Kansas City fans have attention divided as Chiefs play Saints at same time as Royals face Yankees

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hundreds of cars lined up at the gates to the Truman Sports Complex early Monday afternoon, nearly seven hours before the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs were to play the New Orleans Saints at Arrowhead Stadium.

Many of those cars will probably be back Wednesday, when the Royals play the Yankees in their AL Division Series.

In the meantime, thousands of Chiefs fans dressed in red who showed up early to tailgate also had blue on their minds with both of their major pro sports teams in action. The Royals, who lost Game 1 to the Yankees on Saturday night, were trying to even the series in New York with the first pitch scheduled for about an hour before the Chiefs played the Saints.

“I wish the best to the Chiefs tonight that they can win the game,” Royals catcher Salvador Perez said before first pitch in the Bronx. “For us, too. I think it's a city of champions; that's how they call Kansas City.”

It turned out to be a winning night all around. The Royals beat the Yankees 4-2 shortly before the Chiefs polished off a 26-13 victory over the Saints, moving them to 5-0 heading into their bye week.

"My hat goes off to Matt and the job he did with that crew getting a playoff win against a pretty good Yankees team,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid, a huge baseball fan who sold peanuts at Dodger Stadium in his younger days. “Impressive.”

Kansas City's sports fans have been living a charmed life for the better part of the last decade.

Sporting Kansas City won the MLS Cup in 2013 to begin the title tide, but it really picked up pace when the long-suffering Royals — who play about 200 yards away from Arrowhead Stadium at neighboring Kauffman Stadium — won back-to-back AL pennants in 2014 and '15, and captured their first World Series title in 30 years by beating the New York Mets.

Then came the Chiefs, who had not hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in five decades before Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes led them past the 49ers in 2020. Now, the latest NFL dynasty has won two straight championships and three of the past five, and have a chance to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls this season.

“I can say from my perspective, once we moved to Kansas City, I've never seen anything like it,” said Royals manager Matt Quatraro, who took over last season after coaching the Rays. “The support for the Chiefs last year — phenomenal. You're in your neighborhood and they score a touchdown, you hear cannons going off. Parties every weekend when they're playing.”

When you combine the Royals and Chiefs, the city has won four championships in the four major sports in the last decade. By comparison, New York has not won any between the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, Rangers, Islanders, Knicks and Nets.

In fact, New York hasn't won a title across the major sports leagues since 2011, when the Giants won the Super Bowl.

You can bet Kansas City fans are reveling in the success, too. They regularly turn out hours before kickoff for Chiefs games for arguably the best tailgating scene in the NFL, while the jerseys of Perez and Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. have started to fly off shelves as the club went from a 106-loss laughingstock a year ago to a playoff team this season.

“What a great job they’ve done to this point, and I know they’re fired up to keep on going,” Reid said. “I know we’re all glad to have them coming back here and having another chance to see them play.”

The success has made the Truman Sports Complex, just east of downtown Kansas City along Interstate 70 in an area that hardly could be considered bustling, the place to be whenever either of the teams is playing at home.

“I think the setup we have there is very unique with both stadiums side-by-side,” Quatraro said. “I'm excited for (the Chiefs). It's a great time to be there, and the community supports both teams. You can feel it just walking down the street, you can see more Royals fans out in front of people's houses. It's a lot of fun.”

For many years, the two franchises seemed to want little to do with each other. But as both rose to prominence, Royals players became frequent visitors to Arrowhead Stadium and vice versa.

The bond was strengthened when Mahomes — whose father was a big league ballplayer — bought a share of the Royals.

He's been keeping close tabs on the team, by the way, building a tight relationship with Witt over the past couple of years. And regardless of what happens Monday night, Mahomes sounds as if he's planning to be there for Game 3 on Wednesday — maybe even Game 4 on Thursday, if the series comes to that — despite the Chiefs having next week off.

“I've heard all the stories of how awesome the environment was the last time they were in the playoffs, and they're going up against a great baseball team in the Yankees,” Mahomes said. “They're hungry and playing great baseball right now, and then to be at the K — a sold-out crowd hopefully, and I get to see that October baseball there, it's going to be special.”

AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes waits to be interviewed following an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 26-13. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes heads off the field following an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 26-13. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The Kansas City Royals celebrate after defeating the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez (13) reacts after hitting a solo home run against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez speaks during a news conference before a Game 2 baseball game against the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, Monday, Oct 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Manchester City’s stunning slump continued Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers at Villa Park consigned the four-time defending champion to a ninth defeat in 12 games in a season that is unravelling. Pep Guardiola’s team has won just once during that run.

“We have to stay positive, even though it’s difficult, and we have to keep working hard,” City striker Erling Haaland said.

Phil Foden pulled a goal back for City in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough to spark a late comeback.

City dropped to sixth in the standings — nine points below leader Liverpool, having played two games more. Villa climbed to fifth.

City’s remarkable fall shows little sign of stopping, with Guardiola admitting last week that he had not been good enough to turn his team’s form around.

Defeat meant the once-dominant City is without a win in any of its last eight away games in all competitions. While it looks unlikely to win a fifth-straight title, a place in the top four and Champions League qualification could also be in jeopardy.

“We concede the goals we don’t concede in the past, we (don’t) score the goals we score in the past,” Guardiola said. “We have to think positive and I have incredible trust in the guys. Some of them have incredible pride and desire to do it. We have to find a way, step by step, sooner or later to find a way back.”

Only once under Guardiola has City managed to win the title when losing six times in the league. That was in the 2020-21 campaign, when it lost two of its last three games, having already been confirmed champion.

City lost nine times when Liverpool won the title in '19-20, but its sixth defeat didn't come until the February of that campaign. Guardiola also lost six times in the league in his first season in English soccer in '16-17 and City finished third in the standings.

The latest defeat could have been even more emphatic against a dominant Villa. Duran scored his sixth goal in as many starts in the 16th minute from Rogers’ assist.

Duran had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half and Rogers hit the post before doubling Villa’s lead in the 65th.

Foden's goal in the third minute of added time came too late for City.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola, center, and players leave the field at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Aston Villa's Jhon Duran celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Manchester City's Phil Foden reacts after Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)