KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Add Peter Vermes to the list of Sigi Schmid's defenders in what has become a trying season for the longtime Seattle Sounders FC boss.
“Of course, I think we're always under scrutiny every week, no matter what the result is,” said Sporting Kansas City's manager, whose side hosts Seattle on Sunday (3pm ET; ESPN, MLS LIVE in Canada). “But the guy's body of work speaks for itself.”
Vermes has a longstanding managing rivalry with Schmid, highlighted by Sporting's contentious shootout victory in the 2012 final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, where Kansas City snapped Seattle's three-title streak. But the relationship with the two goes back well beyond that – to the early 1990s, when Vermes played for the US national team and Schmid, who led UCLA to three College Cup titles before coming to MLS, was an assistant coach.
The two linked up again in 2005, when Vermes was on Schmid's staff with the US Under-20 national team. Vermes has always spoken warmly and respectfully of the Sounders manager, last year calling him and LA Galaxy skipper Bruce Arena the only two elite coaches in MLS.
“I know Sigi – how hard he works and the time he puts in,” Vermes said. “I have the utmost respect for him.”
Earlier this month, Arena dismissed any talk of firing Schmid as “very foolish." On Friday, Vermes agreed – pointing to Schmid's list of accomplishments since he joined the league's coaching ranks in 1999: Two MLS Cups, five Open Cups, three Supporters Shields and one CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Every club he has coached – the Galaxy, Columbus Crew SC and Seattle – won multiple pieces of hardware on his watch. That, Vermes said, should matter more right now than the Sounders' 6-11-2 record going into Sunday's match at Children's Mercy Park.
“One of the important things about our league – and you can see that within clubs that have been successful – is consistency,” said Vermes, who has led Sporting to one MLS Cup and two Open Cup titles. “Sigi has done a fantastic job – not only there, but in his whole career.”
Vermes' club has undergone its own struggles and streaks this year, and currently sit just outside the last playoff spot in the always-tough Western Conference. A victory over the ninth-place Sounders – on what promises to be a sweltering afternoon, with predicted triple-digit highs – would help immensely.
But despite Seattle's low standing on the table, Vermes is hardly penciling in three points.
“I'd say this about us as well: They're probably in the same boat as we are. I don't think necessarily that your record is indicative of what kind of team you are. I think they have the ability to kill you on the counter and score goals for sure.”
Vermes lauded Sounders star Clint Dempsey as a threat to score anywhere near the goal.
“He's an explosive guy,” Vermes said. “He can score with his head, both feet. He can score on a free kick. Those are things that you have to always make sure you're attentive to over the course of the 90 minutes.”
And with Schmid resting his regulars at midweek, when Seattle's U.S. Open Cup run ended with a 4-2 away loss to the Galaxy, Sporting will face a rested and motivated Sounders side on Sunday.
“Obviously, this game is everything to them, and it is to us,” Vermes said. “So I know it's going to be like every game we play against them. I know it's going to be a battle.”
