Kansas City Star · Jun 29, 2018
A major reason Sporting KC is in first place? A weapon it never had last year
The deficit spanned more than 80 minutes. Although Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes later said he knew his club would secure a game-tying goal last weekend, it required his intervention. The time dwindling, he turned to a bevy of potential substitutes warming up in the southwest corner of the stadium and motioned for Diego Rubio and Khiry Shelton.
It was an obvious reminder of his winter priorities. One year earlier, Vermes could not find a way to change the momentum of a shutout playoff loss in Houston. Within days, he vocalized the need to supplement his bench with players capable of altering a match.