Former KC Wizard Ryan Pore leads Kansas City Roos into first-ever NCAA Round of 16 match
Kansas City has cemented quite the reputation for its soccer community over the years.
There are the passionate Sporting KC fans of “The Cauldron” at Children’s Mercy Park. The city hosted the NWSL Championship match at the Current’s CPKC Stadium, the first stadium built specifically for a women’s professional soccer team. And the 2026 World Cup is on the horizon.
It’s no surprise Kansas City has been affectionately called the “soccer capital of America.”
Now, led by former Kansas City Wizards player Ryan Pore, there’s one more team joining in on the fun.
KC — the Roos, that is — has long surpassed its preseason pick of fourth in the Summit League. The Roos secured their auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament after a thrilling Summit championship game victory over Denver, clinched by a 90th-minute goal from Elie Kisoka.
“We played in the Summit League final the last two years, but still haven’t maybe qualified as high as we wanted to in the regular season. And going into the season, only the top two teams made it to the conference finals,” Pore told The Star. “So we made it an emphasis of ours to be better in the regular season, and we’ve done that.
“We definitely used (the preseason pick) as some extra motivation. The Summit League was a very strong conference in men’s soccer this year. And now, just proud to represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament.”
This run marks the Roos’ first trip to the tournament since 2008. They have rolled through the first two rounds with wins against Saint Louis and No. 16 Missouri State.
The win against Saint Louis was the program’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2001. Then, the Roos faced an early 1-0 deficit against the Bears but came back for a 2-1 victory for their first Round of 16 appearance ever.
“It’s pretty special,” Pore said after the win. “To be able to get to this point in the season says a lot about the guys, their belief in each other and their belief in the coaches.”
Even before the tournament run, the success was evident.
The Roos closed out the regular season 11-4-3 to clinch the No. 2 seed for the Summit League. That run earned Pore Summit League Coach of the Year honors, his second time winning the award since his inaugural season at the helm of KC in 2020.
Likewise, Roos soccer has made strides under Pore. In his first season as head coach, KC posted its first conference winning record in five seasons and highest conference finish in eight years. Pore led the Roos to their first winning season in 12 years in 2022, with a 7-5-5 record.
Now, Pore can add a trip to the NCAA Round of 16 to that resume.
“It’s been very gratifying,” Pore said of the program’s growth. “When we took over the program back in 2020, we had a vision of getting Kansas City back to national relevance, and obviously Kansas City is a big soccer community. I always targeted (KC) as a program that could do well in the Division I ranks.
“I think this year is justifying that, proving that. Couldn’t be more proud of not only the program but my support staff, everyone that you don’t see that works behind the scenes and helps elevate the program. This is for them, for past alums that have played in championship games and the NCAA Tournament. So we’re just happy for all the Roos that support us on a consistent basis.”
Pore came to Kansas City after returning to Tulsa, where he joined the coaching staff at his alma mater (the University of Tulsa) in 2013. He was later promoted to associate head coach in 2017, a title he held until joining the Roos.
Pore was already plenty familiar with his new city.
After three seasons playing at Tulsa in college, Pore was drafted 16th overall by the Kansas City Wizards in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft. He spent the next four seasons in Kansas City, appearing in 58 league games.
Pore says that returning to Kansas City was the ideal place for him and his two “soccer-crazy” kids, with a son playing in the U-14 division of the Sporting KC Academy.
“We love Kansas City. We love growing a family here,” Pore said. “Me, my wife — and having the connections within the soccer community — we just love being a part of that.”
And it’s “come full circle,” he added.
“My wife and I laugh that our first year of marriage was when we lived here in Kansas City back in 2007,” Pore said. “So now to be back in the city with two kids and kind of running around crazy is quite fun for us.”
The Roos take on No. 2 Pittsburgh (13-5) in their Round of 16 matchup on Sunday, Dec. 1. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
