To a man, the Red Bulls trio of Designated Players insist they can’t worry about coach Hans Backe’s shaky job status, and that can’t impact their performance. But two of the three did go out of their way to gush over Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes, and praise the work the hard-nosed New Jerseyan has done.
“They go forward together, they defend together. They put their body on the line or they’re blocking shots. They’re very aggressive in a good way and have a good attitude. You have to give a lot of credit to their boss; he’s been doing a tremendous job for more than one-and-a-half years,’’ said Thierry Henry.
“When I arrived here they were struggling, and for nearly two years now they’ve been playing (well); their record is impressive. You have to give them credit.’’
“They’re just well, well-organized. I think that will be the word I would use. As I said you can see their boss is putting them in the right shape every time and the right tactics to help them.’’
Vermes – a 45-year-old ex-Rutgers star – took over as interim coach in August, 209 of a struggling team that finished third in the East and missed the playoffs. But despite having to play the first part of last season on the road as Livestrong Sporting Park was completed, Vermes led Sporting KC to a great second-half run and a first-place finish and berth in the Eastern Conference finals.
This year they’ve won the U.S. Open Cup, clinched a playoff bid already and could actually seal the East with a win at Red Bull Arena. For a Red Bulls team that didn’t muster a single shot on a goal in a 1-1 draw at Kansas City- getting the benefit of an own goal – and then lost 2-0 at home, that would be a galling ignominy in a their home finale.
“I think the manager was very clever, and then when we changed it up, he changed it up again,’’ Tim Cahill said of Vermes. “So tactically, a lot of credit goes to their team and the way they applied themselves and the way they put pressure on us. That’s what football is all about.
“I’m a big fan of their team, the way they work as a team; there’s no individuals, they work very hard, they know how to grind a result and they’ve got a few classy players who can whip a ball in. Definitely in the past people might take it as not a compliment when I talk about their team, but I’m complimentary of them…because of what I’ve learned about them as a team. They deserve to be top.’’