There's royalty in KC -- and it's not the baseball team

KANSAS CITY -- On Thursday night, there was royalty at Kauffman Stadium.

Not the Kansas City Royals baseball team, and, well, not really the British royal family either. But the men’s England national team was here, and we can say that’s good enough.

With England making its World Cup base in Kansas City during the tournament, staying in Prairie Village, Kan., and practicing at Swope Park, the Royals hosted a few members of the club for a night at the ballpark to show them America’s pastime.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel threw out the ceremonial first pitch with a few of his players, including star Harry Kane, keeping a watchful eye behind the mound. Tuchel threw a strike to Royals manager Matt Quatraro, who joked pregame that he just hoped that he caught it.

“I’m trying to figure out if I should be fully geared up or just go with the uniform,” Quatraro said. “Should I use a glove, should I use [mascot] Sluggerrr’s glove?”

Sans catching gear, Quatraro jogged out to home plate with what looked like a catcher’s mitt, and he caught the strike from Tuchel.

“He got a strike, so fair play to him,” Kane said afterward. “It’s not easy. That’s the first time I’ve been on the mound in 12 years, so I forget how far away it actually is. When you’re watching the professionals do it and they’re launching that ball at 98-100 mph, it’s impressive.”

The respect for soccer players from Royals players is mutual.

“At the beginning of the season, we were in Atlanta, and we went and watched a USA training camp,” said Carter Jensen, a Kansas City native. “Got to see how they go about their day, learn a little bit more about what they do. It’s tough work, for sure. I respect them a lot.”

Kane said he’s been to a few baseball games and threw out the first pitch at a Cubs game about 12 years ago. He likes the sport and was hoping to learn a bit more about the Royals’ team on Thursday once he and his teammates got up to the suite the Royals had ready for them.

“I quite enjoy it actually,” Kane said. “I don’t watch a lot of the regular season, if I’m honest, but I like to get into the playoffs and World Series, for sure.”

Kane and England are coming off a 4-2 win over Croatia on Wednesday. The 32-year-old Kane scored twice and is now up to 10 World Cup goals, tying the England men’s record set by Gary Lineker from the 1986 and ‘90 tournaments. Kane also became only the second Englishman, alongside David Beckham, to score in three World Cups.

“I think you always want to start the tournament well,” Kane said. “Especially when you’re playing against a team like Croatia. They’re a top team, they’re going to go far in the competition for sure. We know how much it means to get off on the right foot. Obviously sets us up nicely for the last two games. And I think in the manner that we played as well, we scored four goals, and that second-half performance especially was at a really high level. Early on of course, but that just builds excitement for the rest of the group stage for sure, and hopefully we can finish it with a couple more wins.”

Now Kane and his team can rest a bit before their next match against Ghana on Tuesday. That allows them to explore Kansas City more than they did when they first got here, and Kane already had good things to say about the World Cup host city. He even got to have some barbecue, although he joked that he wasn’t sure how much barbecue he was allowed to eat during the tournament.

“It’s been really good,” Kane said of Kansas City. “The hotel is great. It’s in a nice little family village. Obviously we have our privacy, but it feels like everyone there is supporting us. Training facilities are great, pitches are really good. Since we’ve arrived, it’s been nothing but positivity. It’s been nice to come out and explore a little bit.”

And taking in a Royals game on a beautiful summer night? It doesn’t get much more Kansas City than that.

“We really appreciate it,” Kane said about the Royals hosting them. “Obviously for us to come here and get the treatment we have already is already great. I’m sure the seats will be great as well. All we can say is thank you to them.”