Sporting Kansas City is amped about Saturday. Why? There’s nothing like a home opener

Playing in front of a crowd of a little over 1,200 — not a misprint — Sporting Kansas City easily disposed of the New England Revolution in the final qualifying round of the 2011 U.S. Open Cup.

Sporting’s 5-0 win against the Revolution that day was the team’s ninth game of the season but first to take place in Kansas City — Children’s Mercy Park hadn’t yet opened, so the match was played at the Blue Valley District Athletic Center in Overland Park.

Sporting KC didn’t move into its own soccer-specific stadium until the 11th game of the 2010 MLS season.

“I had never calculated prior to that season how important it was to be in front of the home fans and the fact that we were away those first 10 games,” Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said Tuesday. “The guys really missed it.”

Vermes and his team won’t have to wait quite as long to hear the home crowd’s cheers this season. They return to Children’s Mercy Park Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for their home opener against the Houston Dynamo.

“It’s kind of like you’re coming back home — you’ve been away for a while, and you’re now coming back home and you get reintroduced to everybody ... that’s the first thing,” Vermes said. “I think the second thing is that no matter what, you want to show who you are, who you can be, what you have to offer. That proving is a big part of it.”

Winger Daniel Salloi, who didn’t feature in Saturday’s opening win in Vancouver but made 28 MLS appearances last season, is of a similar mindset.

“I think they really showed what they’re about, when last year didn’t go that well and they still came and still supported us and they were so positive in the offseason,” Salloi said. “I think they were even more excited for the season than we were, and that’s awesome.”

Yet the task ahead of Sporting isn’t an easy one. Houston’s undergoing transition under new manager Tab Ramos, who is coaching his first MLS team after spending 10 years with the U.S. Men’s National Team and it’s youth programs.

Vermes and Ramos have never squared off on the touchline, but the duo played together briefly at Catalan club Figueres in 1990, as well as on the USMNT throughout the 1990s.

“I’m happy for him that he’s in the league,” Vermes said. “He’s worked very hard in the youth national team’s programs and I know this is something that he wanted. ...

“I think he’s a very organized guy. His team was very organized in the game (last week); they defended very well, they pressed very well. All of the guys were very active and they did it for 90 minutes, and I expect the same thing coming in this week.”

Ramos’ first game in charge of the Dynamo was an impressive 1-1 home tie with the L.A. Galaxy. That match offered a glimpse of what Houston looks to do this season: control possession and press deep into the opposition’s territory.

It’s a tactic that may perhaps suit Kansas City to the ground. While it’s unlikely Vermes will be happy to see his men sit back deep in the home opener, their ability to counterattack on a high-pressing Dynamo side could prove lethal.

Of particular interest is the wingback position, where both of Houston’s wide defenders — Adam Lundqvist and Zarek Valentin — sat deep in Galaxy territory for much of the game. This could help Kansas City’s own attack-minded fullbacks, or it could prove harmful if Graham Zusi and Luis Martins are caught out on the attack.

“I think every team that we’re going to play this season is going to have some certain nuance in their game that we’re going to have to pay attention to,” Vermes said. “At the same time, we have a particular way that we play and we’re also going to test that against teams when we play them.”

“They’re going to have to worry about certain things that we do, as well. And so it’s a fine balance. Our style is never one of reckless abandon, by any means, but you also have to have respect for your opponent when you play. We also have to play our way.”

This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Sporting Kansas City is amped about Saturday. Why? There’s nothing like a home opener."