A day after Sporting KC co-Owner Neal Patterson died of complications from cancer, the franchise “reflected on Patterson’s lasting impact with the franchise, along with what’s to come after his death,” according to Sam McDowell of the K.C. STAR. Patterson and Cliff Illig “were the principal owners” of Sporting KC, with Greg Maday, Pat Curran and Robb Heineman “owning smaller pieces of the club.” Sporting KC President Jake Reid said that how ownership will be “divided moving forward is not yet clear.” Patterson was also “thought to be one of, if not the, most powerful voices in ownership meetings.” Reid: “That part will change, and you can’t replace that. I think Cliff has some of that, as well. But I think for us, it’s just going to be an adjustment of understanding the dynamic of the group now that one of our elite leaders is no longer there.” He added, “The good news with the group is they’ve been together for so long. You’ve got a good structure with [COO] Alan Dietrich and myself on the business side and Peter on the team side. There’s stability there. But in the short term, you’ll probably see more on Cliff’s shoulders, for the time being anyway.” McDowell notes Patterson “didn’t work with Sporting KC on a day-to-day basis,” but “much of the club’s past and future vision was credited to him.” Patterson’s “influence on long-term strategy was immense.” He was a “strong proponent of Vermes’ plans to build Sporting KC through the youth academy, and the owners responded with significant funds for the academy” (K.C. STAR, 7/11). A memorial service for Patterson “has been set” for 11:00am CT on Thursday at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Mo. (K.C. STAR, 7/11).
