Coming up big on short-roster nights is starting to become a habit for Sporting Kansas City.
Despite losing center forward Dom Dwyer to neck soreness in warmups, leaving them with only 16 available players, Sporting impressed manager Peter Vermes on Saturday night by picking up an important road point in Western Conference play.
“Incredible intelligence in the way we played,” Vermes told reporters in a conference call after Sporting's scoreless draw against the Seattle Sounders. “Our battle was second to none tonight. To be able to come here with so many changes, against this team, in a place where we've been snakebit so many times late in the game, to keep our concentration and play every roll of the ball was – I don't know what else to say other than it was big-time by the team.
“This is a humongous point for us on the road, based on the situation we were in and are in with as many injuries as we have at the moment.”
Vermes especially liked that the Sounders didn't get off a shot on goal until the 82nd minute, when goalkeeper Tim Melia had to make a save on Chad Barrett's deflection of Brad Evans' bicycle kick.
“That shows the level of concentration by our guys,” Vermes said, “the competitiveness, the competing individually, everything that was being done to make sure they couldn't get anything at our goal.”
Dwyer was a late scratch, replaced in the XI by Jimmy Medranda, as right winger Krisztian Nemeth took the center forward's spot.
“Dom had a little bit of a tweak yesterday, felt better last night and this morning,” Vermes said. “He went out and I told him to be very careful if it was bothering him at all, that he needed to be really smart because we have a lot of games ahead of us.
“He did the smart thing in pulling himself out, but at the same time it really took us down another man.”
Things got even leaner before the hour mark – and just as he did in Wednesday's 4-2 home win over New England, Vermes relied on his rookies to take up the slack.
Left winger Jacob Peterson pulled up lame, with what Vermes characterized as a cramp in his right leg, and had to be subbed out for Connor Hallisey in the 56th minute. Medranda came off in the 58th, replaced by Saad Abdul-Salaam – normally a right back, though he moved into Medranda's right winger spot against the Sounders.
With Amadou Dia going the full 90 at left back, that marked the most extensive collective action this year for Sporting's three first-round MLS SuperDraft picks.
“They listened very well,” Vermes said. “Those guys are incredibly coachable. They all have really good instincts on the field, and once again they were really good for us. It's great to see. It's great to see those guys getting the kind of time they are, and more importantly, the performances they're putting in.”
Graham Zusi came on in the 77th minute for midfielder Servando Carrasco, after sitting out the New England match while going through concussion protocol, and he was active in both ball-winning and the attack.
“I'm glad that Zusi only had to go 15 minutes,” Vermes said. “I thought that was good. I really didn't want him to have to play any more. We tried to have him not play at all, but unfortunately, with the other guys dropping out, it was something we decided we kind of had to do. He said he was ready to go.”
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
