Nate Bukaty & Rustin Dodd, Perfect Pitch with Rainy Day Books

This event takes place in Unity Hall (downstairs) within Unity Temple and includes a conversation with the authors.

Doors Open - Event doors open at 6:30 p.m. While you may queue outside the venue, no access to the event space will be granted ahead of this time.

Signed Books - Both authors will be signing books following the conversation, and tickets come with a special HARDCOVER edition!

ADA Accessibility - This event is hosted in the historic Unity Temple, which does not have an elevator. If you have any accessibility concerns that preclude you from using the interior stairs, there is an ADA accessible entrance at the backside of the building (easily accessible when parking on the lowest level of the parking garage). Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any concerns.

Perfect Pitch: How Kansas City Became the Heart of American Soccer and Landed the World Cup

When the World Cup comes to the United States in the summer of 2026, it will be the first time the tournament has been played in America in 32 years. It will also be the first time the tournament is held in Kansas City, Missouri.

For Kansas City, it will be one of the biggest moments in the city's history. It will also be the culmination of a decades-long story: How Kansas City, an overlooked city in the Midwest, became the heart of American soccer.

In Perfect Pitch, Nate Bukaty and Rustin Dodd chronicle this surprising and delightful evolution, tracing the history of soccer in Kansas City and how that history laid the foundation for a group of local sports executives, city officials, politicians, and rabid fans to lead an improbable bid to host the World Cup.

A true underdog tale, Kansas City's emergence as a soccer capital is symbolic of the larger national story of how America grew from a soccer-skeptical nation to a country with its own unique and vibrant footballing culture. Featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes access to key figures who spurred this soccer renaissance, Perfect Pitch is a heartwarming romp for fans of the beautiful game.

Nate Bukaty is one of the premier voices for the sport of soccer in the United States. For the past three years, he has served as one of the leading play-by-play commentators for SiriusXM on Apple TV. Since 2015, he has also called matches on both the domestic and international level for Fox Sports. He also works as a regular host of various soccer programming on CBS Sports Golazo Network, as well as SiriusXM Satellite Radio's soccer channel, SiriusXM FC. Prior to his move to the National stage, Bukaty spent over 20 years as one of the preeminent voices for sports in his hometown of Kansas City. For 17 years, he served as the co-host of Kansas City's top-rated sports talk show, The Border Patrol, on Sports Radio 810, WHB. He also spent over a decade and a half performing play-by-play and hosting duties on the Kansas Jayhawk Radio Network, as well as the Kansas City Royals Radio and Television Networks. In 2015, he shifted his focus to the sport that was closest to his heart, as he became the play-by-play voice of Sporting Kansas City, a job he proudly held until he moved to global network coverage of Major League Soccer in 2023. Bukaty's work as an ambassador for soccer has played an instrumental role in bringing the 2026 World Cup to his hometown of Kansas City.

Rustin Dodd is a senior writer at The Athletic, a sports site owned by The New York Times. He is also the co-author of KINGDOM QUARTERBACK: Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs, and How a Once Swingin' Cow Town Chased the Ultimate Comeback, which was published by Dutton in 2023. He previously worked at the Kansas City Star newspaper from 2010 to 2018 and his work has been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors and the National Magazine Awards. He now lives in Brooklyn.

Andrew Wiebe is a reporter for MLS on Apple TV, covering the biggest stories across the league and bringing fans closer to the people, places, and cultures that make MLS unique. A longtime voice in North American soccer, Wiebe has been a host, analyst, and columnist with Major League Soccer since 2011. He lives in Kansas City.

Please Note: There are no refunds for this event. If you are unable to attend, your book will be available for pickup at Rainy Day Books starting the following day. If you are not local, we'll be happy to mail it to you upon request. Thank you for your support!

We will hold your event book in-store for a maximum of 6 months following the event. If you have not retrieved your book in that time period, it will be donated.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Unity Temple on the Plaza, 707 West 47th Street, Kansas City, United States

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