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Peter Vermes praises Sporting Kansas City mentality in dramatic US Open Cup win

Agada and Rosero scored in extra time to secure their place in the semifinals

By Izabelle Franca

Jul 4, 2024; Commerce City, Colorado, USA; Sporting Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes and midfielder Memo Rodriguez (8) walk off the field after the first half against the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 4, 2024; Commerce City, Colorado, USA; Sporting Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes and midfielder Memo Rodriguez (8) walk off the field after the first half against the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports / Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
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SPOT SEALED! Sporting Kansas City were brave, overcame all odds and with a touch of drama, the kind that kills the fan in the heart, defeated FC Dallas in extra time, 2-1, at Children's Mercy Park and advanced to the semi-finals of the US Open Cup 2024. The goals came only in the second half, with William Agada and Daniel Rosero, in the final minutes of extra time, scoring the decisive goal.

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It wasn't easy. Not to mention the fact that the game had to be stopped for a long time due to bad weather. The players' mentality of not losing focus was essential. Coach Peter Vermes recognized Kansas City's dominance and encouraged his players to keep their heads up to achieve their goal, and it worked.

"We came back, warmed up and everything. I told them: 'It's all about mentality now. That's it. It's all about mentality. I have to applaud them. We controlled the remaining 40 minutes. We were good. Apart from the goal we conceded, we dominated them. And then I thought we were very clever in extra time too. We were good. It was a well-deserved win for the guys, that's for sure," said Vermes.

The coach was adamant that the Kansas City squad takes the US Open Cup very seriously. He praised his players' fight for qualification, as well as stressing the mental strength that helped make the difference.

"We met a lot. I can't speak for them. I can only say that we always take this tournament very seriously. I always say that. I think all the other teams do it. It's just that sometimes it doesn't work out for them because of the team they field or the way they play that day. But at the end of the day, our guys fought for it and we had some real battles against them. We were a man down. There are a lot of different things. But the game was one of those where you have to have an incredible amount of concentration and mentality. It was very good for our boys tonight. We won more than just reaching the semi-finals in this game tonight. And then the last thing is to play the team consecutively the way we did and win both games, that's not easy at all," he said.

Vermes explained how the team managed to take advantage of the stoppage and not lose focus. The fact that the players were relaxed helped them get into a rhythm to move forward.

"You kind of know that it's automatically going to be 30 minutes minimum. So we always have a schedule that we follow. But then it became quite obvious that it was going to be longer. And at that point, I just let the guys relax and told everyone to leave them alone because if you start talking too much, it's too much information. It was more about when it was time to go. We're going out onto the pitch. We're not going to warm up like we normally do. We're going to do a different warm-up, which we did. And I think that got the guys ready and, as I said, from the first whistle we attacked them, which was great. I think that set the tone for the rest of the game. They couldn't find a rhythm," he concluded.

Now it's time to take a breath and turn the page. Sporting Kansas City need to turn their attention to the MLS. Needing to react in the league, the team will have a tough challenge when it faces the San Jose Earthquakes this Saturday, June 13, at Avaya Stadium.

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