Sporting Kansas City mutually parts ways with interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin

Not many people work in the same organization for 26 years, especially in sports. Kerry Zavagnin was one of the few, finding success and stability with the Wizards the moment he arrived in Kansas City in 2000.

On Tuesday, that run officially came to an end when Sporting KC announced it had mutually parted ways with Zavagnin. The longtime assistant coach was appointed interim coach when the club moved on from Peter Vermes at the end of March.

Sporting posted a 7-15-6 record during his interim tenure.

“Kerry is a Sporting Legend and his impact on this club is permanent,” said Michael Illig, co-principal owner, in the team’s release.

“For 26 seasons, he gave everything he had to Sporting both as a player and as a coach. His name hangs on the walls of our stadium because the standard he set is woven into the identity of this club. Through a difficult season and a major transition, he carried himself with the same steady presence that made him a Sporting Legend in the first place. Kerry has a real desire to stay on the field and continue coaching, and we respect him immensely for that. He leaves with our full support and with genuine appreciation for everything he has meant to Sporting Kansas City.”

Nine seasons as a player led to 15 seasons on the coaching staff. Zavagnin has hoisted every single trophy in club history — all seven.

The success came, coincidentally, the moment Zavagnin arrived. The Wizards were coming off a league-worst and club-worst record in 1999. Following that season, Zavagnin was drafted with the 30th overall pick. The following season, the team went on to win both the Supporters’ Shield (best regular-season record) and MLS Cup, bringing Kansas City its first title since the ‘85 World Series.

Zavagnin would go on to make 291 career appearances in his playing career, adding a U.S. Open Cup trophy and a second trip to the MLS Cup Final in 2004.

He would eventually retire and join the coaching staff in 2009, playing a significant role in the club’s overall direction shift that led to the fruitful years of the mid-2010s. Zavagnin helped hoist three more U.S. Open Cup titles (2012, 2015, 2017) and the club’s second MLS Cup (2013).

As a player, Zavagnin’s presence in the midfield was stabilizing. In March, when the club embarked on a massive shift away from Vermes, it was Zavagnin who was entrusted with helping stabilize things once again.

While the results may not have come as some had hoped, Zavagnin kept the locker room. And Zavagnin’s belief that Sporting KC will return to the level fans had come to expect never wavered, even if his future with the club was up in the air.

“To have that appreciation for the history of this club and to understand what we’ve been through, and what this city has meant to this club — and vice versa — it’s a difficult project to (potentially) leave,” Zavagnin said — in what turned out to be his final news conference with the club.

“I retired a couple of years earlier than what I potentially could have or should (have), and I certainly don’t want to overstay my welcome to the club. I always want to be someone who’s contributing in a positive way because it’s in the best interest of the club — certainly from my perspective — that we go on to do great things. And if I’m part of that, excellent. If not, I know the club is going to be successful in the years to come.”

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.