By MATT PIKE
Former Chicago Fire coach Raphael Wicky has been hired as the new coach of Sporting Kansas City.
Wicky signed a two and a half year contract that will run through the 2027-28 season. He takes over from Peter Vermes, who left the team in March, after on 0-5-1 start to the season and was then replaced by Kerry Zavagnin, who served as interim coach, and helped lead the team to a 7-20-7 finish, the worst finish in the history of the franchise.
Wicky, a former Swiss international player who played in 75 international games for Switzerland, has previous coaching experience with Basel, the U.S. Under-17 team, and Young Boys in Switzerland. During his tenure with the BSC Young Boys from 2022-24, he led the team to the 2022-23 Super League and Cup double.
During his time with the US Under 17 national team, Wicky guided the team to a second-place finish at the 2019 Concacaf U-17 Championship. Wicky was also in charge of the team’s 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup run, where the club says he coached Sporting KC Academy’s Gianluca Busio.
Wicky becomes the fifth permanent coach in Sporting KC history. The 2026 season begins on February 21st on the road in San Jose. Sporting’s first home game will be February 28th against Columbus. The MLS now operates under a summer-through-spring calendar.
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