DISQUS

Kartik,

I like where you're heart is on this one, but there's a line between being pro-Home Grown Player List (a current MLS initiative, in which all developmental programs associated with each team are made up of 90% local talent, from local high schools and colleges); and being xenophobic. As a team, I think that if you operate in the current rules of the MLS, in that you may only field 4-5 (I forget how much) foreign-born players on your team at one time, you are still championing American soccer. But to say that a team will refuse to sign foreign-born players would make that team appear backward and unprofessional. In addition, having 3 or so foreign players on a team whose American-born players are all from either coast is no big deal for KC. It's not the foreign-born players that alienate a mainstream following, it's the fact that, except for Jack Jewsbury (from 3 hours south of KC in Springfield, MO), there's really no Midwesterners on the team -- they're all from California, Florida, and the East Coast. In a few years if we discover some real diamonds in our developmental program (nearly 90% KC-born and raised players), then you'll see a much greater increase in local interest for a team that runs at even 50% capacity full of native Kansas Citians.

The other problem you see here is that even though our high school soccer programs are much better than they get credit for nationally (we can stand up with the best that the hollowed soccer town of St. Louis has to offer at Youth Regionals), we lack a major presence of college soccer. UMKC has a solid team for their division. But around here, Big XII rules! And due to Title 9, the Big XII lost its men's soccer programs. Not to discriminate against women's soccer -- as I think with WPS starting up and KC eventually getting a franchise, Mizzou and KU women's soccer could help feed that need for local products. But having men's soccer at those schools (and decent ones at that) would be a major piece of the puzzle to get the mainstream of this town interested in the sport.

Oh, and "undrafted", KC's a breath away from playoff qualifying. They also qualified last year. And they embarrassed Beckham & Co. the other weekend. And Davy Arnaud won Goal of the Week. And we now have 2 more players with international caps. And we're days away from getting our new stadium approved. But keep on underestimating us, because it feels so much better when we win. Look for us in the Champions League next year.