Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes says there is no rift between himself and forward Omar Bravo, who expressed displeasure over his lack of playing time inthe playoffs. The Mexican star suffered a groin injury shortly before the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and Vermes kept him out of both games as a precaution. Bravo deemed himselfready to play before the conference championship game but didn’t enter until the 85th minute of a 2-0 loss to Houston.
Terez A. Paylor reportsthat Bravo sprinted off the field quickly after the game and was long gone by the time the media was allowed in. He told Univision’s Contacto Deportivo the situation frustrated him, but Vermescontends Bravo still wasn’t completely healthy.
“He wants to win, and I understand that he wants to be on the field and play,” Vermes said. “But at the time, thatwas the choice we made. …
“[We had] a friendly conversation for about five to 10 minutes; we didn’t talk about his playing time. Will it come up in our next meeting? Sure. Wewant him to stay here; we want him to be a part of our team. I don’t hold grudges against guys that are upset because they are not playing. I get where he’s coming from.”