Sporting Kansas City got more than they expected out of Paulo Nagamura in the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals, more even than Nagamura himself thought he could give.
But after the midfielder went 97 hard minutes on Wednesday night in his return from a nagging ankle injury that had sidelined him since early September, manager Peter Vermes wasn't sure he could ask Nagamura to do it again when the East final opens Saturday in Houston.
"I don't know if we can put him in that position, either," Vermes said on Thursday. "He gave us everything. Not to take away from anybody else's performance, but he's a big reason why we're successful in the midfield."
And with Lawrence Olum out indefinitely with a fractured fibula, Peterson Joseph sidelined indefinitely with illness and Graham Zusi moved back up to the wing, Sporting are looking thin in the midfield at a crucial time.
"It's not something that's easy to work around at the moment, but we'll have to find a way," Vermes said. "We found a way last night, and we'll have to find a way next game as well."
The way Sporting found Wednesday night required Nagamura to stay on the pitch into overtime of Sporting's 3-1 victory over New England, and Feilhaber to go 116 minutes in his first start since Sept. 27.
"I was actually looking at the game clock every 10 minutes," Nagamura said Thursday. "Sometimes it was slow, sometimes it was fast. It was a tough game to deal with, fitness-wise, but I believed we managed pretty well in the game. It was more heart than fitness or anything else."
Nagamura's gritty performance energized his teammates, Feilhaber said.
"I drew a lot of energy from him," said Feilhaber, who delivered the assist on Claudio Bieler's series-winning goal in the 113th minute. "Definitely. No doubt about it. You watch him train, watch him play. He hasn't played in two months. He's barely trained. I think he's probably trained for about a week, and he comes out ready to play in the most important game of the year, and he's running the entire game."
That's just the way Nagamura plays the game, goalkeeper and captain Jimmy Nielsen said.
"When he reaches his limit, he always finds some extra energy," Nielsen said. "He's got a big commitment for the team. He's got a big passion for the game. He's got a big heart. He's a team guy. And when you put all that together, you can always find a little extra."
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
