Sporting Kansas City Football Club, abbreviated as "Kansas City", was founded in 1995 and is a professional men's soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The team began play in 1996 as a charter member of the league, originally named the Kansas City Wiz. The team was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1995. Starting in 1997, the team was renamed the Kansas City Wizards. In November 2010, it was renamed Sporting Kansas City Football Club.
On April 13, 1996, the Kansas City Wizards defeated the Colorado Rapids 3-0 at Arrowhead Stadium, marking their first match. They finished the 1996 regular season with a record of 17 wins and 15 losses, securing third place in the West (fifth overall) and qualifying for the Major League Soccer playoffs for the first time. In the 1996 conference semifinals, the Wizards defeated the Dallas Burn in all three matches, but lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy in the conference finals.