Lamar Hunt and the dream of U.S. soccer

By Suzanne Hogan

Published November 19, 2025 at 4:00 AM CST

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As the United States prepares for the 2026 World Cup, it's hard to remember that professional soccer in this country once felt like an impossible dream. But one Kansas City businessman, better known as the founder of the Chiefs, was a steadfast believer.

From the failed attempts at a national league, through the creation of MLS and the very first U.S. soccer stadium — Lamar Hunt was there. Suzanne Hogan brings us the second installment of our mini-series on Kansas City’s soccer history.

This is the second installment of a series leading up to the 2026 World Cup in collaboration with the Great Game Lab at Arizona State University, which explores how sport connects the us to the rest of the world, and the Us@250 Initiative at New America.

Read and listen to the first installment, "The immigrants who made us a soccer city," here.

If you know about a local champion of soccer in Kansas City who helped bring the city to this extraordinary moment, email us at peopleshistorykc@kcur.org