A pair of surging sides square off Sunday as Sporting Kansas City (7-2-3, 24 points) hosts Columbus Crew SC (7-2-3) in a marquee matchup at Children's Mercy Park. The match will air nationally on FS1 and locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB, featuring two teams tied for second place in the MLS Supporters' Shield standings.

Friday afternoon, Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes joined The Program host Soren Petro to provide a preview of the high-profile encounter, for which there are a limited number of tickets still available on SeatGeek.com.

Vermes was very complimentary of Columbus head coach Gregg Berhalter and a Crew SC outfit that has gone 4-0-2 in its last six games, including four straight shutouts entering Sunday.

"I think they have a good culture, a good model of play, and good players," Vermes said of Columbus. "They do a good job competing in a small market, much like we do, and they recognize that they have to go about their business in a different way compared to other higher-spending teams.

"What becomes very important in the summer months is you have to keep the ball," Vermes added. "Because if you don't keep the ball in this heat, you're chasing the game a lot. Our possession has been really good, and we need to make sure that's a huge asset of ours going forward."

Listen to the full podcast below, including Vermes' thoughts on the next big step Major League Soccer must take in its ascension as one of the world's most competitive leagues.