Ten matches, 0 wins: Sporting KC suffers 4th straight MLS loss, this one to Montreal

Peter Vermes stated on Friday that if the work level was there for Sporting KC against Montreal, then the result would come. For 30 minutes or so, the work was there.

But a counter-attacking goal for Montreal led to a snowballing derailment for Sporting KC, which lost their fourth straight MLS match on Saturday. CF Montreal came into Children’s Mercy Park in last place in the Eastern Conference and left with a 2-0 victory.

With 10 games under their belt, the situation doesn’t seem to be improving for Sporting KC. Vermes acknowledged where the club is at after the latest defeat.

“I understand,” Vermes said. “It’s not good enough. Responsibility is on me.”

Sporting captain Johnny Russell was also brutally honest when asked how the team can fix the situation it finds itself in, sitting at 0-7-3 through 10 matches.

“We just don’t look anything like the team that we were,” Russell said. “I genuinely don’t know how to fix it.

“I try and analyze it every week and sit back and watch the games, and I just can’t understand what we’re doing, who we’ve become out there. It’s trouble because that’s a problem in itself, not being able to find our way out of it.”

Vermes said he believes Sporting’s issues are fixable and that they have to come up with solutions.

“Obviously, it’s a tough situation we’re in,” Vermes said. “But the only way you do it is you gotta keep working towards it.”

Roger Espinoza recalled Sporting’s 2011 squad that went on a 10-game winless streak in the first 11 matches of the season. To emerge from the current drought, Espinoza believes the club needs to keep fighting.

“If there’s anything I know, there’s a bunch of fighters here and it’s not going well for us,” Espinoza said. “It’s embarrassing, I know that. But we gotta keep fighting.”

On Saturday, Sporting started well, but the moment that Montreal scored all the good seemed to disappear.

“We start well, something happens, we make a mistake; everyone’s head goes down and you just feel it,” Russell said. “Confidence drains immediately.”

Montreal diced up Sporting KC on the counter-attack for the final 15 minutes of the first half, sending numbers forward in a hurry and seemingly creating two-on-one and three-on-one chances all over the field.

Bryce Duke scored the first goal in the 35th minute, courtesy of Mathieu Choiniere’s perfectly timed assist. Montreal’s second came 10 minutes later when a simple cross through the Sporting KC penalty area reached Choiniere at the back post. He put his shot past Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia with ease.

For the seventh time in their first 10 matches, Sporting KC failed to score a goal — this time despite putting six shots on target. Only two of those were from inside the 18-yard box.

“We have one guy, maybe two (in the box), and it’s gotta be three or four at least,” Vermes said.

After Montreal’s second goal, there were audible chants of “Vermes out” emanating from sections of The Cauldron, the KC supporters section, later followed by a louder chant of: “Hey Vermes, it’s all your fault.”

While fans tend to voice frustration when results aren’t going their way, it was somewhat jarring to hear those chants for a coach who has led the organization to as much success as Vermes has.

Vermes said he didn’t hear the chants but did speak to the larger point: his status as Sporting director and manager.

“I think the first day when you enter into this business, you always gotta know your job is always at stake,” Vermes said. “I’ve always known that (and) never thought differently in any of the time I’ve been here.”

Sporting KC will travel to Seattle next Sunday for a 3:30 kickoff against the Sounders.

This story was originally published April 29, 2023 at 10:05 PM.