UMKC’s Men’s soccer heads to the Conference Championship in Denver this weekend

Kansas City is buzzing with soccer. Between next summer’s FIFA World Cup matches, the powerhouse Kansas City Current, and Sporting KC’s ongoing struggle to regain its old form, it’s easy to overlook another team quietly building something special on the south edge of the Country Club Plaza—the UMKC Roos.

The UMKC men’s soccer team is currently preparing for the Summit League Championship final after securing a share of the 2025 regular season title. The Roos earned a spot in the final by defeating No. 3 Delaware 2-0 in the semifinals, following a thrilling 3-3 draw with the same team in the regular season finale. The team’s strong performance has earned them postseason awards, including a second-straight Coach of the Year honor for Head Coach Ryan Pore and Newcomer of the Year for Bryce Outman.

The conference championship match is in Denver on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT. They are expected to make the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens in the championship. See the Roos’ upcoming schedule below.

Pore, who took over in January 2020, has watched interest steadily climb. He credits the Roos’ growing popularity to not only to a winning team but also the overall UMKC spectator soccer experience.

For fans, catching a game at UMKC’s Durwood Soccer Stadium has become a whole new experience. Since 2020, the university has been steadily investing in the facility, swapping in professional-grade turf—the same kind used by MLS and NFL teams—and polishing the place into one of the Midwest’s better small-college soccer venues.

This season brought an extra dose of Kansas City flair with the debut of the Cupini’s Corner Kick Club presented by Boulevard Brewing Co. Picture field-level lounge seating—yes, couches—paired with Cupini’s pasta and Boulevard beers. It’s a relaxed, social vibe. You almost expect to see a hot tub in the corner. Season access runs $120, complete with complimentary drinks and appetizers, and the university added two suites for good measure.

For families and casual fans, though, the price to join the fun is refreshingly modest: Single-game tickets start at $5, and a four-person season pass will run you $100. In a city where professional soccer tickets regularly hit the double digits, the Roos offer a local, affordable—and increasingly competitive—alternative.

“We want to tie our program into being a nationally recognized soccer brand in Division I,” Pore says. “It starts here in Kansas City—being more recognizable, continuing to enhance Durwood and playing in one of the best facilities in the Midwest, with the Plaza lights as our backdrop.”

It’s working. Crowds have grown livelier, more diverse and more invested. Some nights you can feel the city’s growing soccer culture folding itself around the Roos.

Sophomore defender Wesley Cribb, a Shawnee Mission East alum, says he’s noticed something remarkable: familiar faces reappearing in the stands.

“People I haven’t talked to in so long are coming out,” Cribb says. “I can actually see the impact we’re making on people who never would’ve followed UMKC or college soccer before.”

And while the looming World Cup might seem like competition for attention, Pore—himself a former Sporting Kansas City player—sees it as pure opportunity.

“Sometimes we have to pinch ourselves,” he says. “To have a World Cup in our hometown, it’s pretty special. For my Kansas City boys and our internationals alike, you never know which teams will come through here.”

The conference championship match is in Denver on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT. They are expected to make the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens in the championship. Here’s some info from the tournament process from the NCAA website:

Selection Show | November 17, 2025
The 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship bracket will be announced the Monday prior to the first round of competition.

First Round | November 20, 2025
Sixteen single-elimination first-round games will be conducted at non-predetermined campus sites. The winning team from each game will advance to the second round.

Second Round | November 23, 2025
Sixteen single-elimination second-round games will be conducted at non-predetermined campus sites. The winning team from each game will advance to the third round.

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