Bryan Stalder
Contributor

The global soccer championship has officially arrived in Kansas City, and the energy across town is unmatched after a historic opening night. Defending champion Argentina kicked off the tournament right here in KC with a dominant 3-0 victory over Algeria. Both squads actually chose our region for their official base camps, which has built up a massive contingent of local fans for both sides.

The real headline, though, belongs entirely to Lionel Messi. The 38-year-old superstar put on an absolute clinic, breaking or shattering half a dozen records in a single evening. He became the first player to ever secure a hat trick across six different tournament editions, and he is now the oldest player to score a hat trick in tournament history, passing Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2018 record. Most importantly, those three goals bring his career total to 16, tying him with Germany’s Miroslav Klose for the most in history—a record he is almost guaranteed to claim as his own before the summer ends. Because KC is a host city, local hype is at an absolute fever pitch. If you weren’t lucky enough to snag tickets to the matches, you don’t have to miss out on the electric atmosphere. The neighborhood is packed with great local watch parties, so you can grab a seat, a drink, and some great food at spots like PH Coffee, Elvira’s, or Taqueria Mexico to catch the action with the community.

On the ice, the Kansas City Mavericks fell just short of a historic finish, ending their phenomenal season on Tuesday night in Game 6 of the Kelly Cup Finals. They lost a 5-4 heartbreaker to the Florida Everblades in front of a stunned, standing-room-only crowd of 5,786 fans at Cable Dahmer Arena. It was a grueling, four-hour-and-45-minute battle where the Mavericks held a commanding 4-1 lead late into the third period. Unfortunately, Florida pulled their goalie and managed to tie the game with just 14 seconds left on the clock, ultimately sealing the championship with a tough-angle goal late in double overtime. Mavericks goalie Jack LaFontaine was heroic in the loss, turning away 51 shots.

While the ending stung, marking a four-game skid after KC won the first two games of the series, this postseason capped off a legendary, dominant year. The Mavs won the Brabham Cup as the league’s top regular-season team with a massive 115 points, and defenseman Marcus Crawford took home league MVP honors after becoming the first defenseman in league history to win the scoring title with 86 points. Before the final round, the Mavs absolutely rolled through the postseason, putting together dominant, back-to-back 4-0 series sweeps in the first and second rounds to prove they were a true force to be reckoned with.

Over on the baseball diamond, the Kansas City Monarchs are making plenty of noise of their own. They currently sit comfortably toward the top of the American Association’s West Division standings, staying right in the thick of the race where the top four teams secure a playoff berth. A major highlight from their recent stretch includes a historic, record-shattering performance against the Gary SouthShore RailCats. The Monarchs blew the game wide open to route the RailCats 17-3, setting a new franchise record with 20 hits in a single game. Saul Garza got things started immediately with a two-run shot in the first inning, followed immediately by a solo home run from Austin Callahan to celebrate his birthday. Fans looking to catch a game should keep an eye out for upcoming game-day fun at Legends Field, including their popular Tail Waggin’ Wednesdays, where you can bring your favorite four-legged fan to the park, and Family Fun Days on Sundays.

Finally, a quick reminder for the KC Current faithful that the team is currently on a road stretch. While they won’t return to the riverfront at CPKC Stadium until mid-July, there is still plenty of action to follow from afar. They will continue battling out their away matches through the rest of June and early July, including an upcoming NWSL Challenge Cup final appearance against Gotham FC on June 26. You can stream the away games live on the KC Current app or catch them on scheduled network broadcasts until they officially return home to a packed house at CPKC Stadium on July 17 against the San Diego Wave for “Kids Night Out.”