Gerso’s first three months in Sporting Kansas City were about what Manager Peter Vermes suspected. Through June, the 26-year-old winger, who signed a Designated Player contract in the offseason, scored six goals in MLS play with another two in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The next six weeks, however, were a different story for the Guinean Bissau native.
During a July 1 match against the Portland Timbers, Gerso fell awkwardly on his shoulder after a tussle with Alvas Powell. Gerso was helped off the field by team doctors and later diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder. He returned to action five days later and played the final 10 minutes of a 1-1 draw against the Philadelphia Union. He then played 312 minutes in four matches across competitions and failed to record a goal or even a shot on goal.
“He and I talked a couple times,” Vermes said regarding Gerso. “I said that sometimes when you are out of form as a player, one of the things is you maybe need to sit down on the bench, watch the game a little bit and reset your mind for what your role and responsibility is.”
Vermes chose to sit Gerso for the last weekend’s match against Western Conference power FC Dallas and the decision paid off in spades. Gerso entered the match in the 68th minute and scored the insurance goal in stoppage time, picking up a Graham Zusi pass down the right wing and curling it past goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez.
“I told him when he was going in, I said ‘listen, we need something to change the game, so you’ve got to go in there and give something that’s going to lift the team up,’” Vermes added. “He did it, it’s a fantastic goal, it’s a wonder goal for sure.”
While many players might sulk after being benched by the coach, Gerso understood the decision and used it a launching pad to improve his game.
“After the injury in my shoulder, my performance hadn’t been as good as in the past,” Gerso told the media earlier this week. “This game, this goal was what I was needing to come back to my performance. So I hope this will help me a lot to be where I used to be.”
If Sporting KC are to keep pace in the Western Conference, they will need Gerso to return to his top form from earlier this season. He is the club’s leading goalscorer with seven in League play and nine total. He also leads the team in shots and shots on goal.
“I credit [Gerso] for having a good mentality when he went in the game,” Vermes said. He understood he had to give us a little type of uplift. As I said to him, obviously this was great for the team but it was also great for him and I hope he can build off it.”
