KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With a schedule in place for the MLS is back tournament, Sporting Kansas City inches closer to a return to the pitch.
SKC manager Peter Vermes said Friday the club has been in high spirits during full-team sessions and is preparing for three matches in 12 days beginning July 12.
Mark your calendars, Group D. 📅#MLSisBack Tournament Group Stage pres. by @Heineken_US. pic.twitter.com/6gmdxeifMW
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 24, 2020
“I think right now it's about playing our first game and getting back into the groove,” Vermes told the media via video conference call. “And hopefully by that third game, we’re feeling good about ourselves.”
Group D features two of Sporting's biggest rivals in unbeaten Colorado and Real Salt Lake. Vermes said the similarity between opponents is exciting.
Alongside the obstacles presented playing soccer amid the pandemic are the challenges that come with a lack of chemistry on the heels of a three-month layoff.
MLS expanded substitutions from three per game to five for the competition.
“The five substitutions, as much as a good thing it is from a physical perspective, I think it can really be a slippery slope when it comes to the flow and rhythm of a team,” Vermes said.
“It’s really going to be about taking inventory of the team after each game and really seeing where the guys are,” he finished.
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