When Peter Vermes grabbed the microphone, he knew exactly the message he planned to articulate. It was Sporting Kansas City’s annual season-launch party Wednesday, and there are scripts for these types of events. For the past few years, the club’s coach has mostly stuck to them — Vermes has thanked the fans, reminded them of their importance and then tried to drum up some excitement for the impending season opener.
This time, there was a departure. An explanation. Something just shy of a guarantee.
Speaking in front of about 1,000 fans, Vermes addressed the storyline that looms over the 2018 season.