SKC president wants MLS to be 1st U.S. sports league back, KC to host games as ‘hub’
As soccer leagues around the world slowly begin to return in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, attention has turned to Major League Soccer and its ability to follow suit and return to action in the near future.
The Japanese K League and German Bundesliga are both returning this month, and Sporting Kansas City president and CEO Jake Reid wants MLS to do the same.
But not only does he want MLS to return soon — he wants it to be the first major league in the United States to do so.
“I probably wouldn’t say it’s a temptation, I’d say it’s something that we’re driving for,” Reid said Wednesday. “To be the first one back in an area where outside of ‘The Last Dance’ every week you don’t really have a lot of sports content to look forward to, that’s something that we would be extremely interested in — being the first ones back, if we can pull that out — but it comes down to the safety protocol.”
Sporting KC players returned to the Compass Minerals (formerly Pinnacle) National Performance Center Wednesday for individual workouts under strict MLS safety protocols, signifying a first step toward returning to league play. Sporting was 2-0 when the 2020 season was suspended in March.
Sporting KC was a leader in implementing safety protocols for the allowance of individual workouts, submitting its proposal to MLS and returning to its facility on the first possible day it could. Kansas City’s model points toward a positive picture in regards to returning to league play in a responsible manner.
“Can we get the testing, can we get the results, can we get all the things that are needed to make sure that we are not rushing back?” Reid said. “Because if you rush it back and screw it up, then you’re going to be the last ones back and not the first.”
While conditions across the country vary regarding COVID-19, Reid believes that Kansas City could be ready to return to action in as soon as four to six weeks.
And as discussions continue to circle around playing games in central hubs, Reid’s aggressive aim is to be ready to play in Kansas City by June. He thinks the city would be a good location for a central hub.
The Kansas City area has managed to keep its known number of COVID-19 cases at a manageable level. Ahe city has worked with the league on multiple occasions already, playing host to the 2013 MLS All-Star Game and MLS Cup, and Children’s Mercy Park has worked with the United States Soccer Federation on multiple occasions to play host to U.S. national team games.
“I think we’ve just got a good history with the league on big events and working on the league in this,” Reid said. “So I think there’s a built-in trust factor that this group can pull it off.”
Kansas City and its surrounding metro area feature myriad high-quality soccer complexes that are training- and game-ready, too, including Wyandotte Sports Complex, Overland Park Scheels Soccer Complex and Swope Soccer Village.
“I think facility- and infrastructure-wise we’re as well-positioned as anyone. Clearly Disney Wide World of Sports has a massive complex that is probably best-suited,” Reid said. “But listen, from a hotel standpoint with downtown hotels, with the Loews (Hotel) coming up, which is brand new and no one’s been in there, we’ve got plenty of hotel space, if we needed it.”
“We’ve had great conversations with the league, no indication of where we would be in the hierarchy there, but we’re certainly in the consideration if they decide to go to a multi-city type of setup.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 3:21 PM with the headline "SKC president wants MLS to be 1st U.S. sports league back, KC to host games as ‘hub’."