Kansas
Live: Columbus Crew return to Lower.com Field to face Sporting Kansas City
Brianna Mac Kay’s first questions for new Crew GM Issa Tall
Brianna Mac Kay’s first questions for new Crew GM Issa Tall
After over 80 matches in a Crew uniform, two-time MLS Cup champion Aidan Morris is expected to play his final match for Columbus on Saturday.
Over a week ago, it was reported that Morris will be signing with England’s second-tier EFL Championship Middlesbrough FC. With the anticipation that the deal will become official early next week, the Crew will be honoring Morris following Columbus’ upcoming match at Lower.com Field against Sporting Kansas City.
More: Crew midfielder Aidan Morris leaving Columbus for EFL Championship’s Middlesbrough FC
The matchup against Kansas City will be the Crew’s first match at home since May 11, when they fell to FC Cincinnati 2-1. During the six weeks of road matches Columbus had on the schedule, the Crew went 4-1 in MLS play, with their only loss coming against Inter Miami 2-1 on Wednesday.
The temperature at Lower.com Field on Saturday night is expected to be even hotter than it was in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. when the Crew took on Miami due to the heat wave across the United States. According to the Weather Channel, the temperature Columbus around kickoff will be 91 degrees, but will feel like 95 degrees.
With the different backgrounds of the players on the Crew’s roster, some prefer playing in this type of heat.
“I played in Africa, so for me, that’s good,” said Crew defender Steven Moreira. “Of course, when it’s hot, we have to control the game more, and the ball.”
Follow along for live updates from the Crew’s match against Sporting Kansas City:
Recently retired Ohio State University athletic director Gene Smith was the Crew’s “match ignitor” on Saturday night before Columbus’ match against Sporting Kansas City. The “match ignitor” is involved in a pregame tradition for the Crew used the get the crowd excited for the upcoming match.
The temperature 15 minutes before kickoff at Lower.com Field is 94 degrees but feels like 97.
Columbus’ match against Sporting Kansas City will serve as a farewell for midfielder Aidan Morris, with the club expected to hold a postgame ceremony for the 22-year-old.
Fans via social media have also organized their own way to honor Morris and are planning to sing a chant the fan base has created for Morris in the eighth minute of the match, which coincides with his No. 8 jersey number.
Read more about the Crew’s plans to honor Morris here.
Here is the starting 11 for Kansas City vs Columbus:
- GK: John Pulskamp
- DF: Robert Castellanos
- DF: Dany Rosero
- DF: Robert Voloder
- MF: Zorhan Bassong
- MF: Kayden Pierre
- MF: Nemanja Radoja
- MF: Memo Rodriguez
- FW: Stephen Afrifa
- FW: Willy Agada
- FW: Erik Tommy
Here is the starting 11 for Columbus vs Kansas City:
- GK: Patrick Schulte
- DF: Rudy Camacho
- DF: Yevhen Cheberko
- DF: Steven Moreira
- MF: Max Arfsten
- MF: Mo Farsi
- MF: Aidan Morris
- MF: Darlington Nagbe
- FW: Cucho Hernandez
- FW: Christian Ramirez
- FW: Diego Rossi
Here is the Kansas City’s official availability report:
- Danny Flores (head): Out
- Felipe Hernandez (undisclosed): Out
- Tim Leibold (quad): Questionable
- Logan Ndenbe (knee): Out
- Alan Pulido (knee): Questionable
- Daniel Salloi (ankle)
- Remi Walter (knee)
Here is the Crew’s official availability report:
- Evan Bush (arm): Out
- Jacen Russell-Rowe (international duty): Out
Here are the officials for the Crew vs Kansas on Saturday night:
- Referee: Marcos DeOliveira
- Assistant Referee 1: Ian McKay
- Assistant Referee 2: Chantal Boudreau
- Fourth Official: Nabil Bensalah
- VAR: Kevin Scott
- Assistant VAR: Joshua Patlak
The Crew are 23-26-9 overall against Sporting Kansas City. This is Columbus’ first match against Kansas City since 2019.
The Crew vs. Sporting Kansas City English-speaking radio broadcast will be on Alt 105.7 FM and available via the iHeartRadio app. Columbus’ regular radio broadcaster Chris Doran will be on the call.
The Spanish radio broadcast can be found on La Grande 102.5 FM and the La Grande radio app with Juan Valladares doing play-by-play.
The Crew-Kansas City match will be available on Apple TV via an MLS Season Pass subscription. Here are the broadcast teams for tonight:
- English broadcast: Neil Sika (play-by-play), Lloyd Sam (analyst)
- Spanish broadcast: Raul Guzman (play-by-play), Carlos Ruiz (analyst)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 22 at Lower.com Field.
bmackay@dispatch.com
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Kansas
1 man killed, 5 others wounded in mass shooting Friday night near East 19th and Vine streets in KCMO
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One person was shot to death and five others were wounded by gunfire Friday night in the 18th and Vine Historic District in Kansas City, Missouri.
Police said officers were in the area of East 18th Street and Paseo about 10:30 p.m. when they heard gunshots.
The officers moved to East 19th Street between the Paseo and Vine Street to check for shooting victims, according to a police department news release.
They found one man who had been shot and was unresponsive, along with two women who had been shot.
The man was declared dead at the scene.
One of the women suffered serious gunshot wounds and the other woman suffered non life-threatening wounds, according to the police department news release.
Officers at the shooting scene were notified three more shooting victims from the same area had been taken to a hospital by a private vehicle.
An adult male and female were reported in stable condition late Friday, while a second adult male suffered critical gunshot wounds, according to police.
Police said their preliminary investigation revealed the victims were standing on 19th Street between Vine and Paseo when people began shooting in several directions.
All the shooting victims were hit by gunfire in that area, according to police.
No word on what led to the mass shooting and at least one murder.
This is a developing story and will be updated when new information is available.
—
If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
Kansas
Where to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals: TV channel, start time, streaming for June 19
What to know about MLB’s ABS robot umpire strike zone system
MLB launches ABS challenge system as players test robot umpire calls in a groundbreaking season.
The 2026 MLB season has surpassed the quarter mark, and after each team’s first 40 games, there’s plenty of reasons to tune in all summer long.
Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami has already proven doubters wrong by launching 17 home runs, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes consistently looks like the best version of himself on the mound and Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski is throwing harder than any starter in the majors.
The MLB action continues on Friday as the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Kansas City Royals.
Here’s everything you need to know to tune in for the first pitch.
See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.
What time is St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals?
First pitch between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals is scheduled for (ET) on Friday, June 19.
How to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals on Friday
All times Eastern and accurate as of Friday, June 19, 2026, at 6:33 a.m.
- Matchup: STL at KC
- Date: Friday, June 19
- Time: (ET)
- Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
- Location: Kansas City, Missouri
- TV: Apple TV
- Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo
Watch MLB all season long with Fubo
MLB regional blackout restrictions apply
MLB scores, results
MLB scores for June 19 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:
See scores, results for all of today’s games.
Kansas
Mixed results for Kansas City World Cup start as some businesses struggle
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — It’s been a week since the World Cup began in Kansas City, but some local businesses aren’t feeling the expected influx in traffic and are asking for support.
On Thursday, KC2026 provided numbers for the FIFA Fan Festival and the ConnectKC26 transportation system.
From June 11 to June 16, KC2026 said more than 63,000 people attended the FIFA Fan Festival.
There are mixed results for where everyone is from:
- 52% from Kansas or Missouri
- 33% from the United States
- 15% from out of the country
As of 2 p.m. on June 17, ConnectKC26 has a total of 86,540 registered passes.
Breakdown of routes from KC2026:
- Stadium Direct: 57,302
- Regional Direct: 17,284
- Airport Direct: 11,954
As for business traffic, it depends on where you look. Some businesses in the Country Club Plaza said they’ve seen an uptick, especially on the first match day.
“We just had a really fun time with all of the fans, and I think we did a good job preparing for it,” said KC Style Haus Owner, Deserae Minor.
But many businesses are sharing their disappointment online.
‘Ghost town’
Caitlin Benedict, who owns Bisou, a European-style coffee and pastry shop, took to Instagram after shopping at a Crossroads night market.
“We are all in this together, it sucks. It was dead. It’s been dead everywhere,” said Bisou Owner, Caitlin Benedict.
After sharing her disappointment online, she saw an uptick in business on Thursday.
“It’s nice when the community can help out, and you can back up your own hometown at the same time,” said Janet Garciga, who drove in from Lee’s Summit to visit Bisou.
“I don’t want them to just come to Bisou, and I don’t want it to just be for a day. I want them to go everywhere else, and I want them to support everyone else, and consistently, especially for the next month and a half while FIFA is here,” said Benedict.
She heard from businesses experiencing the same issues in Mission, other spots downtown, Kansas City, Kansas, and Overland Park.
Down the road in the Crossroads, Buffalo State Pizza saw fans for the French match on Tuesday.
“But after that, I mean, we even close early on Tuesday because that was, it was dead,” said Buffalo State Pizza Owner, Phillippe Lechevin.
Shopping bags and matchas aren’t filling up at Dear Society either.
“The 10 years that I’ve been here in Kansas City. I have seen a lot of these big events coming into town, and we’ve been told to prepare and get ready for these huge crowds. And to be honest, after the NFL draft and after so many things that I’ve seen in 10 years, I didn’t do anything different,” said Dear Society Owner, Chanel Jezek. “I kind of knew. I had a feeling like we weren’t going to be as busy as they were projecting because they’ve done this to us before.”
Multiple factors = slow traffic
All three, Bisou, Buffalo State Pizza, and Dear Society, said there isn’t really someone to blame, but rather multiple factors that could be part of the issues.
A lot of eateries in town added a 20% automatic gratuity to bills, Bisou and Buffalo State Pizza decided not to take part, but worry that it is keeping locals away.
Visit KC projected 650,000 visitors throughout the entire tournament, and these businesses wonder if the possibility of large crowds and no parking is also keeping residents at home.
“I think we lost a lot of the regular ones. You know, the number was shown earlier back in February, you know, the 600,000 people. People who have the option to work from home, but maybe they didn’t want to deal with the traffic, since there’s no traffic. So hopefully they’re going to come back,” said Lechevin. “People may realize, actually, you know, it’s not as crazy as it is. I can still park in my regular spot and have lunch at my regular spot without being, you know, charged an extra amount.”
Jezek said she’d love to see KC2026 and FIFA add more locally owned businesses on their website so fans know where to find them.
“We are not seeing an increase in traffic on the streets. We are not crowded like they were predicting. You can still come in. You can still support your local businesses, your favorite coffee shops, your favorite places to grab your gifts, or whatever. We’re here. We’re slow. And there are more places to park,” said Jezek.
Benedict said it is an honor to have the World Cup here, but wants to see more honesty and support from leaders.
“I feel like it’s good for our city. It’s recognition. But at the same time, I want leadership to step in and say, okay, we didn’t get as many travelers as we should have,” said Benedict.
These businesses are hopeful that fans, locals, and other owners all come out and support these small shops throughout the metro during the World Cup and beyond.
“I would say just keep coming and supporting us and showing up,” said Jezek.
KCTV5 reached out to Visit KC, but did not have any numbers it could share at this time.
Mayor Quinton Lucas’ office shared the statement below after this story aired on Thursday:
“While the economic impact of a global event of this magnitude will naturally vary by business and by neighborhood, Mayor Lucas is encouraged by what he is hearing from Kansas City’s entertainment and hospitality sectors. Hotels, bars, and restaurants reported strong activity as Kansas City welcomed tens of thousands of guests for the opening match. As we look toward this weekend’s games and the remainder of the tournament, we’ll continue to highlight opportunities for our visitors and residents alike to join in the fun and celebration of this one in a generation moment.”
Businesses are hopeful that the longer the World Cup goes on, the more people will show up. KCTV5 plans to check in with these businesses throughout the tournament to see if traffic picks up.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
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