Sporting KC: Peter Vermes requires ‘injection of capital’

Sporting KC are set to invest an ‘injection of capital’ this offseason. With a lacking squad in an increasingly wealthy MLS, to compete, Peter Vermes requires it.

2019 was one of the worst seasons in Sporting Kansas City history. Entering the year with ambitions of going far in the CONCACAF Champions League and challenging for an MLS Cup, they fell embarrassingly short, suffering a 10-2 defeat to Monterrey in the CCL semi-finals and finishing 11th in the Western Conference, ten points off the playoff places and eliminated from the postseason by September.

There was a vast array of mitigating circumstances for Sporting KC’s struggles, no less than a mire of injuries that ripped through the heart of the team, especially early on in the season, but no one quite would have expected such a fall from grace after being a premier MLS team for over a decade.

Such has been the extent and consistency of his success as head coach of Sporting KC since 2006, there was little doubt that Peter Vermes would be fired. Even if some portions of the fanbase grew restless with the same issues undermining Vermes’ side, there was enough rational thinking to stay patient with MLS’ longest-serving manager.

But there has been an acceptance at Sporting KC that changes must be made. If they are to keep up with the evolution of MLS, they must embrace the new era, one that Vermes labels MLS 3.0, one that revolves around investment, player development and commercial awareness.

Speaking this week, Vermes conceded that the club will provide an ‘injection of capital’ this offseason as they look to bolster a squad that is in desperate need of sprucing up, with many of the senior players now entering the latter stages of their careers:

"“I can tell you this. We’re definitely getting a player on each of the lines. I just think that with the injection of capital, it’s opened us up to a whole other one, two, three different tiers that we can look at that maybe in the past we couldn’t.”"

This statement of ambition was echoed by Mike Illig, a Sporting KC principal owner, who told The Kansas City Star in October:

"“It’s a level we have not played in — but it doesn’t scare us. We’re not going to go make stupid decisions and pay our way out of it. We’re going to be smart about it. But I don’t think it’s a question of whether we’re willing [to spend]. I’m telling you: Yes, we’re willing.”"

More from MLS Multiplex

• Javier Milei Elected in Argentina: Potential Impacts on MLS and Signings of Argentine Players
• Orlando City and New York City FC in the Battle for Matías Arezo; Grêmio Enters Negotiations! Who Will Come Out on Top?
• USA, Honduras, Panama, and Canada Close in on a Spot in the 2024 Copa America
• De Gea Turns Down Al-Nassr’s Lucrative Offer: Speculation Points to Possible Reunion with Messi at Inter Miami
• Messi’s Magnetic Impact in the United States

This type of spending has been required for some time in Kansas City. Vermes prides himself on doing a lot with a little. They have only spent $4 million on transfer fees since he arrived in 2006, which is about a third of an Ezequiel Barco. His managerial excellence is illustrated by how he has improved individual players and the collective team without having to lavishly spend.

But eventually, in modern football, money wins. While spending does not always beget winning, those that are successful tend to be the teams that spend the most — or, at the very least, spend the most well. And Sporting KC are beginning to find that out.

Quite frankly, their talent level has dipped below the elite squads in MLS. Atlanta, LAFC, Toronto and Seattle, the organisations that are willing to invest have assembled the best teams. And now Sporting KC are wisely following suit.

Whether Vermes and the club recruit well remains to be seen. But after a disastrous 2019 that exposed vast holes in the squad, the impending ‘injection of capital’ is absolutely necessary.