MLS’ Sporting Kansas City hires Raphael Wicky as coach

By Canadian Press on January 5, 2026.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Former Chicago Fire coach Raphael Wicky was hired Monday as coach of Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City.

Wicky agreed to a 2 1/2-year contract that runs through the 2027-28 season, the first for MLS under a summer-through-spring calendar that matches most European leagues.

Peter Vermes, who had coached the team since 2009, left last March after KC lost five of its first six games. Kerry Zavagnin took over as interim coach and KC wound up last among 15 teams in the Western Conference with 28 points, finishing with seven wins, 20 losses and seven ties.

Wicky, 48, made 75 appearances for Switzerland from 1996 to 2008. He managed Basel from 2017-18, then coached the U.S. at the 2019 Under-17 World Cup, where the Americans finished last in their group.

He took over the Fire for 2020 and ’21, then coached Young Boys in Switzerland from June 2022 until March 2024, winning the 2023 Swiss league title.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The Associated Press

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