{"id":3224,"date":"2026-07-11T19:09:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T19:09:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224"},"modified":"2026-07-11T19:09:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T19:09:32","slug":"the-soccer-capital-of-america-is-now-gunning-for-the-soccer-capital-of-the-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018Soccer Capital of America\u2019 is now gunning for the Soccer Capital of the World (Cup)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

It\u2019s so serious that Kansas City has earned the title of the Soccer Capital of America. It\u2019s even a registered trademark owned by their soccer club, MLS\u2019s Sporting Kansas City. Now, with the tournament underway and the world\u2019s attention fixed on a Midwestern city that most international visitors had never considered visiting (or maybe heard of), the city is making a strong case why that title should change to the world. <\/p>\n

Read more Iran\u2019s supreme leader vows revenge for killing of his father after Trump threatens to launch thousands of missiles if Tehran tries to assassinate him<\/a><\/p>\n

The smallest of the 16 FIFA World Cup host cities, the city has a metro of roughly 2.2 million people straddling two states, and is more widely known for its Chiefs and its barbecue. But that\u2019s not stopping how their inhabitants see the city\u2019s role on the world\u2019s stage. <\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cKansas City, our market of the 16 that are hosting \u2014 we\u2019re dominating the World Cup right now,\u201d said Tim Cowden, president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council. \u201cI love that.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, Kansas City wasn\u2019t supposed to be here at all\u2014Chicago was. The third-largest city in the United States had hosted five World Cup matches in 1994, and had the stadium, the infrastructure, and the name recognition. But when then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel walked away from the bid\u2014accusing FIFA of making excessive demands, including waiving taxes, absorbing all security costs, and signing contracts FIFA could amend at any time with no indemnity protections for the city\u2014it let Kansas City make the bid.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very appreciative of Chicago for not pursuing it,\u201d Cowden told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cWhen they didn\u2019t, it opened up an opportunity for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand why Chicago didn\u2019t pursue the World Cup. Chicago doesn\u2019t need the World Cup to write another chapter of its greatness on a global scale. Kansas City\u2014we seized it, and we\u2019re leveraging it to the hilt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

FIFA\u2019s contract structure, which routes an estimated $8.9 billion to FIFA while leaving U.S. host cities facing a collective shortfall of upwards of $250 million, made the math hard to justify for cities already on the map. For Kansas City, the calculation was different from the start.<\/p>\n

The bid process began in earnest around 2015 and 2016. Kathy Nelson\u2014then leading the Kansas City Sports Commission, which spearheaded the effort\u2014spent years making the case to people. \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure anyone would really believe me,\u201d she told Fortune<\/em> of her trips to the state capitol. It took a decade of phone calls, relationships, and pulled favors. <\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

What she sees now: six matches at Arrowhead Stadium\u2014monikered Kansas City Stadium per FIFA\u2019s sponsorship rules\u2014including a quarterfinal that features Lionel Messi, a game FIFA says could draw a billion viewers. Nelson estimates half a million visitors will come through Kansas City over the tournament\u2019s roughly two months.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The city has hosted four national team base camps, among them defending champion Argentina and England, who chose Kansas City even though they didn\u2019t play matches here (save for Argentina\u2019s quarter final match against Switzerland). England went so far as to request a training site, Swope Soccer Village, that wasn\u2019t even in FIFA\u2019s official catalog when they visited. <\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A $700 million investment more than a decade in the making<\/h2>\n

The reason England picked Kansas City\u2014over cities with more international name recognition, with bigger airports, with public transit to their stadiums\u2014comes down to $700 million.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what the region has invested in soccer infrastructure over the past 15 years, before the World Cup host title was awarded. Children\u2019s Mercy Park, home of Sporting KC, opened in 2011 as one of the premier soccer-specific stadiums in MLS. The Kansas City Current\u2019s CPKC Stadium, which opened in 2024, is the first purpose-built professional women\u2019s soccer stadium in the world. When the Netherlands chose Kansas City for their base camp, the Current spent an additional $52 million to build a second facility and 2,000-seat stadium next door so their NWSL squad could keep training while the Dutch were in residence. The sports-hosting goes behind the physical pitch: 13 of the 16 World Cup stadiums in North America were designed at least in part by Populous, the Kansas City-based sports architecture firm.<\/p>\n

Mark Jorgensen, KC2026\u2019s board president and a former U.S. Bank executive vice president, said the England conversation was straightforward. \u201cYour facilities are great, everybody we\u2019ve met has been so welcoming,\u201d he told Fortune<\/em> the England delegation said. \u201cBut the number one thing they said was, \u2018It feels like home.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Kansas City Federal Reserve President Esther George, who now serves as the treasurer of KC2026\u2019s board after her 2023 retirement, said the investment goes beyond soccer. \u201cOne thing to understand about Kansas City is it\u2019s always started with what I call infrastructure or the foundation,\u201d she told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cThat goes back to the days of railroads. One of the reasons we have a Federal Reserve here is because of Union Station.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cAfter a couple of decades, you have an opportunity like this,\u201d George said. \u201cI think it\u2019s been as much of an introduction to the world to Kansas City as Kansas City to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sports-driven market<\/h2>\n

In the last decade, every major professional franchise in the city has won a championship. The Chiefs are among the most recognized brands in the NFL, especially after the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce relationship turned the city into a global tabloid dateline for two years. Nelson has a quote taped to her monitor: Dramatic ideas get dramatic results. \u201cThose types of big ideas get us big results,\u201d she said, \u201cand we\u2019re that mid-sized market that doesn\u2019t always appreciate the impact of what these things do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former left-central defender Matt Besler, who made nearly 300 appearances for Sporting KC and is now a KC2026 ambassador, grew up in Kansas City. He fondly recalled the 1994 World Cup, the last time the U.S. was playing host, where the nearest matches were nine hours away in Dallas. He was seven years old when the tournament got to him anyway. \u201cSoccer was just a game I played on the weekends in the local city league,\u201d he told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cThe World Cup opened my eyes to it being the World\u2019s Game.\u201d He now has three kids around that same age, watching their first World Cup in their own city. \u201cSoccer is a generational thing,\u201d he said. \u201cYou pass it down to your kids and then they pass it down to their kids, and all of a sudden it becomes part of your family and who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besler was standing in the crowd when the Netherlands marched to the stadium before their match, their parade earning the title of the largest Oranje Fanwalk in U.S. history. \u201cI would say half the people were from Kansas City,\u201d he said. \u201cThey weren\u2019t even from the Netherlands. They just wanted to come down and see what this was all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A car heavy culture learns about public transportation<\/h2>\n

Running the World Cup in a city with no existing public transit to its stadium, across two states, 18 counties, and 50-plus communities, with four base camp teams generating up to 20 simultaneous vehicle escort operations per day, is a problem no other host city has faced. <\/p>\n

Read more Trump once suggested his Reflecting Pool renovations would last a century. It\u2019s now being drained again after an algae bloom and peeling paint<\/a><\/p>\n

So KC created the Joint Operations Center, staffed with law enforcement from multiple jurisdictions, transportation coordinators, health and medical personnel, and communications teams, as the operational center of the tournament. \u201cWe really thought it was essential that we have the alignment with safety and security, transportation, communication,\u201d Lindsay Douglas, KC2026\u2019s chief operations officer, told Fortune, <\/em>\u201cand just overall visibility from our organization\u2019s perspective into what\u2019s happening moment by moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Think of the logistics: Argentina\u2019s hotel is in Kansas City, Missouri. Their training facility is in Kansas City, Kansas. \u201cWho does the police escort?\u201d said Pam Kramer, KC2026\u2019s CEO. \u201cYou want to cross the state line, and do they have authority?\u201d The JOC resolved it through mutual aid agreements between jurisdictions. On a busy day, the JOC was tracking 20 active team and dignitary movements simultaneously, making sure no routes overlapped.<\/p>\n

When I-70 had a traffic incident during the Dutch match, the JOC pulled up the camera feeds and rerouted the fan buses in real time. \u201cWe have the ability to pull up the cameras, make real-time decisions about rerouting those buses, and make sure that law enforcement knows,\u201d Douglas said, \u201cso we\u2019re not adding to the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

U.S. host cities have broadly struggled to move World Cup fans in a country built around the car\u2014from $98 NJ Transit fares to yellow school buses ferrying fans to MetLife. \u201cThere\u2019s no existing public transport to the stadium,\u201d Kramer told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cI know so much more about transportation than I did before.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first match, fans who had staggered bus ticket windows all showed up at once, overflowing the bus mall queue. The JOC made the call mid-operation to redirect regional buses to clear the backlog, and most fans made kickoff. \u201cSkepticism is healthy,\u201d Kramer said. \u201cWe had a lot of skepticism, and now people are seeing it\u2019s real, and it\u2019s happening, and we\u2019re doing it, and we can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then Kramer took the problems back to FIFA. She pushed for earlier gate access and gate modifications. FIFA agreed. \u201cThe second match was 100% better,\u201d she said, adding host committees don\u2019t typically move FIFA. \u201cOnce we started to prove that we were going to do things, I think we earned it,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re receptive to it. They see it.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Dutch march day\u2014the most operationally complex day of the tournament\u2014the system moved an estimated 22,000 to 36,000 fans while simultaneously managing I-70 incidents and a thunderstorm threat. When storms moved in, Kramer made the call at 4:30 p.m. to refund everyone who had purchased a stadium transit pass\u201421,000 people\u2014so no one felt trapped waiting on a bus that might not come. \u201cIt\u2019s about creating memories,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s the investment in the way that people think and feel about Kansas City.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

What KC2026 built to solve the transit problem may outlast the tournament. Connect KC 26 is a bus network that currently serves 15 destinations across the metro that previously had no direct service. A trip from downtown to the Overland Park Convention Center that used to take an hour and 20 minutes now takes 30. The daily pass is $5. A route runs to Lawrence\u2014about 40 miles away, where Algeria base camped\u2014and where, Kramer said, the Algerian government is now in conversations with the University of Kansas about education partnerships that \u201cstarted because of the World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cowden believes the streetcar will expand east-west, with 39th Street already under discussion, and calls the World Cup \u201crocket fuel\u201d for what is already the most successful streetcar system of its type in the country. \u201cI have no doubt,\u201d he said, \u201cyou\u2019re going to see that expanded.\u201d<\/p>\n

The epiphany of the visit<\/h2>\n

KC2026\u2019s FIFA Fan Fest Director Mallory Cage said the event was designed from the start to work for two audiences simultaneously: people who came from somewhere else, and the people who live here. \u201cWhen we meet them out there, we ask them, what have you done?\u201d Cage said of international visitors. \u201cThey talk about the restaurants they\u2019ve been to, the different neighborhoods they\u2019ve explored, and how they wouldn\u2019t have come if Kansas City wasn\u2019t hosting the World Cup.\u201d And that same traffic is coming from locals going to their local haunts.<\/p>\n

The economic development argument Kansas City is making is not about the 40 days of matches. FIFA will collect an estimated $8.9 billion from the tournament; Kansas City sees no share of ticket revenue, concessions, merchandise, or parking.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Instead, the city is using the tournament as an opportunity to drive local economic development, and show organizations what the market is capable of. Cowden\u2019s organization brought 13 C-level executives from the animal health and biosciences sector. KC House, a private invitation-only venue modeled on the USA Houses Cowden observed at the Qatar World Cup, hosted heads of state, ambassadors, and business leaders from around the world. \u201cWhen we bring people here, they look around and they experience\u2014they feel everything about Kansas City,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t do that in a digital format.\u201d<\/p>\n

He calls it \u201cthe epiphany of the visit.\u201d The world\u2019s largest fintech company Fiserv was set on Nashville before its Kansas City visit and chose it instead for a tech center that could eventually reach 2,000 employees. Panasonic put a $4 billion battery factory there after looking primarily across the South. Jorgensen described watching a Netherlands consulate official fall into conversation with Populous about potential partnerships during a KC House event. \u201cHere\u2019s some people we can partner with going forward,\u201d Jorgensen said.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Plenty of doubt<\/h2>\n

The Atlanta 1996 Olympics comparison comes up constantly. \u201cThey were doubted,\u201d Cowden said. \u201cThere were all sorts of people who were doubting Atlanta.\u201d Three decades of ascent followed. \u201cThis is not so much a sporting event,\u201d Cowden said. \u201cIt\u2019s a catalyst of what Kansas City we know we can become.\u201d<\/p>\n

Twelve of the last 14 World Cups have generated net losses for host cities, and nearly 80% of U.S. host city hotels said bookings were tracking below initial forecasts. \u201cProbably not,\u201d she said when asked if there would be a measurable short-term GDP boost. But she sees the argument for Kansas City specifically. \u201cWho doesn\u2019t know New York and has made a decision about whether they live there, work there, invest there?\u201d she said. \u201cThe opportunity for us was greater to begin with.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about these 40-whatever days. It\u2019s about sustained and long-term impact,\u201d Kramer added. \u201cHow do we have conversations about trade, about foreign investment, about locating a headquarters here? How do we connect decision makers to Kansas City using the World Cup as a platform?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen all this is said and done,\u201d Cowden said, \u201cyou\u2019ll be able to count up the numbers and say, okay, this is the direct economic spinoff, and I think it\u2019s somewhere around $650 million. That\u2019s fine. But then what that doesn\u2019t take into account is how we feel, and how people in our region feel. There\u2019s a tremendous amount of pride for Kansas City that was already existing. And what the World Cup does, it just takes it that much further.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more For 250 years, work defined American identity. That era Is ending<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kansas City has invested $700 million over the course of more than a decade to create the soccer and sport infrastructure that is now in public view.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nThe \u2018Soccer Capital of America\u2019 is now gunning for the Soccer Capital of the World (Cup) - Cross Country Moving Team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The \u2018Soccer Capital of America\u2019 is now gunning for the Soccer Capital of the World (Cup) - Cross Country Moving Team\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kansas City has invested $700 million over the course of more than a decade to create the soccer and sport infrastructure that is now in public view.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cross Country Moving Team\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-11T19:09:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=3224#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=3224\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b8121bfb9a1c55d1fff3fca675fceaa\"},\"headline\":\"The \u2018Soccer Capital of America\u2019 is now gunning for the Soccer Capital of the World (Cup)\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-11T19:09:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=3224\"},\"wordCount\":2484,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=3224#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/4baf9aa618d596f5de81ad1bf849f309.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=3224#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=3224\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=3224\",\"name\":\"The \u2018Soccer Capital of America\u2019 is now gunning for the Soccer Capital of the World (Cup) - Cross Country Moving Team\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=3224#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=3224#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/4baf9aa618d596f5de81ad1bf849f309.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-11T19:09:32+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b8121bfb9a1c55d1fff3fca675fceaa\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=3224#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=3224\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=3224#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/4baf9aa618d596f5de81ad1bf849f309.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/4baf9aa618d596f5de81ad1bf849f309.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=3224#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The \u2018Soccer Capital of America\u2019 is now gunning for the Soccer Capital of the World (Cup)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cross Country Moving Team\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b8121bfb9a1c55d1fff3fca675fceaa\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The \u2018Soccer Capital of America\u2019 is now gunning for the Soccer Capital of the World (Cup) - Cross Country Moving Team","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The \u2018Soccer Capital of America\u2019 is now gunning for the Soccer Capital of the World (Cup) - Cross Country Moving Team","og_description":"Kansas City has invested $700 million over the course of more than a decade to create the soccer and sport infrastructure that is now in public view.","og_url":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224","og_site_name":"Cross Country Moving Team","article_published_time":"2026-07-11T19:09:32+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1b8121bfb9a1c55d1fff3fca675fceaa"},"headline":"The \u2018Soccer Capital of America\u2019 is now gunning for the Soccer Capital of the World (Cup)","datePublished":"2026-07-11T19:09:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224"},"wordCount":2484,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4baf9aa618d596f5de81ad1bf849f309.webp","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224","url":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224","name":"The \u2018Soccer Capital of America\u2019 is now gunning for the Soccer Capital of the World (Cup) - Cross Country Moving Team","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4baf9aa618d596f5de81ad1bf849f309.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-11T19:09:32+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1b8121bfb9a1c55d1fff3fca675fceaa"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4baf9aa618d596f5de81ad1bf849f309.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4baf9aa618d596f5de81ad1bf849f309.webp","width":1200,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3224#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The \u2018Soccer Capital of America\u2019 is now gunning for the Soccer Capital of the World (Cup)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/","name":"Cross Country Moving Team","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1b8121bfb9a1c55d1fff3fca675fceaa","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com"],"url":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3224\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}