Team Focus: Team Spirit Sending Sporting KC Towards Further MLS Glory

There was something ominous about Sporting Kansas City’s 2-1 win over Toronto FC last week. Peter Vermes' men went a goal down, and then a man down, before emerging winners away from home.

It was reflective of the kind of spirit and resolution that won Sporting KC the MLS Cup last year. They fell behind in all but two of their playoff games in 2013, and even had to overcome a deficit in the final against Real Salt Lake. And now Sporting are embracing the grind as the second half of the league season kicks in. Vermes’ men now sit atop the Eastern Conference, tied with the Seattle Sounders on 38 points in the Supporters’ Shield standings (although Seattle do hold two games in hand).

But how can Sporting KC’s willingness to engage in the battle and claim results when lesser teams wouldn’t have be quantified in statistics? Can their winning formula be formularised?

For starters, Vermes has a number of the league’s best players to choose from, meaning that his men are always likely to come near the top of the statistical columns. But moreover, his 4-3-3 system plays to his side’s strengths.

Graham Zusi is, and has been for quite some time, the creative hub of the Sporting Kansas City attack. The 27-year-old was a key member of the USA team that reached the last 16 of the World Cup last month, and is regarded as one of the finest players in MLS.

Zusi boasts the second highest key passes per game average in the league, with 3.3, putting him second to only Javier Morales of Real Salt Lake. He’s also Sporting’s best crosser of the ball, averaging 3.4 crosses per game, something a string of Sporting's attackers have thrived on, from Kei Kamara to Claudio Bieler and more recently Dom Dwyer. In fact, Zusi is comfortably the most prolific crosser in the league, with Shea Salinas of the San Jose Earthquakes coming closest to him, with 2.8 crosses per game.

But Zusi isn’t the only one bringing the creativity to the Sporting KC team. Benny Feilhaber has also come into extremely productive form this season at Sporting Park, with some even suggesting that he should have been called up to the USA squad for the World Cup. Feilhaber is the hub of Sporting’s creativity in central areas, with the 29-year-old averaging 2.1 key passes per game, which ranks him in the top 20 in the league’s corresponding column. 

One challenge that has presented itself to Sporting is how to replace the passing presence of Oriol Rosell, who left to join Sporting Lisbon after just seven games in MLS this year. It was Rosell who kept the midfield ticking over for Vermes. The Spaniard averaged 74 passes per game over those seven appearances, making him the most prolific passer in the league, and by quite some distance as well.

Now Vermes favours a midfield three of Lawrence Olum, Paulo Nagamura and Feilhaber to make up for the lack of Rosell in the centre, and so far it’s a solution that has worked well.

And then there’s Dom Dwyer, who has simply caught fire this season. The former Norwich City youth player is currently MLS’s second top scorer with 14 goals from just 21 games (and 19 starts), sitting behind only compatriot Bradley Wright-Phillips of the New York Red Bulls, who has 17 goals to his name.

At times Dwyer looked out of his depth as Claudio Bieler’s replacement last season, but it’s a role that he has grown into in 2014, and then some. Dwyer averages 3.5 shots on goal per game, making him the fifth most prolific shooter in MLS this season.

If there is one major flaw in Sporting’s season so far it can be found in the over-reliance on Dwyer for firepower. Behind the English striker Feilhaber is the club’s second top scorer, with just three goals to his name. An injury to Dwyer could be disastrous to their Supporters’ Shield - and MLS Cup - chances.

From a defensive standpoint, Sporting also have one of the most natural centre-back partnerships in Matt Besler and Aurelien Collin. Both players are among the league’s top 20 for clearances per game, while Feilhaber provides something of a screen in front of the back four.

“It’s the mentality,” Vermes explained after the win at Toronto FC. “You understand what you have to do. There’s things that you work on in training. Not only do the guys understand it tactically, but they also have the right mentality. “They know how to fight and grind out the points at the end, but more importantly to pick and choose their opportunities and their chances.”

Indeed, there’s something about Sporting Kansas City that’s difficult to quantify with numbers. But that’s not to say Vermes’ side don’t also play a good game on the stats sheet. In fact, they play one of the best in MLS, as they do on the pitch.

Do you think Sporting Kansan City can win the Supporters' Shield this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below