Sporting KC showing signs of progress under interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Sporting KC appears to have turned its season around. After starting 2025 winless in its first eight matches, the club has three wins in the last five games after making a coaching change.
A little over a month ago, longtime SKC assistant Kerry Zavagnin was named interim head coach after the club parted ways with franchise icon Peter Vermes.
The 50-year-old is no stranger to the club. Zavagnin played for the Wizards from 2000-2008 and has been a coach with the team since 2009 – but when he took over the top job on an interim basis, there were still questions he needed to answer.
“Obviously, when there is a change, there is this ‘wait and see,’” Zavagnin told reporters on Tuesday morning. “Some guys will say, ‘Something new? I’m ready to go anywhere with you.’ Then other guys are like, ‘Let’s see what you have to offer.’ Then the collective is, ‘We want to believe again. We’re not sure if we do.’”
Zavagnin’s first game at the helm was a 2-0 win against St. Louis on April 5. It was the team’s first MLS win since September 2024. One player says that win spurred a change within the organization.
“For me, the St. Louis game was a big turnaround for us,” said Sporting KC midfielder Jacob Bartlett. “It kind of gave us an edge and the knowledge that we can beat teams and be one of the best teams in the league. I think we’re playing with that now, and it’s pretty visible to everyone watching.”
In five matches under Zavagnin, the team has won in a variety of ways. Sporting scored five goals at San Jose to beat the Earthquakes and also beat the L.A. Galaxy without registering a shot on goal – a path to victory no MLS team had ever taken before.
“What I’ve seen over the last number of weeks is a group that is willing, that really wants to, that is starting to generate belief,” Zavagnin said. “Not just in how we can get results, but in each other.”
Sporting goes for its fourth win of the season on Saturday in a road match at the Portland Timbers.
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