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Dr. Kirk McCullough never imagined he would become one of the nation's foremost soccer physicians, but his journey from third grade rec league player to FIFA's venue medical officer for Kansas City has left a lasting mark on him — and on the city.
McCullough, an orthopedic surgeon with Kansas City Orthopedic Institute, grew up in a basketball family, not soccer. He was a standout player at St. Thomas Aquinas and went on to play in college at the Air Force Academy and William Jewell College.
His path in sports medicine to soccer came gradually.
McCullough originally worked for the Chiefs after finishing his training before becoming the team physician for Sporting Kansas City, then the Kansas City Current, and eventually the U.S. Men's National Team as well.
"Soccer was something that I kind of fell into, but certainly I have fallen in love with, working with Sporting, working with the Current, and at least the past four to five years, also working with U.S. soccer," McCullough said.
In his FIFA role, McCullough worked with World Cup teams based or playing in Kansas City and coordinated with medical personnel at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, including staff from the University of Kansas Health System.
"The great thing with what I've seen in Kansas City is just the way that we all come together as a team, whether that's here at the Kansas City Orthopedic Institute, whether that's at the stadium working with the University of Kansas folks," he said.
One of the more memorable medical situations McCullough navigated involved England midfielder Jordan Henderson, who broke his arm celebrating a win in Mexico City.
McCullough helped coordinate Henderson's return to Kansas City and assisted with the surgery.
"The neat thing is that, to them, Kansas City was their home away from home, so being able to figure out how to get him back here to his temporary home, to get him back with the team as soon as possible, I was certainly thankful that that got to work out," McCullough said.
McCullough’s favorite World Cup memories extend well beyond the medical suite.
When Ghana played in the Round of 32 in Kansas City, McCullough helped connect a visiting priest at his church, Father Jude Anin-Agyei, with his home country’s team.
"Being able to get Father Jude introduced to the head team doctor for Ghana, to be able to get him an official team jersey, and to be able to interact with him, I mean, that was a life-inspiring moment for him," McCullough said. “... To be able to create a unique kind of life moment for someone else, that was something that goes way beyond medical care and was truly an awesome thing to witness."
The demands of the role have been significant, taking him away from his kids and his wife, Leah. The couple celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary during the World Cup.
"It's a love-hate thing,” McCullough said. “It’s been great, but I also am a father of four, and I'm sure my wife will be happy to have me around a little bit more to help with that.”
Despite the personal sacrifices, McCullough said the experience was irreplaceable.
"(I’m) maybe not as engaged and involved with one entity as I could be, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, probably for all of us," he said.
McCullough is proud to help Kansas City bask in the international spotlight.
"The feedback we have gotten for this region has been really amazing," McCullough said.
He heard skeptics question why Kansas City was awarded World Cup matches only to watch teams from the Netherlands, England, Argentina and Algeria embrace the city as a home away from home.
"It's been fun for other people outside to be able to realize what this is, rather than what people might say it is,” McCullough said of Kansas City and its soccer culture. “That's been really fun too as a native Kansas Citian.”
Kansas City has delivered on the world’s biggest sporting stage.
"What I'll remember most is how Kansas City, despite the naysayers, stepped up and created what I would argue was one of the best products, at least as it related domestically to what was given as far as fan engagement, interest, support,” McCullough said. “That's what I'll remember the most.”
As for what comes next, McCullough said he is not ruling out a return to the role. The United States has submitted a joint bid with other Central and North American countries to host the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2031.
"If I'm lucky enough that they think I did a reasonable job with this, I'd be certainly more than happy to help (co-owners) Chris and Angie (Long) and the KC Current and the Kansas City group to be able to try to bring something similar to what we have here back," McCullough said.
It may not have been exactly what McCullough planned as a basketball star for the Saints in high school, but he is not complaining.
"It was not in the bingo card back in high school — that I think I'm going to be a soccer doc that's going to be able to try to connect people and do this kind of stuff,” he said. “But in the end, there's a plan a lot of times bigger and larger and different than what we think.”
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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