Two days after his club took over first place, Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes is reclining in an office chair and tilting his head back against the cushion, mimicking a pregame routine he implemented during his playing days.
“Picture this,” he says, and he closes his eyes.
It’s a team full of alpha males sitting on a bus, boisterous and loud. Several rows deep, Vermes is silent amongst the noise, spinning through a series of reflections. For years, he had built a hit list, comprised of those who dared to utter a bad word about him.