When Thierry Henry talks about Sporting Kansas City, you can almost hear the envy in his voice. He speaks glowingly of their commitment to defense and the players’ unselfish attitude to collectively play on both ends of the field.

It wasn’t a knock on the Red Bulls’ defense, which has had its troubles throughout the season, but simply a compliment from a world-class player toward a program with the league’s best defense that has become one of the elite teams in Major League Soccer.

And the credit, Henry says, goes to one man: Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes.

“It’s not their defense, it’s the way they defend as a team. It’s a together thing,” Henry said prior to Saturday night’s scoreless tie with SKC at Red Bull Arena, a game that only enhanced his opinion. “They go forward together and they defend together. That’s always very difficult to play against a team like this. They always have a body on the line or they are blocking shots. They are very aggressive in a good way, and they have a good attitude.

“You have to give a lot of credit to their boss. He’s been doing a tremendous job. When I arrived here (in July 2010) they were struggling, and now for nearly two years their record is impressive. KC is a well-organized team. Their boss is putting them in the right shape and every time in the right tactic to hurt teams.”

Vermes, 45, is one of the top American coaches in a league that has relied far too much on foreign coaches in its 17-year history. When MLS was created, one of the goals was to develop American coaches, but only recently have we seen the commitment.

Bruce Arena, Sigi Schmid and Bob Bradley were three of the more successful college coaches in the country when they joined MLS, but it took until 2004 when the original San Jose Earthquakes hired assistant coach Dominic Kinnear. Two years later, the franchise moved to Houston, became the Dynamo and won two straight championships.

Jason Kreis, who had an All-Star career in Dallas, played his final few years with Real Salt Lake and immediately became head coach when he retired in 2007. Two years later, RSL won MLS Cup.

Since then, MLS owners have been more open to American coaches, and in the past few years we have seen Robin Fraser (Chivas USA), Ben Olsen (D.C. United), Jesse Marsch (Impact), Jay Heaps (Revolution), John Hackworth (Union), Frank Klopas (Fire) and Vermes come into the league.

Some have been successful, some not, but the most important thing is they have been given the chance.

Red Bulls midfielder Tim Cahill, who has only been in the league three months, has played against Sporting Kansas City three times due to the quirky MLS schedule, and has been impressed by Vermes’ ability to adjust tactically.

“They’re well drilled. They change their tactics when they come away and when they play at home,” Cahill said. “They’re one of the best teams we’ve played against.

“They changed it up. Their manager is very clever. When we changed it up they changed it again, so technically a lot of credit goes to their team the way they applied themselves and the way they put pressure on us. That’s what football is all about. It’s the way you try and break each other down.

“I’m a big fan of their team, the way they work as a team. They’re no individuals. They work really hard.”

As the U.S. Soccer Federation looks down the line for a successor to Jurgen Klinsmann as U.S. national team coach, it will have the largest pool of American coaches in history to choose from.

Klinsmann, who played in five different countries as a player, said how much he enjoyed seeing the world and never stayed in one place too long. As a coach, he lasted two years with the German national team, deciding not to renew his contract following a third-place finish at the 2006 World Cup. And with Bayern Munich he lasted a little less than a year and was replaced following a difference of opinion with the club’s board of directors.

Judging by his history, it’s hard to imagine him staying with the U.S. more than one four-year cycle, so the federation will likely be looking for a new coach following the 2014 World Cup, should the Americans qualify. And that’s not a given considering their shaky performance in the last round.

Fortunately for the USSF, when the time comes, it will have a solid group of coaches to choose from, and by that time it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Vermes on top of their list.

ETC

It will be a busy year in 2013 for the U.S. men's national team. The final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying will begin Feb. 6, while the CONCACAF Gold Cup will be played from July 7-28. ... The six nations in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying — Jamaica, United States, Mexico, Honduras, Panama and Costa Rica — were unable to agree on a schedule and have asked FIFA to conduct a draw, which is tentatively set for Nov. 7. ... The Americans will play one more game this year, Nov. 14 at Russia. ... Clint Dempsey's two goals in the 3-1 victory over Guatemala last week raised his total to 30 and tied him with Brian McBride for third-most in U.S. history. Carlos Bocanegra had the other goal, his 14th, which moved him past Marcelo Balboa for the most among American defenders. ... Defender Joe Corona made his first competitive appearance as a 90th-minute substitute against Guatemala, tying him to the United States. He also had been eligible to play for Mexico. ... Carlos Ruiz, 33, scored the goal for Guatemala, then announced his international retirement. Ruiz, who played for four MLS teams, finishes with 55 goals in 104 games for Guatemala, which has never qualified for the World Cup. ... Former Red Bulls defender Tim Ream started in Bolton's 3-2 win over Bristol City, his first appearance since Sept. 1. ... U.S. defender Jonathan Spector was ejected in Birmingham's 1-1 tie against Leicester, receiving his second yellow card in the fourth minute of stoppage time. ... Abby Wambach scored in the second minute when the U.S. women's national team tied Germany, 1-1, Saturday before 19,522 in Bridgeview, Ill. Wambach earned her 192nd career cap to tie Brandi Chastain for eighth on the all-time list. The Olympic victory tour continues tonight when the two teams play again in East Hartford, Conn. ... Red Bulls midfielder Tim Cahill scored the tying goal on a header with 10 minutes to play in Australia's 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Iraq. ... Former Red Bulls midfielder Dane Richards was the difference in Jamaica reaching the final round of World Cup qualifying. His two late goals enabled Jamaica to beat Antigua and Barbuda, 4-1, and qualify over Guatemala on goal difference. ... Cristiano Ronaldo earned his 100th cap last week but Portugal picked up only one point from two World Cup qualifying games. ... Denmark coach Morten Olsen says defender Patrick Mtiliga will not be called up to play for Denmark again after refusing to warm up before last week's World Cup qualifier against Italy because he had not been named to the starting lineup. ... Substitute Olivier Giroud scored deep into stoppage time when France ended Spain's 24-game winning streak in qualifiers with a 1-1 tie. ... Germany blew a 4-0 lead and tied Sweden, 4-4, in a World Cup qualifier. According to the German soccer federation, it was the only time in its 868 international matches that the team lost a four-goal advantage. Miroslav Klose scored twice in the game to move within one of Gerd Muller's national team record of 68 goals. ... Santos striker Neymar has played 200 games for Santos and scored 119 goals. ... Stephen Hart resigned as Canada coach after the team failed to advance to the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. Hart's three-year record was 20-15-10. ... Match Day 3 of the European Champions League will be played today and Wednesday, while Match Day 3 of the Europa League will be played Thursday. ... The final group-stage games of the CONCACAF Champions League are this week. Real Salt Lake and the Dynamo play today, Toronto FC and the Sounders tomorrow and the Galaxy on Thursday. The eight group winners advance to the quarterfinals. ... The first leg of the Asian Champions League semifinals will be played Wednesday, with the second leg set for Oct. 31. ... The Superclasico is back. Seventeen months after River Plate was relegated it will host rival Boca Juniors on Sunday. ... Former Red Bulls forward/midfielder John Rooney, the 21-year-old brother of Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney, has been offered a contract to play for English club Barnsley. He has been playing for Orlando City, a third-tier U.S. club. ... The Portland Timbers won for the first time on the road this season, 1-0 over the Whitecaps in Vancouver, and won the Cascadia Cup, the trophy that goes to the season winner in the head-to-head matchup between the three Pacific Northwest rivals. Portland finished 3-1-2, Seattle was 2-1-3 and Vancouver 0-3-3. Despite the loss, the Whitecaps clinched a playoff berth when Seattle beat Dallas Sunday night and became the first Canadian team in history to advance to the MLS postseason. ... The Sounders broke their own MLS single-season record for average attendance this season. Seattle averaged 43,144, beating its old mark of 38,498 from 2011. ... Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski scored his league-leading 26th goal in a 2-2 tie with the Galaxy to move within one of Roy Lassiter's MLS season record with one game to play. ... Colorado Rapids midfielder Brian Mullan underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. ... Seattle Sounders coach Sigi Schmid was suspended for Sunday's game against FC Dallas and fined $2,000 by MLS for comments about the officials during and after his team's scoreless tie with Real Salt Lake last week. ... Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy missed Saturday night's 2-0 loss to the Rapids because of a knee injury, ending his streak of consecutive starts at 64. ... Raheem Sterling scored in Liverpool's 1-0 victory over Reading, and at 17 years, 317 days became the club's second-youngest English Premier League scorer behind Michael Owen. ... Spanish midfielder Suso, 18, signed a long-term contract with Liverpool. ... Liverpool striker Fabio Borini will be sidelined three months with a broken foot. ... As part of England's new disciplinary code, players have been banned from tweeting about matches for 24 hours before a game. ... West Ham forward Ricardo Vaz Te underwent shoulder surgery will be out three months. ... Manchester City striker John Guidetti signed a three-year contract extension. ... Southampton midfielder Gaston Ramirez will be sidelined six weeks with a thigh injury. ... Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker, who injured his right Achilles at the European Championship, likely won't be back before the new year. ... Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski will be out three months after rupturing ankle ligaments in training. ... Everton signed former Germany international Thomas Hitzelsperger to a short-term contract. ... John Terry was given the biggest fine imposed by Chelsea in history ($352,000) but will remain the team's captain after being sanctioned by the club for racially abusing an opponent. ... Aston Villa (1-5-2) is off to its worst start to a top-flight campaign since 1986-87 when it was relegated. ... Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney scored his 200th goal in club soccer in the team's 4-2 win over Stoke. ... Last-place Queens Park Rangers (0-5-3) is without a win in its first eight games for the first time since 1991. ... A BBC survey revealed that the average price of the cheapest match ticket in the EPL has increased nearly 14 percent, from $40.10 to $45.60. ... A 21-year-old English fan who was drunk has been sentenced to four months in jail for assaulting Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Chris Kirkland during a game on Friday. The fan ran on the field, shoved Kirkland in the face and knocked him to the ground. ... AS Roma's Francesco Totti scored his 217th career goal to become the third most prolific scorer in Serie A history. Totti had been tied with Giuseppe Meazza and Jose Altafini at 216 goals. Silvio Piola holds the record with 274, followed by Gunnar Nordahl with 225. ... Genoa yesterday fired coach Luigi De Canio, a day after the club blew a 2-0 lead in a 4-2 loss to AS Roma. ... AC Milan striker Robinho missed Saturday's 3-2 loss to Lazio with a muscle problem in his right thigh, an injury that will also keep him out of Wednesday's Champions League game at Malaga. ... Udinese midfielder Giovanni Pasquale renewed his contract for another three years, through June 2016. ... An Italian court has ordered the referees involved in the 2006 match-fixing scandal to pay $5.25 million in damages to the Italian Football Federation. ... Now that Lionel Messi is scoring goals for Argentina the way he has been for Barcelona, he is quickly moving up the national team scoring list. Messi has 31 goals for Argentina, two behind Diego Maradona, who is third on the list with 33. The leader is Gabriel Batistuta with 54, followed by Hernan Crespo with 35. Messi has also scored 71 goals for club and country in 2012 to leave himself only four shy of matching Pele's record of 75 in a single year in 1959. ... Real Madrid forward Kaka, who hasn't played for Brazil since the team's elimination in the quarterfinals of 2010 World Cup, scored a goal in each of Brazil's friendlies last week, a 6-0 win over Iraq and a 4-0 win over Japan. ... Barcelona rejected the Spanish Football Federation's bid to hold the Spanish Super Cup in China in 2013. The federation was to receive $50 million for the game. ... Lorient defender Lucas Mareque will be out two months with a groin injury. ... Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac will be out six weeks after fracturing a bone in his left foot during Sunday's 1-0 loss to Troyes. ... Vasco da Gama midfielder Juninho, who went to the locker room prior to undergoing a post-match drug test, escaped punishment. He was given a warning, not a suspension. ... Brazilian club Coritiba signed former Fenerbahce playmaker Alex. The German football federation will not give former Germany captain Michael Ballack an official farewell game. Ballack retired this month after 98 games for Germany, although none since March 2010. A few days later in Spain, Ballack was caught driving 131 miles per hour in a 75 mph zone. He could lose his license plus face a $13,000 fine. ... Stuttgart striker Cacau will be out at least three months after injuring his left knee in training. ... Borussia Dortmund, which has won the past two Bundesliga titles, saw its home unbeaten streak end at 17 with a 2-1 loss to Schalke, which was playing its 1,500th game in the Bundesliga. But fear not. While Bayern Munich set a Bundesliga record with its eighth straight victory to open the season on Saturday, each of the three previous occasions a team has started the Bundesliga with seven wins — Bayern Munich in 1995-96, Kaiserslautern in 2001-02 and Mainz in 2010-11 — Dortmund has recovered to win the title. ... Hoffenheim's 3-3 tie with Greuther Fuerth on Friday was the 15,000th match in Bundesliga history. ... Defender Lukasz Piszczek extended his contract with Borussia Dortmund until 2017. ... South Africa assistant coach Thomas Madigage was killed in a car crash early Friday. He was 41. ... The Egyptian Football Federation delayed domestic league games indefinitely because police have not given assurances they can secure matches. ... Senegal was disqualified from next year's African Cup of Nations, although the country was already about to be eliminated in qualifying when its fans rioted and caused the game against Ivory Coast to be abandoned. ... After reviewing the case file, FIFA decided to extend the ban on Nicaragua defender Armando Collado worldwide for allegedly manipulating his team's friendly against Guatemala in Miami on Sept. 4, 2010. Guatemala won 5-0. ... FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke is worried about the slow pace of construction at some Confederations Cup stadiums, saying Brazil has to "speed up" work to make sure all six venues are ready in time for next year's tournament.

Frank Giase: fgiase@starledger.com