Children's Mercy Park

Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, is the home of Sporting Kansas City and a pioneer of the MLS soccer-specific stadium movement. The venue's design — steep seats, open corners, and a dedicated supporters section — was copied across the league when it opened. Sporting's fans, led by the Sporting Blue Valley and South Stand groups, create a Cascading noise effect that made this one of the hardest places to play in 2010s MLS. Its location in the Village West district ties match nights to Kansas City's western suburbs and the nearby Legends shopping area.

Children's Mercy Park opened in 2011 as Livestrong Sporting Park and later Sporting Park before the children's hospital naming deal. It hosted MLS Cup 2013, when Sporting KC won the title in a penalty shootout on this field, the defining moment in the venue's history. The stadium was among the first in MLS to prioritize supporter culture in its architectural brief. Children's Mercy's sponsorship reflected Kansas City's community identity and the club's youth-development mission.