In the second half of the season, Sporting KC made a remarkable turnaround, earning a spot in the playoffs with a win over Minnesota United FC on Decision Day. The team’s success was fueled by key players getting healthy, including Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda, who both missed the entire 2022 campaign with knee injuries.

Pulido’s impressive performance earned him the title of 2023 MLS Comeback Player of the Year, while Kinda also contributed to the team’s success with one goal and three assists in the playoffs. However, despite this success, Manager Peter Vermes knows that the road to achieving their goals was not an easy one.

The disappointment of watching the 2022 postseason from home still lingered, despite the signings of Willy Agada and Erik Thommy. It took a lot of effort from Vermes and his team to maintain their belief, commitment, and effort when results were not coming easily. This involved individual and team meetings as well as effective communication. Despite moments of doubt, however, the team did not give up and started to feel like they were coming back to who they truly were as a team.

Overall, Sporting KC’s strong showing in 2023 was a testament to their resilience and determination to overcome obstacles in order to achieve their goals. With key players recovering from injury and manager Peter Vermes leading them on their journey towards success