KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- When Sporting Kansas City struggled this season -- and it happened more than once -- the refrain afterward was always the same.
Sporting, players and coaches alike insisted, just needed to find the defensive form that has marked the club during manager Peter Vermes' tenure and helped them win three trophies in four years.
Looks as though they've found it. After Sunday's 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes in the regular-season finale, Sporting have recorded two straight shutouts.
"It’s a little bit of a mentality, a team mentality to get guys behind the ball, to not over-commit to give the other team easy opportunities," said midfielder Benny Feilhaber, whose 27th-minute penalty opened Sunday's scoring.