Leaning forward in an office chair, Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes transformed a casual conversation into a passionate endorsement of his club. The mental toughness of the individuals, he said as he pointed his finger demonstratively toward the ground, was among the best group he had comprised, “I’ll go to war with this team every freaking weekend.”
His leading exhibit arrived on the season’s final afternoon.
Sporting Kansas City brushed aside a one-man deficit and upended visiting Los Angeles FC 2-1 in a winner-take-all battle for the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference.
The path to the MLS Cup in the West will run through Kansas City.