Sporting KC
Report: Sporting KC Set to Announce Raphael Wicky as Coach on Monday
Sporting Kansas City is reportedly set to hire former Chicago Fire and Young Boys manager Raphael Wicky as its next head coach, marking the Swiss tactician’s return to Major League Soccer.
Sporting Kansas City is reportedly poised to name Raphael Wicky as the club’s next head coach, according to a new report from The Athletic.
Per reporting from league insider Tom Bogert, the Major League Soccer veteran and former Swiss international has emerged as the chosen candidate following the clubs long running search for a manager to lead the club into its new era.
A Return to MLS
If confirmed, this move would mark a return to the United States for Wicky, who previously managed the Chicago Fire from 2020 to 2021. Prior to his stint in Chicago, he served as the head coach for the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team.
Since leaving MLS, Wicky found some level of success in Europe. He took charge of Swiss giants BSC Young Boys in 2022, leading them to a domestic double; winning both the Swiss Super League and the Swiss Cup in his first season. He also guided the team into the UEFA Champions’ League group stages, gaining experience against top European competition before parting ways with the club in early 2024.
The Task Ahead
The appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Sporting KC. The club is looking to rebuild and re-establish itself as a Western Conference contender following the departure of long-time manager Peter Vermes and interim manager Kerry Zavagnin.
While the club has not yet made an official announcement, sources indicate that Wicky was selected from a final shortlist of candidates. His familiarity with the league’s unique roster rules, combined with his recent European silverware, likely made him an attractive option for SKC’s front office.
More on Rumored Sporting KC Coaching Candidate Raphael Wicky
All indications are the announcement is coming on Monday with a press conference likely for later in the week.
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I’ll repeat what i said on the last Wicky article:
I sure hope his time on the unemployment line has given him new and fresh ideas and we arent just doomed to more of the same basement-dwelling.
I mean he was fired for not winning in the playoffs and key tournaments, we can’t even get into them so it feels like an improvement. Maybe actually have a defense again which with Manu and Dejan scoring like they do that’s a massive improvement.
I don’t want to hate either, he deserves his chance. It can’t be minimized that young boys have the most expensive roster in that league. He won with the best and then struggled after winning. We’re not going to field a team anywhere near the top teams in the league this year. He did win, I’m staying focused on that. Go skc.
Meh, I feel unchanged about this guy. No reason to hate on him, it’s just his previous coaching stints have just been fine. Plenty of managers take time to find their stride, so hopefully our team is where he hits it off. What’s more worrying is how long it took to announce it and the lack of incoming players literally 5 days before preseason starts. They’re going to have to go into overdrive signing players in the next few weeks.
If they had only waiting a couple more days they could have had Nancy…