Tuesday's episode of the Sporting Kansas City Show on Sports Radio 810 WHB was the perfect precursor to Sunday's road game at the San Jose Earthquakes.
Hosts Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine first welcomed ESPN color analyst Taylor Twellman, who assessed Sporting Kansas City's chances of contending for titles and previewed Sunday's match in San Jose, where he will provide the call alongside Adrian Healey.
"I've had great arguments and discussions with Peter Vermes about this, but does his style of play wear the team out? When there's a trend -- and the trend is August 15 stares you in the face and you hit a wall -- maybe that's where change is needed," Twellman said.
"Maybe Peter is addressing that in an indirect way by saying I'm not playing Dom Dwyer and Benny Feilhaber on a Wednesday game in April. From my point of view, I've seen a tired team the last two years hit the stretch run of the Major League Soccer regular season, and I think Peter is trying to figure out that right formula now."
Assistant coach Kerry Zavagnin also joined the show, lauding 20th Anniversary Night and remarking on the club's meteoric rise since the early 2000s when he played for the Kansas City Wizards.
"I remember the 2000 Western Conference Final, one of the biggest games we had ever played during that era, and there were 8,500 people in the stands to see us clinch a berth in the final," Zavagnin said.
"When you fast-forward to today at Children's Mercy Park, we have 20,000 fans every night just for a regular season game. That certainly points to the growth of the game in this city, but it's happened on all levels. (Our ownership) has done a fantastic job of bringing this organization to another level, and obviously we've accomplished a lot. We've won some championships, and I'd like to think there's more on the horizon."
Catch the full podcast above and be sure to tune into the Sporting KC Show every Tuesday on Sports Radio 810, the official radio partner of Sporting Kansas City.
