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Coming off of the first real down season for FC Kansas City, potential bad news for fans has popped up. The Blues may be for sale and could potentially be moved.
A rumor surfaced yesterday and we could not get many details or any confirmation but today Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl tweeted the following:
Hearing Kansas City NWSL team is for sale. Interest from potential owner in Minnesota who could move team. No interest yet from Sporting KC.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) October 14, 2016
The Minnesota owner/investor matched the rumor but the version that came to us said that FC Kansas City would not be moved.
The NWSL contact gave the expected “No Comment” and FC Kansas City is preparing a comment.
FC Kansas City has been one of the most successful NWSL clubs with having made the playoffs the first three years of the leagues existence and having won the NWSL Championship two years straight (2014 and 2015).
Difficult to move?
FC Kansas City currently has the same owners as the Kansas City Comets indoor team and shares staff across both teams. That would need to be untangled and may not be the most difficult part.
The Blues started a youth soccer club and has combined with several other clubs to have one of the biggest and one of the most successful youth clubs in Kansas City. FC Kansas City’s head coach Vlatko Andonovski has been heavily involved in building the youth club.
Another issue would be that U.S. Soccer started a Girls Development Academy and FC Kansas City was announced as one of the clubs for the inaugural season.
Controversy
There has been a bit of controversy swirling around the owners of FC Kansas City and the Comets the past few months. Brothers Brad and Greg Likens and their father Chris have been accused of sending inappropriate emails and they have accused co-owner Brian Budzinski of fabricating those emails. Budzinski has sued his fellow co-owners because they have excluded him from decision making and the case is currently in arbitration in Federal Court.
What that will mean to the potential of a sale or even if it could take place is certainly unclear.
UPDATE: FC Kansas City sent out their statement this afternoon.
“Earlier today there were reports regarding the status of FC Kansas City. We will not be commenting on any speculation regarding the organization. At this time we are focused on preparations for the 2017 NWSL Draft and another potential championship run. FC Kansas City is proud to be a founding member of the National Women’s Soccer League, and of our two NWSL Championships.”
As expected, it does not say much, statements like this rarely do. It does not say the team is or isn’t for sale. It does not say the team would or wouldn’t be moved. But it is good basic team PR response.
Reading between the lines. Since the statement did not say the team wasn’t for sale, that would lead one to suspect that there is at least a possibility.