Sporting KC was once a flagship club of Major League Soccer, a team who built one of the best Soccer Specific Stadiums and had maybe the league’s most successful rebrand. The club before it’s rebrand was known as the Wizards and suffered from attendance figures as low as 4,000.
In 2011 the Sporting KC brand was born and with it came a time of great achievements, none bigger than MLS Cup in 2013 and three US Open Cups. Sporting Director and head coach Peter Vermes has been the architect for the winning formula, but the last two years have left Sporting KC fans wondering where the club stands in the new MLS.
Last season with many injuries and poor form the team failed to make the playoffs, prompting many fans to state the club needed an overhaul. This year it has been much of the same, last in the west and with only three draws with five losses. Only the LA Galaxy and Sporting KC remain winless in MLS this season.
A fans perspective to Sporting KC woes
Digital content creator Kevin Lopez, known as KEVIÑCHO, went viral two weeks ago after a rant about the state of the club. In that instance the team had lost to Colorado Rapids, at that time the worst team in the league. Lopez believes the issues of Sporting KC stem from complacency.
“The club seems like it’s lost, it’s not motivated, it’s a club that is used to at least being in the playoffs… All the content creators and sports journalists have been on the same page, “it’s bad right now but it will turn around”, (Against Colorado) was the game we should have turned it around. It’s a mix of emotions because we don’t hear anything, we always hear, “it’s fine guys, we’re gonna turn it around.”
“Older fans are getting sick of it, but we also have newer fans to the sport, it seems that they support the club no matter what. If we want to be serious and be a top league in the world one day, we need accountability, the organization has yet to provide any statement of the club’s current status.”
Lopez also remarked that issues in Sporting’s roster could be another reason why the club has not pulled out of its funk, “It’s crazy to think that we still have players that go as far back as 2012. And the same coach! It’s almost crazy to hear that in today’s soccer world. Things get stale and maybe the club needs a shakeup.”
When it comes to who is getting the most questions asked during this bad time for Kansas City all fingers point to Peter Vermes, for Lopez the fan base is very divided, “There are fans who want him out now and fans who really like Peter as a coach. I think Peter is a great coach, the type of guy you want on your team, he’s vocal, he’s in your face, he’s angry. But MLS has changed in the last 5 years, and he is much more patient than many of his counterparts.”
For Sporting KC, the season so far has been a nonfactor, getting three points is a must to get the team going. Nonetheless in the forgiving world of MLS regular season, winless Sporting are only 5 points back of reaching the playoff line.