Sporting Kansas City's already-difficult start to the 2023 MLS season grew even worse during Matchday 10.
Of 29 clubs, they're the last remaining MLS team without a win following Saturday's 2-0 defeat to visiting CF Montréal, who entered the match in similarly worrisome circumstances at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Sporting KC's three points (0W-7L-3D record, 0.3 points per game) leave them at the bottom of the league table as May arrives, with their three goals scored also representing a league-low figure.
"I don't know how you fix it," captain Johnny Russell told reporters in the postgame locker room. "I'm going to be completely honest. We just don't look anything like the team that we were. I don't know. I genuinely don't know how you fix it."
Pressure mounting
Whenever a team endures a run of form like the one Sporting KC are experiencing, scrutiny will inevitably follow. Vocal frustrations from SKC supporters were heard on the MLS Season Pass broadcast during the match, with manager and sporting director Peter Vermes saying he's well aware the winless run will put him under a microscope.
"I didn't [hear the crowd]. I don't necessarily listen to much that goes on. How do I respond? It's not for me to make, that decision [about the future]. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is," said Vermes, who's the longest-serving MLS manager since taking over SKC in 2009.
"...I think the first day when you enter this business you always gotta know your job is always at stake," added Vermes, who in February signed a five-year contract extension through the 2028 MLS season. "Always know that. Never thought differently in any of the time I've been here. ... I understand. It's not good enough, responsibility's on me. So, I get it."
The club's attacking woes have underscored the slow start, with goals drying up despite the reintegration of Designated Players Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda, who are still working their way back to form and fitness after missing the 2022 campaign to knee injuries. SKC are also without 2022 leading scorer Willy Agada through the summer due to a leg fracture.
Whether those returns are enough to salvage the season remains to be seen. As Vermes pointed out, time is of the essence.
"We're not playing well," Vermes said. "We haven't won a game. We haven't created high-quality chances here in the last couple of games. We've had opportunities in the first probably like six or seven games, I think we were in and around the box quite a bit. Those we weren't finishing. Right now I think a lot of our shots are coming from further out and we just don't get numbers in the box at the moment."
SKC entered the new year with hope after enjoying a strong final third of their 2022 season, fueled by Agada and Erik Thommy arriving in the summer transfer window. Instead, the Western Conference club's enduring another lackluster stretch.
"I'm a person that always thinks it is [fixable]," Vermes noted. "You've got to find solutions. Obviously it's a tough situation that we're in. But the only way to do it is you've got to keep working towards it."
Sporting KC return to action next Sunday at Seattle Sounders FC (4:30 pm ET | Apple TV - Free, FOX).
"Right now, none of us deserve to be wearing the jersey," said Russell. "We need to figure it out and we need to figure it out fast or this is going to spiral out of control."
