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Dan Flynn's connection to Kansas City and the World Cup runs deep. The former CEO of the United States Soccer Federation received a heart transplant at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City more than a decade ago — and now he is back for the World Cup quarterfinal match in the city he helped make a host.
"There's a certain friendliness about Kansas City," Flynn said.
The St. Louis native has been athletic his entire life, playing soccer at St. Louis University and winning an NCAA title.
That love for soccer eventually led Flynn to become CEO of the U.S. Soccer Federation for more than two decades. He played a central role in bringing the World Cup to Kansas City.
"You know I was a lead in that, if you will," Flynn said.
While the bidding process was underway, Flynn received a life-altering diagnosis — he was told he had amyloidosis and needed a heart transplant.
"It's kind of crazy when you think about it," Fylnn said. "When we were starting the bidding, I was experiencing (that), I didn't know if I was going to be around."
Dr. Russell Davis, co-executive surgical director at the Mid-America Heart Institute, said Flynn's condition was critical but that his overall health worked in his favor.
"A lot of our patients come in on death's door, right," Davis said. "Dan's heart stopped, but he had done such a good job keeping everything around his heart in good shape that it was a breeze."
In 2016, Flynn received the call he had been waiting years for — a heart was available.
"As much as I had prepared for that, I can tell you thousands of times, you know, call Kathy, bing bong, went out the window," Flynn said. "The emotion just totally overtook me completely."
Davis said moments like Flynn's return to Kansas City remind him why the work matters.
“I think our patients and us, we have perspective and we do get what’s important in life," Davis said. "And it’s not money, it's not fame, it’s not fortune — it’s being able to spend a little more time with your family, being able to do good things for other people. And I think when you get to stare mortality in the eye like Dan did, I think it changes everything.”
For Flynn, returning to Kansas City for the quarterfinal match this weekend is a full-circle moment in the city he helped put on the world stage and that helped save his life.
"I get this transplant, and now we're going through this World Cup process," Fylnn said. "What a way to end my involvement in the sport by being part of something back in Kansas City, where it's St. Luke's is my second home, so to say."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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