Here’s why Sporting KC’s season-ending loss continues to stick with Peter Vermes

Some 60 hours after Sporting KC’s season ended in Houston, Peter Vermes sat down with local media for his end-of-year news conference. The first question was about whether or not his team lived up to what he thought it was capable of entering the year.

As Vermes answered, he spoke about his competitive nature, saying anything short of a championship is disappointing. He quickly added that despite that, he was proud of how the team grew.

Specifically, Vermes was proud of both the way Sporting KC’s locker-room culture improved throughout the year and how certain players took a big step forward. But with that pride, Vermes still feels plenty of frustration for how KC’s season ended on Sunday.

A lot.

“Not accomplishing your goal, it happens,” Vermes said. “But when you don’t have a fair opportunity at it, and that’s the reason why you come up short on your goal, it’s a really, really hard thing to swallow.”

In the long run, neither Vermes nor the players want to say a controversial call was the ultimate reason they lost to Houston in the Western Conference Semifinals of the MLS Playoffs.

Star forward Alan Pulido missed multiple high-quality chances in the second half and probably could’ve elected to shoot on the initial play that led to the controversial handball no-call. Sporting’s defense was suspect on set pieces again in 2023, and the players could hardly move the ball through the midfield.

But Sporting’s players and coaches also acknowledge that a proper handball call would’ve drastically swung momentum in their favor.

“I’m not saying that we would’ve won the game,” Vermes said. “We were just not given the opportunity we should’ve been afforded.”

That opportunity would’ve been a penalty kick for Sporting and a likely red card dished out to Dynamo defender Erik Sviatchenko, meaning Sporting would’ve played up a man for the ensuing 60 minutes.

That’s left a sour taste in the mouth of players, and it’ll likely be that way for a while.

Captain Johnny Russell jokingly thanked media at the close of his Wednesday news conference for saving him from a fine by not asking about the call. Vermes spent over half his 30-minute media session discussing his frustrations with that moment.

“Two out of the last three years, our season has been dramatically affected by decisions,” Vermes said, ”By not going to the camera, not having the center ref walking over, looking at it and making his own decision.”

Vermes was alluding to the final match of the 2021 season, in which a blatant handball call was missed in real-time and not deemed a “clear and obvious error” by the video assistant referee (VAR), who could’ve chosen to review it otherwise.

PRO, the organization that provides referees for all of the United States’ professional leagues, including the NWSL, issued an apology days later in 2021.

That 2021 missed handball call came in a 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake. If that penalty kick had been given and Sporting had scored, it likely would’ve meant Real Salt Lake wouldn’t have made the postseason, and the LA Galaxy would have.

Sporting would’ve also likely finished first in the West. Real Salt Lake eventually eliminated Sporting KC in the Western Conference Semifinals.

The similarities between those situations were not lost on Vermes. In both instances, the referees on the field couldn’t — or didn’t — see what transpired in live action.

“I know even through our players, the center ref said that it hit his chest,” Vermes said. “I accept that because it’s a live situation.”

In that instance, it would be the job of the video assistant referee to recommend a review if he or she felt there was a “clear and obvious error.” A replay angle from behind the net appeared to show the ball blasting off Sviatchenko’s arm, and his arm moved and rippled as a result.

“So, if you go to clear and obvious, well, clear and obvious from the referee is now wrong,” Vermes said. “Clearly and obviously, it did hit his hand. So, it should be (reviewed).”

The VAR process and its applications, specifically with handball rulings, are at the forefront of discussion in the world’s game. The interpretation of the handball rule (and enforcement) continue to come under a microscope in leagues all over the world.

And now, for a second time in three years, Sporting KC players and coaches feel they’re on the wrong side of it.

“I truly believe that we have lost out on a lot of other hardware because of the decisions that have been made in very significant games,” Vermes said.

According to Vermes, Sporting’s ownership group was told by Major League Soccer the handball no-call was a mistake.

Vermes added that MLS sent a video of the incident to multiple leagues worldwide. All but one said it should’ve been a red card and penalty kick, he added.

Neither MLS nor PRO has issued a public apology or acknowledgment of the error at this time.

Other Sporting news and notes

Officiating wasn’t the only topic of Vermes’ final press conference. Vermes was asked directly about the future of Sporting KC captain Johnny Russell, who has a club option for 2024. Vermes said he wouldn’t answer any questions about roster decisions until Friday.

The club must submit all roster decisions to the league by 11 a.m. Central on Friday. An announcement of those decisions by Sporting should follow afterward.

Vermes said that the club has continued negotiating to bring back Gadi Kinda, whose contract expires at the end of the season. Kinda, 28, scored three goals with four assists in just under 900 minutes in the regular season after missing all of 2022 with a knee injury.

The Israeli soccer standout added a goal and assist in Sporting’s playoff series victory over St. Louis.