Sporting Kansas City, KC Current find inspiration in Chiefs’ Super Bowl win
Sporting KC and the Kansas City Current will tell you at the start of every season that they aspire to win. It’s no different any other year. But when another team inside the city’s landscape wins a trophy, it serves as a point of inspiration.
A host of Sporting KC players are season-ticket holders with the Chiefs, including Daniel Salloi. Salloi and a bunch of his teammates were watching at No Other Pub, above the thousands packed into KC’s Power and Light District, to watch the Chiefs raise their third Lombardi Trophy.
“Rog (Espinoza) and I were talking — … we love America, this is amazing,” Salloi told media members on Tuesday. “This doesn’t happen anywhere else. It’s awesome.”
Salloi and Espinoza renewed their season tickets, and maybe even their own drive to win another trophy for the city.
“My friend was in town and I was telling him, ‘What a feeling.’” Salloi said. “If I can be this happy for another team like the Chiefs, imagine what we’ll feel celebrating for ourselves.
“I’m very excited to start the season and this always gives us extra motivation that we can be a championship team one day. It’s a lot of work, and it takes a lot of time. But we’re gonna do everything that we can to experience that feeling too.”
The Current are stationed at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, for their preseason preparations. Hailie Mace told reporters on Thursday that each villa where teammates are grouped had its own Super Bowl watch party.
“It was really cool to have some team bonding and support one of our owners,” Mace said. “The Chiefs winning the Super Bowl is super awesome for the city and inspiring for us because all of the sports in Kansas City have won something. I think it’s just inspiring for us to hopefully bring home a championship for the city.”
Patrick Mahomes has ownership stakes in both teams, and Brittany, his wife, also has a stake in the Current. And while the players can rally around him and his performances, both teams’ coaches take some inspiration in Andy Reid and his leadership.
Peter Vermes was very quick on Tuesday to point out that he correctly predicted the ending of Butker hitting a game-winning field goal — and the point spread of three. He also pointed out how the Chiefs performed in the second half and specifically the closing drive.
“I think they have more than enough experienced players and obviously an incredibly experienced head coach who has his wits about him and doesn’t lose himself in situations,” Vermes said. “I think that was the difference in the game, personally speaking.”
For the Current’s head coach Matt Potter, it was how Reid, his staff and the players conducted themselves after the game and in interviews.
“Everyone was highlighting somebody else or somebody’s contribution to the collective,” Potter said. “That is something we’ve tried to do here at the Kansas City Current.
“To hear those types of comments on the biggest of stages in the moment, was very encouraging that there’s maybe some things that are translating to what we’re trying to do. And obviously we’re trying to reach that mountain top, too.”
Sporting KC add to center-back depth
Sporting KC announced the signing of Robert Castellanos on Friday. The right-footed central defender has plenty of professional experience in the USL and with Nashville SC. He has one MLS appearance, in which he scored his only professional goal.
Castellanos joins a Sporting KC roster preparing for its season opener next weekend, when the club faces the Portland Timbers on February 25.
Current announce preseason slate
While Sporting are in Phoenix for another week to prepare for their season, the Current are training in Bradenton, Florida. On Thursday they announced their preseason schedule featuring all NWSL opponents. There are four matches on the docket in total.
The Current will face off against the Orlando Pride (Feb. 23) and Chicago Red Stars (Feb. 27) in Florida this month. The team heads to San Diego in March, playing against the Houston Dash and San Diego wave on March 8 and 11, respectively.
The Current open the regular season on March 25 at the North Carolina Courage.
