Peter Vermes is pacing the coaches’ locker room at Children’s Mercy Park when something catches his eye. He leans down and wipes a speck of dust off a side table to his right. Twenty seconds go by, then 30, then 60. The only thing moving is Vermes’ left foot, which he taps on the ground as he stares ahead. Suddenly, he moves forward and straightens the nameplate above his locker. Then he adjusts the nameplate adjacent to his.



In one minute, the Sporting Kansas City head coach will walk into the players’ locker room to address his team ahead of a game against Real Salt Lake that holds massive playoff implications. Vermes has put together a video to get his team pumped for the game, a departure from the normal pregame routine that he hopes will provide a renewed sense of motivation late in the season. But the details in this room matter to Vermes, even if only a handful of people will ever see them, and even though the 20,000 fans waiting outside...