Sporting Kansas City has appointed Mike Burns as the club’s new Sporting Director, the organization announced today.
Burns, who previously served as General Manager of the New England Revolution, will oversee Sporting’s player recruitment and roster building strategy and the continued development of the club’s professional player pathway, including MLS NEXT Pro team Sporting Kansas City II and the Sporting Kansas City Academy. He will be in attendance for Sporting’s next home match on Saturday when the club hosts Austin FC and formally introduced in a press conference on Tuesday.
Burns spent 15 seasons on New England’s technical staff from 2005-2019, during which time the club won four Eastern Conference championships and one Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The former MLS player and U.S. Men’s National Team veteran—who notably played for the Kansas City Wizards from 2001-2002—joined the Revolution front office as Director of Soccer before earning promotions to Vice President of Player Personnel in 2008 and to General Manager in 2011.
As New England’s Director of Soccer, Burns helped assemble a team that made three consecutive MLS Cup appearances from 2005-2007. His tenure as the club’s Vice President of Player Personnel was highlighted by a 2008 North American SuperLiga title and an MLS playoff streak that reached eight seasons in 2009.
Stepping into the General Manager role in late 2011, Burns helped the Revolution return to the postseason in 2013, where New England fell to eventual MLS Cup champions Sporting Kansas City in the conference semifinals. His team reached MLS Cup as Eastern Conference champions in 2014—tying a club record at the time with 17 regular season wins—and in 2016 reached the U.S. Open Cup Final.
From 2022-2023, Burns served as a consultant for Major League Soccer by supporting the league office in its continued growth of MLS, MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT.
A native of Marlborough, Massachusetts, Burns played college soccer at Hartwick College in New York before embarking on a decorated playing career highlighted by seven seasons in MLS and 75 caps with the U.S. Men’s National Team. He captained the U.S. at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Spain, having previously competed as a youth international at the 1987 FIFA U-16 World Cup in Canada and the 1989 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Saudia Arabia. Burns was selected to the U.S. squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup on home soil, then played in his second World Cup four years later in France, starting for the U.S. in group stage matches against Germany and Yugoslavia.
In 1995, Burns was allocated to the New England Revolution ahead of the inaugural 1996 MLS campaign and went on loan to Danish side Viborg FF. He was an integral contributor for New England from 1996-2000, landing MLS All-Star accolades in 1998, before joining the San Jose Earthquakes in a midseason trade in June 2000.
Burns spent his last two seasons in Kansas City, helping the Wizards to playoff appearances in 2001 and 2002. He had two goals and five assists in 62 appearances for the club in all competitions, ending his playing career as a 2002 MLS All-Star.
