Sporting KC: 3 reasons why MLS Cup contention beckons

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KANSAS CITY, KANSAS – MARCH 07: Roger Espinoza #15 of Sporting Kansas City celebrates after scoring during the 1st half of the game against the Houston Dynamo at Children’s Mercy Park on March 07, 2020 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Sporting KC have made quite the start to life in Major League Soccer. With two wins from two games, here are three reasons why they can contend for MLS Cup.

The 2020 Major League Soccer season is in hiatus. And it could be for some time. While we wait for the return of MLS play, and the sporting calendar more generally, it makes sense to reflect on the limited action that we have seen thus far.

And when looking at the first two weeks of the 2020 MLS season, there has been one standout team that is ready to contend for an MLS Cup once again: Sporting Kansas City.

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Here are three reasons why Sporting KC are indeed ready to make a run at MLS Cup.

Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes, right, joins the team in celebrating in the locker room after defeating Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup Final at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. Sporting won on penalty kicks. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) /

3. Peter Vermes

After a difficult 2019 season in which his team was spanked in the CONCACAF Champions League and flailed in an 11th-placed finish in the Western Conference, Peter Vermes came in for some criticism as his role as head coach, with some even questioning whether he should remain in the role moving forward.

However, while Vermes does have his flaws, he is also a proven winner, a wonderfully able coach who has built some of the greatest teams in the recent MLS era, and seems set about replicating his recent success.

He knows how to build a stifling defence, he is a winner, which is important, and while recent playoff losses have tarnished his legacy somewhat, he has the tactical and motivational skills to lead Sporting KC to and eventually through the playoffs. With a coach like Vermes, you will always be competitive, and then some.

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