His team may not have emerged victorious, but Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes walked away from last weekend’s 1-1 home draw against Vancouver Whitecaps FC feeling good about the performance.
That very sentiment remains with the 11th-year coach heading into Sunday’s clash versus Seattle Sounders FC at Children’s Mercy Park, slated for 5 p.m. CT with tickets available at SeatGeek.com.
Vermes joined The Program on Sports Radio 810 WHB this afternoon, catching up with host Soren Petro ahead of a pivotal battle against the second-place Sounders.
In a candid interview, Vermes likened Sporting’s season to a large pot of water. For the first 90 percent of the campaign, the pot of water was lukewarm. For the next eight percent, it began to boil. The final two percent, representing last Saturday’s match, saw the water come to a full boil and spill over the sides.
“That’s not a bad analogy because they’re fed up,” said Vermes, who senses his team is ready to turn the corner.
“There’s nothing more powerful than when the players themselves can now start to communicate with each other in a way that is centered around them policing themselves,” he continued. “When the players are accountable to each other, it changes the environment.”
That increased level of responsibility and accountability within the group has Vermes feeling reassured that all is not lost, especially with two home fixtures on the horizon.
“I don’t see a bunch of guys with their heads down thinking we aren’t going to make the playoffs,” he said. “I actually see that they’re more committed than ever before. The stove needs to be on, the water needs to be boiling, and someone needs to be there to drop in the spaghetti.”
Vermes also shared his thoughts on Christian Pulisic’s move to Chelsea FC, the U.S. national team’s bid for another Women’s World Cup title, and the polarizing Game of Thrones series finale (spoiler alert: he wasn’t pleased).
Listen to the full podcast below.
