The 2018 season saw Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes display an uncanny knack for making timely and impactful substitutions. Sporting received a dozen MLS goals from players off the bench, comfortably more than any other team over the course of the year.
Fast-forward to Sunday's Western Conference clash against the Colorado Rapids at chilly Dick's Sporting Goods Park, and Vermes found himself in a similar situation. With his team trailing 1-0 at the hour mark, the 11th-year head coach was prompted to make a game-changing switch.
Enter Johnny Russell, the 28-year-old Scottish international who was nothing short of a revelation in his first MLS campaign with 10 goals and 10 assists during the 2018 regular season.