beIN SPORTS

By Graham Ruthven (@grahamruthven)

It wasn’t just that Sporting KC was one of the best teams in North America, it was that Peter Vermes’ had a very strong identity. So strong, in fact, that it led them to the 2013 MLS Cup title. However, in the months and years that have passed since Sporting KC has lost sight of itself. They don’t know who they are anymore.

At the peak of their powers players like Graham Zusi, Kei Kamara and Dom Dwyer gave Sporting KC considerable threat in attack. With Benny Feilhaber, Paulo Nagamura and Oriol Rossell in the side they had one of the most accomplished central units in Major League Soccer. But it was at the back their biggest strength could be found.

The centre-back partnership between Matt Besler and Aurelien Collin became one of the best such pairings in league history. That might be a bold claim, but it underlines the importance of both players in Sporting KC’s run to MLS Cup success. Collin even scored the late equaliser that took the final against Real Salt Lake into extra-time, and eventually penalties. 

Sporting KC’s defensive game was undoubtedly the best in North American soccer back in 2013. It carried them through the regular-season, despite the slight anomaly of their post-season run - during which they conceded five goals from just three games. 

However, Vermes’ side have conceded the second most goals in 2015 - behind only the free-falling Philadelphia Union - and appear to have lost the rigidity and structure that made them MLS Cup champions less than two years ago. 

Most worrying for Vermes will be the way in which his team seems incapable of chasing a game. When Sporting KC falls behind, they don’t just stay behind, but fall even further behind.

Sporting have conceded 34 goals in their last 22 games, conceding just 19 in the 21 games before that. There has been a steep decline since last summer.

Of course, Vermes will counter that his side has been hit hard by injuries - and that is true to a certain extent. With Zusi injured for much of the past year, and Collin leaving for Orlando City in the off-season there is reason to explain Sporting KC’s decline. But even still, the club has lost more than its players. It has lost its identity and personalty as a team.

Sporting KC is still a formidable outfit in attack, as they showed with last week’s 4-4 away draw against the Houston Dynamo. In Dwyer they still have one of the best forwards in the league, with Zusi the best playmaker when he plays to the best of his capacity. 

But too often they get carried away with themselves, leaving wide open spaces in behind for opposition teams to exploit. The use of Feilhaber in a more advanced position has helped free up Sporting KC’s attacking talent, but they are feeling the lack of protection afforded to the back four as a result. 

Results at Sporting Park will be of concern to Vermes, with Kansas City winning just one of their games at home this season prior to last weekend. The 1-0 win over Chicago Fire on Sunday could prove a real watershed moment for the team, setting the tone for the rest of the campaign.

While defeat would have prompted some difficult questions over Vermes’ stewardship of the team, now he will be aiming to build some momentum from the result.

It might still be early on in the season but Sporting KC must start climbing the ascent of an upward arc soon if they are to make the play-offs. Chicago were the kind of team that could have made the most of Sporting’s defensive frailties, but Vermes’ side showed that at least something of the defensively resolute 2013 team remains.