Going into their MLS season opener against LAFC on Sunday night, many figured Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes would rotate his lineup.
Instead, he fielded his best XI.
But the visitors ā who accumulated seven yellow cards during the match as they fought for a result ā still left with a 2-1 defeat thanks to Adama Diomandeās emphatic late winner.
āWe could have played better. In the end, it was a close match. Los Angeles is a good team,ā said Sporting midfielder Ilie Sanchez. āWe knew what we were coming into and how difficult it was going to be.ā
Sporting Kansas City had arrived in Los Angeles directly following their 2-0 Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 victory over Toluca at Estadio Nemesio DĆez in Mexico on Thursday, to win the series by a commanding 5-0 scoreline on aggregate.
āWhere weāre going to have to start monitoring [the lineup] really closely and probably rotating it around is Wednesday and Sunday,ā Vermes said after the loss, claiming the 72 hours rest before the LAFC match didnāt factor into his coaching plans. āItās cumulative at that moment.ā
For their MLS opener, Sanchez was one of an unchanged starting XI over both legs in the Toluca tie ā Vermes even made the exact same substitutions in both fixtures ā leaving Hungarian defender Botond Barathās 69th-minute introduction against LAFC the only personnel adjustment across Sporting KCās first three competitive fixtures of 2019 (forward Erik Hurtado had come on in both Toluca ties).
āFor me, when Iām making a lineup, I look at three things ā climate, travel, congestion of schedule,ā Vermes said. āThe first two games against Toluca were a week apart. Thatās a normal work week for any team. You prepare, you play the game, you recover. You build up, and you play the next one a week later. Thatās normal, but thereās no cumulative effect there.ā
With a CCL quarterfinal fixture set for Wednesday evening at Estadio AgustĆn SĆ”nchez (7 p.m. CT | YahooSports.com, UDN) ā about 30 miles outside Panama City in La Chorrera ā against Independiente, the side who demolished 2018 CCL finalists Toronto FC 4-0 at the same ground last month, Vermes' choice to field a full-strength squad in league play bucked the trend of lineup rotation most MLS clubs have opted for in both this yearās and last yearās edition of the continental competition.
While supporters and pundits will discuss the gamble, for his players, the jam-packed schedule doesnāt leave much time to ponder the possibilities.
āWeāre now going to go back to the hotel to rest and have dinner,ā said Sanchez. āWe will travel tomorrow. Thereās no time to dwell on this. Weāll land in Panama on Monday. Weāll prepare for the next game as we did for this one. For us all competitions are important and I feel we work to focus equally for each one.ā