MLS Cup 2013: Sporting Kansas City Over The Moon

The players, coaches and fans of Peter Vermes’s Sporting Kansas City are in an absolute dreamland after prevailing over Jason Kreis’s Real Salt Lake 7-6 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in MLS Cup 2013 at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. Once the deed was done, Jimmy Nielsen painted the number 2013 to Sporting’s wall in the northeast corner to celebrate.

Dec 7, 2013; Kansas City, KS, USA; Sporting KC goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen (1) poses for a photo after the 2013 MLS Cup against Real Salt Lake at Sporting Park. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

“Four years ago when I came here, I wanted to be champion again,” he told MLSSoccer.com’s Andrew Wiebe. “Of course, I know I’m not playing another 10 years. This here is a big moment, it’s a proud moment.”

“It was very tough conditions out there. It was pretty weird to be in that one end, where you can’t find your [footing]. I could barely kick the ball. It was like ice skating, and I have a feeling that if this was a regular-season game the game probably would have been canceled.”

As for Vermes, he was happy to know that he rewarded the fans as both a player and as a manager.

“I’m so glad the game is over with, because the last two weeks haven’t been easy,” said Vermes to MLSSoccer.com’s Steve Brisendine. “This was so important to me because the nucleus of players that has been here the last three or four years has wanted this.

“It’s something they’ve worked extremely hard for, and they’ve stayed focused to it. It’s also great for the owners and fans. I’m so glad that everyone can be rewarded for what they have been trying to do.

“This is an incredible sports town. The fans have had their downs for many years but they keep supporting their teams. From our perspective, we’re happy to reward them for the support they have continued to show through thick and thin. It’s an exciting time for the city and an exciting time for Sporting.”

Now, then, could this be the start of Sporting starting a dynasty of their own? Los Angeles had one of sorts prior, but now will it be Sporting’s turn to go on a tear? Defender Matt Besler believes that it’s time for Kansas City to be the new titletown of MLS.

Dec 7, 2013; Kansas City, KS, USA; Sporting KC defender Matt Besler (5) goes up for a header over the top of Real Salt Lake midfielder Javier Morales (11) in the second half of the 2013 MLS Cup at Sporting Park. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

“I could throw LeBron out there and say we’re going to win one, two, three, four, five,” Besler told Wiebe. “But I saw the potential with this club and where it’s headed and where it was already at. That was probably the biggest factor in signing a long-term deal.”

“This is definitely the first stepping stone. We’ve kind of created a culture at this club, and the past couple years we’ve grown each year,” added forward Graham Zusi. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re very satisfied with what we’ve accomplished right now, but we need to take this as a stepping stone into the years to come and try to become one of the dominant teams in the league.”

However, cooler heads will prevail, and defender Seth Sinovic is one of the players on Sporting’s first XI that elected to be a bit more reasonable when assessing the long-term success of the club.

“I don’t know about a dynasty. We feel like we’ve got a team that can put ourselves in position to win trophies,” Sinovic said. “Obviously, US Open Cup last year and MLS Cup this year. Who knows? We’d like to win a lot more, but we know it’s going to be difficult with the parity in this league.”

Speaking of parity, midfielder Benny Feilhaber accredits the consistency of Sporting to weather a very tight season.

“That’s what MLS is all about. You rarely see a team dominate from the beginning to finish and end up winning the cup,” Feilhaber told the media on Saturday. “You learn from the times that you’re not doing too well, and you strive in the moments that you’re playing with confidence and playing well.

“I think we had a really good run at the end of the season and a really good run in the playoffs and we were timely. We did what we needed to do at the moments we need to do them, so full credit to the resilience of the team.”