MLS club Sporting KC fires coach Raphael Wicky after last-place conference finish in his lone season

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Sporting Kansas City fired coach Raphael Wicky after one season on Monday, which means the Major League Soccer club will have its fourth coach since March 2025 when it begins the league's sprint season in February.

Sporting KC finished the season with a 1-0 win over San Diego on Saturday, leaving the club just 7-23-5 across all competitions and last in the Western Conference. The 26 points were the second-fewest in the history of the club.

Wicky replaced longtime coach Peter Vermes and his replacement, Kerry Zavagnin, who became the interim coach when Vermes and the club parted early last year. Wicky previously coached BSC Young Boys in his native Switzerland and the Chicago Fire in MLS.

“We would like to thank Raphael for his time at Sporting KC,” said David Lee, the club's president of soccer operations. "The season has been challenging for many reasons, and we recognize that Rapha and his staff worked incredibly hard in difficult circumstances. After a review of the season, Rapha and I met, and I decided to make the change. We wish Rapha the best of luck in the future.”

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FILE - Sporting Kansas City head coach Raphael Wicky cheers on his team during the second half of an MLS soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Aug. 29, 2026, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

HOUSTON (AP) — The FBI is investigating a “suspected homicide” aboard a cruise ship that returned to port after departing from Galveston, Texas, the agency said in a statement Monday.

The FBI did not provide further details, saying the investigation was ongoing. The company that operates the MSC Seascape said the vessel has since resumed its voyage and left Galveston as of Monday afternoon.

“On reporting a guest incident aboard our ship, we were instructed by the authorities to return to the Port of Galveston,” Natasha Fernandez, a spokesperson for MSC Cruises, said in a statement.

The company is cooperating with authorities and providing support to those impacted, she said.

The MSC Seascape cruise ship is visible above the newly opened cruise terminal near 16th Street and Harborside Drive in Galveston, Texas, Friday, Nov., 7, 2025. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP)