There’s an explicit consistency to the way Sporting Kansas City’s coaching staff prepares for a game. The routine begins with a detailed scouting report of the upcoming opponent, several pages prepared in a binder and handed to coach Peter Vermes. Before players have even stepped onto the practice field in any given week, Vermes and his top assistants have devoured the information to formulate a game plan.
So it only figures that there’s a bit of restlessness at the Sporting KC facility this week. After earning the No. 1 seed in the West and the first-round bye that accompanies it, Sporting KC won’t learn its initial playoff opponent until late Thursday night.