road.
Live Strong Sporting Park has a capacity for 18,467 for soccer games. It boasts a grass field, a canopy roof to cover the seating section, 36 suites, five clubs and six locker rooms.
The new park is located near the Legends Shopping Center in Kansas City, Kan on Village West Parkway.
Kevin Ellis, who was part of the Sporting Kansas City Juniors academy and a prominent member of the Barton Community College men’s soccer team that won the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Region VI title the last two years, has been part of Sportings’ roster, though he has yet to get playing time.
Sporting, which is one of three teams in the league with only one win, is currently sitting the ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 1-6-3 entering Thursday’s game. Chicago’s record is 1-4-7 entering Thursday’s game and it is eighth in the east.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC is the other team with one win at 1-6-7 and is in ninth place in the Western Conference.
Sporting is the lowest team in points in the league with six and has the fewest games played with 11.