In a binder holding dozens of sheets of paper, Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes experiments with lineups. It’s an exercise he performs weekly, using marker to fill in the blanks on one page, then flipping to another and starting anew.
For the past month, the task has become increasingly difficult.
And that’s a good thing.
Sporting KC holds a plethora of attacking options it has not enjoyed in Vermes’ tenure. It’s not the reliability of a 20-goal scorer that Dom Dwyer once provided. Instead, it’s quantity. For only the second time in franchise history, Sporting KC has four players who have scored at least seven times.