So let's start off with you. Who are you and how did you get involved with KC Courage?

Before the KC Courage, I coached for 12 years at Johnson County Community College and resigned in the spring of 2013 to spend more time with my older kids as they were nearing the end of their high school years. That summer I had the opportunity to coach the Kansas City Shock, the first WPSL team in Kansas City. That team folded after only one season and I knew it was important to keep a team going so I started my own team, the KC Courage.

Were you ever tempted to spell Courage with a K?

Heavens no, my third grade spelling teacher would be appalled.

How long have the KC Courage been playing and what level of talent have you produced?

The KC Courage was formed in the spring of 2014 and has played in the WPSL for seven seasons. Including my player pool for the Shock in 2013, I’ve coached seven players that have gone on to play professionally. I’ve also had two players go from pro to amateur status to continue their playing careers with the KC Courage.

I think it’s also important to mention ALL of the players that didn’t go on to play professionally but that still play at a high level and have careers in other fields. Our players are nurses, teachers, coaches, police officers, physical and occupational therapists, accountants, managers, probation officers and business owners.

After college, a female player has a couple of choices depending on level of play and commitment that she wants. Most big cities have the option of adult recreational leagues or another option would be an employer based sports league. Both the WPSL and UWS are set apart because they’re well organized by a constitution and by-laws with a set of minimum standards, which results in a very competitive, high level of play.

The KC Courage matched it's best win total in 2019. How can the club build on that for next year?

Our level of play gets better every year and our players have always been our best recruiters. They enjoy their time spent with the KC Courage and tell their friends and teammates. Every year, we get a good bit of interest from internationals, and while we do have some players from outside of the KC area, I tend to favor the local players for filling out our roster. It’s important to me to provide a team for local women to play and continue to get that high level of soccer. Many of our college players attend school out of state. The opportunity for them to play back at home during the summer where their friends and families are, gives us a pretty solid fan base.

How much emphasis does your club put on wins and losses? What are some other priorities?

There was a time in my life that I could spout out every stat and score in the book, but if I’m being honest I’d have to say that I don’t put an emphasis on any of that anymore. I put more of an emphasis on playing pretty soccer than on winning or losing. That’s not to say that I’m okay with losing, but life is about way more than what the scoreboard shows at the end of a game.

“Better than the day before” is my mantra. For our college players prepping for their upcoming seasons, it’s a priority that they improve their game. For our post-college players, it’s a priority that they stay fit, healthy and able to continue playing the game that brings so much joy to their lives.

Inclusion, empowerment and giving back to the community are our top priorities. It’s important to me that every player feel accepted and a part of our soccer family. It’s also important to me that my players feel like they have a voice. Nearly all of my post-college players are coaches at some level and I treat them as equals. I respect the opinions of all of them and even when I don’t agree, they know that at least they were heard and are a part of a culture where all suggestions are welcome. And finally, the KC Courage looks for opportunities to “give back” in the form of free soccer clinics to under-served populations, assistance with college tuition and partnering with like-minded organizations in the Kansas City metro.

Tell us about a player or two.

Impossible. I’d want to tell you about all of them! They’re all strong, independent, empowered women and I’m so proud of each and every one of them.

What club is your biggest rival?

I don’t really see any one club as our biggest rival. Lindsay Kennedy-Eversmeyer, the owner and coach of Fire & Ice, is good friend and it’s always fun to play her team. She’s a fierce competitor and runs her team with class.

How has the protracted offseason been for you, your players, and the club?

For me, it’s been a much needed break – an opportunity to be present and spend time with my family. This is the first summer I’ve had free in seven years. But, being away from the game has really made me miss it. I’m ready for this pandemic to be over! I know my players have missed playing as well. It’s been hard to see every weekend since the end of May pass by knowing that they should’ve been playing. Hopefully we’ll get through this and come out on the other end with a renewed passion and appreciation for the game.

Any chance of playing matches later in the season?

In 2020, no. With the resurgence on Covid-19 cases, I just don’t see any scenario for that happening.

Anything else we should know about your club?

Yes, our website is www.kccourage.com and you can follow us on Instagram and Twitter @KCCourageSoccer.

John Pannebaker- the General Manager of Santa Fe Wanderers and also a staff writer for our very own Protagonist Soccer -was able to take some time off from covering the Midwest Conference for us to answer some questions we had about this club from Kansas City.

When and how were you founded? Does the club have any connections to an existing youth system?

Santa Fe Wanderers KC was founded in 1998 by Hispanic/Latino immigrants in search of a better life from the northern regions of Mexico. Lorenzo Cadena, Alonzo Cadena, Rosalio Contreras, and Eloy Flores- the original founders of the team -immigrated to the United States in their early twenties in pursuit of the “American Dream,” and once established as successful business men, decided to start a local men’s soccer team in Kansas City, Kansas. It became a community tradition to attend church on Sunday morning and head straight to the field for the rest of the day to catch up with friends and family.

Ever since the beginning, we have played in the first tier of the KCK Adult Soccer League, the most competitive amateur men’s soccer league in the state of Kansas. Wanderers is the oldest running amateur men's team in Kansas City, Kansas (twenty years) and has celebrated multiple championships since our foundation as Deportivo Mexico (1998), then Chihuahua FC (1999), with the club’s most recent trophy in the KCKASL being the 2017 regular season championship.

Recently we wrapped up our UPSL season with a division championship and Midwestern Conference playoff appearance. We also have two teams playing in the KCKASL- our U-21 team and Santa Fe Eagles, our team for high school-aged kids from low income and refugee communities. Both were highly successful this past year, with several players from our youth teams making an appearance on our senior UPSL squad.

What were the motivations behind the badge, mascot, and colors? Are there any connections to, or inspirations drawn from, other clubs in the world?

Our owner, Luis Cadena, really likes the clean look of teams like Tottenham, hence the white and navy, and golden wheat was chosen to connect the club with wheat, which is a common crop in Kansas.

As for the shape, the center is a compass, which ties into the Wanderers name, and the cross behind it is a connection to the faith of the club’s founders and current operators.

Our aspiration is to become more of a neighborhood club, like Rayo Vallecano (where our owner has gone on trial in the past). A real institution of the community that strives to find players from its own hometown and give them opportunities. Our club’s mission is to create an environment where players from underprivileged and underserved communities can find an opportunity to advance and improve themselves, either through going to college or even getting the chance to play overseas.

What are the goals of the organization; does that include an ambition to grow quickly or more just see how it goes?

We want to be sustainable. Our club has existed for twenty years, and we want to be here for another twenty! But moving up to the UPSL to increase opportunities for our club and our players has brought added cost that we really need to address if we're going to be around long term. Everything we do is done with an eye on making sure our club is here twenty years from now.

Do you have an existing or budding rivalry? Do you see rivalry as an important part of growing the fan side or an organization, or a distraction?

Our main rival is Quinto Elemento. They've also played in the KCKASL for many years, and were our rivals there. Now they're our rivals in the UPSL.

I would argue that rivalries are what make sports worthwhile. Just look at college football here in the states. Even if there isn't a prize to play for, there is pride on the line.

We want more of that. More teams representing their communities, and by communities, we're talking neighborhoods. We want people to see us as representing them, as representing the community. So that when we play other teams, especially teams close by, they see us winning and beating rival teams from rival communities as a win for themselves and the community they live in.

How do you feel about clubs being politically active? Should they just stick to soccer or is there a responsibility to be a part of the community?

If you want your community to care about you, you need to care about your community. Sometimes that means being politically active. I'm not sure what the best way is for clubs to do that, whether it's picking a broad issue from society at large or picking something relevant to your community. I do think a lot of clubs support broad social issues as a way to raise awareness, and it gets them fans, but from around the country, not fans from their community. Nothing wrong with that, but if people aren't coming out and watching your games, who cares what you support?

Be politically active if you want, but don't make that the sole focus of your club and its activities. Too many clubs are losing the forest through the trees here. I mean, what’s going to do your club the most good in your community, and your community the most good? Rallying behind big national issues, or doing a canned goods drive for the local community, volunteering at after school programs, or helping clean up city streets?

Is there anything important to YOU that I missed?

I want to see the way soccer is done at this level changed. More transparency from leagues towards their clubs, and everyone working together to create more sustainable clubs that are here twenty to forty years from now, whether they're still amateur or not.