Sporting KC MLS Cup 2013: Where are they now?
By Matt Coles
RW – Graham Zusi – Sporting KC
The right-winger the day Sporting Kansas City lifted the MLS Cup for the second time in their history was American stalwart Graham Zusi. The USMNT star was another of those whose featured in all five games during their postseason run.
The American spent his college career with the Maryland Terrapins, where he scored 28 goals in 89 games, and during that time, he also played for the Central Florida Kraze in the USL Premier Development League.
Zusi was drafted with the 23rd overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by the Kansas City Wizards and made his professional debut in the first game of the campaign. In his first two seasons with the Wizards, the winger played over 30 times, before the team rebranded themselves as Sporting Kansas City.
Zusi made the right-wing role his own through the 2011 campaign. He then went on to win the U.S. Open Cup with the team in 2012. That same year, he made his international debut and has since gone on to score five goals in 55 appearances, along with victory at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The American helped SKC win the MLS Cup in 2013, playing 32 times throughout the campaign, scoring six goals and creating 10 assists. Zusi was also part of the team that won the U.S. Open Cup in both 2015 and 2017, but in a different role, as he has moved into a more defensive role. He has now played in seven MLS All-Star games and continues to be the starting right-back for SKC.