What is the origin story for Sunflower State FC - who founded the club and why?
The club was Founded in 2019 as Queso Blanco by a few Division II college soccer players, friends, and local “now recreational” soccer players who had more to give to the sport. It started with Andrew Lentell DPT, and Joey Lipoff (Club President). They quickly brought in Nick McDonald, a skilled player and now our current Men’s Head Coach and Director of Coaching. Joey and Andrew then attracted others including Charles Salazar (Chief Financial Officer and Vice President), and Salvatore Sesti DPT, Director of Player Personnel). Who have stayed with the club to this day (now 7 years later).

The Club’s Mission to this day is to provide high-level playing opportunities for soccer players, while also creating a meaningful impact in their lives and the Kansas City Area Soccer Community through the lens of the sport. We try to give overlooked and different types of players access to an elite-level competition by bridging the pay-to-play gap. We aim to foster player development and true connection to make our community strong and advance players in the landscape of American Soccer.

Tell us about your badge and colors – has it evolved over time or always been the same?
The “re-brand” happened in 2020 when Sunflower State was starting to evolve from a simple Sunday league team to a bigger player on the regional soccer scene. We wanted a design that showcased where most of us are from in the State of Kansas. There had already been many Kansas City soccer clubs with many names taken prior to our founding so we wanted something unique. Sunflower State Football Club was settled upon to show our love for the area, and the great 34st state in the Union.

Following Weston Waldron’s original design, we had a redesign in 2023 by Chance Waddell to enhance the badge that shows we are from Kansas City, Kansas and to enhance its visibility on the uniform. We loved the contrast of the black, orange, and gold with the old leather soccer ball at the center with Kansas outline in the stitching, all inside of the sunflower with 34 petals for the 34th state.

With so many league options nowadays, what league do you play in and why did you pick that one?
Over the years we have run the gamut of soccer leagues in amateur divisions, however, we now have our men’s team competing in the illustrious United Soccer League Two (USL 2), and our women participate in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL).

Many clubs choose to sell hats, scarves or replica kits - how does your club keep the lights on and cover its league costs?
We sell scarves, hats, jerseys, shirts, etc., through our website, but are working on getting our gear into more stores. Ticket sales have helped especially as we have become more of a known commodity in Kansas City, what we relied on especially in the early days, and even now, are our great sponsors as well as occasional capital contributions from our members. We have partnered with “Elite Footballers Tournament”, and have been blessed with the support of many great sponsors over the years including but not limited to Jarrod William’s Family Dentistry, Fat Sully’s Pizza, The Eddie Waters (real-estate) Network, and many more. Please go check them out on our sponsor page and social media. We cannot emphasize enough how grateful we are to everyone who has invested their time and money to our team.

Our community is everything. Everyone says they want to support their community but what does that mean? We provide a third place for folks in the KC area, something they can attach their pride and identity to something they can find common ground on. We are something different than what’s been in KC before, we are something of our own. The club has taken on the personality of the founders and the players who have come through over the years. The club is always a part of them and they of us. Their success is our success and everything we are is due to their involvement. This includes administrators, volunteers, players, fans, parents, siblings, friends, etc. We have even had two former players get engaged.
We are building our traditions in the 7 short years we have been here and are proud to share that with the KC Metro and beyond.

How did you finish last year? What are the goals for this season?
In our first year in the USL League II we finished in 3rd place in the Great Plains Conference with 14pts. (4 wins, 2 draws, 6 losses)

Our women also finished 3rdin the WPSL’s Heartland Division with 16pts. (5 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses)

Our WPSL team was in its first year. We had a strong start but were not able to keep the moment. Going into next season, we will need to do a better job with roster management.

Our goal for both teams is to improve our consistency. Last year we had incredible wins against top teams in the nation but could not consistently replicate that against the rest of the teams in the divisions. We want to win, we have the talent to do so, and want to produce a Championship run that is befitting our players and city.

How do you participate in, or give back to your community?
Through EFT, we have supported organizations that aid refugees who’ve escaped the Taliban, and provided $16,000 in scholarships for players in Kansas City. We also partner with YOUTH RISE, headed by Ann Murphy (Murph) and her passion for soccer, we have helped mentor and guide players from underserved areas in the Kansas City Metro. This year we have helped with outreach for the KC Astras (ad astra per aspera) and their founder and Sunflower player, Elizabeth Serago, to help them in their inaugural season within the Major Arena Soccer League Women’s Division (MASLW).

Greenroots, Internship programs that provide real-world experience and college credit for students.

If we have run an article about your club before, what is something new? What might we have missed or something you want to brag about?
Our continued growth… Success of our players, specifically Collin Innes and Caden McLagan have each been named to their respective leagues’ Team of the Year this past season. Innes plays in Tasmania Australia, and Caden plays in the second division of the Icelandic League. Not to mention the number of NCAA players who have advanced their careers transferring to D1 programs after playing with Sunflower, like Noah Reuscher or Jack Schwering. And the countless players who have used the team’s success to carry forward their collegiate careers.

To keep up with Sunflower State FC, give them a follow on Instagram HERE