Sporting Kansas City continues to mourn the passing of Ron Newman, the club's first head coach who died Monday at age 84 in Tampa, Florida.
Among the hundreds of players Newman competed with or coached during his storied soccer career was Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes. Both have been inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame and left indelible impacts on the sport in this country.
Vermes reflected today on Newman's life and legacy as a free-spirited soccer pioneer who played an integral role in advancing the game during Major League Soccer's early years.