And, as of this season, he’s the longest-tenured pro coach with a Kansas City franchise, surpassing Hank Stram’s 15 seasons with the Chiefs that includes when they were the Dallas Texans.

Last season was testament to just why, and Vermes offered a glimpse at the subtle hows of it as he spoke about the constant need to adapt and adjust with the context of a broader scheme: His teams, he noted, always play the 4-3-3 with a holding defensive midfield.

“It’s just the way I play,” he said, speaking at Sporting’s preseason media day ahead of its home opener on Saturday. “But … there’s so many different nuances that go within that style of play that it can look so many different ways.”

When it was looking more and more like his ways either weren’t resonating or effective last season, Vermes saw something different.

Call it stubbornness or call it astute, but he proved correct.

All at once, Sporting was decimated by injuries and struggling to acclimate new players. For all else that might have been improved in the meanwhile, Vermes believed it was just a matter of time.

But he still had to keep the culture afloat, if there was hope to get to the other side that took them to the Western Conference semifinal.

“I really don’t see many teams coming back from that,” Sporting captain Johnny Russell said. “I think a lot of teams (would have) collapsed and their season’s over.”

Even with Vermes under what Russell called “immense pressure” at the time, he persisted in the message of belief.

Not just expressing hope, by the way, but true faith.

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