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KANSAS CITY, Kan. It's been a few years, but Peter Vermes has been through this sort of thing before and come out on top.

Sporting Kansas City's manager will take his club to Red Bull Arena on Thursday for the Eastern Conference Knockout Game, a quick rematch of Sunday's 2-0 home defeat to New York in the regular-season finale. Kansas City went winless against the Red Bulls in three regular-season matches, but Vermes said after Sunday's game that the playoffs represent a clean slate for his injury-plagued side.

I was playing for Colorado in 1997, and we made the final playoff spot, and we played Kansas City four times that year, Vermes recounted in his postmatch news conference. They won all four and outscored us 15-2. Our first game in the two playoff games was here [in Kansas City]. They were the No. 1 seed, and we beat them 3-0.

That Rapids team went on to reach the MLS Cup final before falling 2-1 to D.C. United, but three years later Vermes helped Kansas City then the Wizards bring home their first title.

I can tell you that I think anything is possible when you step into the playoffs, he said, but at the same time, were a team that has some things to overcome.

Those things have been well chronicled: A run of injuries, several of them season-ending, that began in late March and never let up. Sporting limp into the playoffs tired, banged up and with midfielder Benny Feilhaber (ankle) and right back Igor Juliao (hamstring) questionable for Thursday.

It's what we have right now, midfielder Paulo Nagamura told reporters after Sunday's match. We cannot make any excuse. We have to deal with who we have in our group now. It's a short turnaround, only four days, but we're playing the team we just played, and the guys are going to come back with a different energy and mentality, I believe.

And despite their struggles down the stretch, left back Seth Sinovic said on Sunday, We're a team to be feared. We're the defending champs. We've got playoff experience, and we're ready to go.

Even if Feilhaber can't go on Thursday, Sporting still have plenty of players available Sinovic and Nagamura among them who either started or saw significant time in last year's MLS Cup shootout victory over Real Salt Lake. And for several of them including Sinovic and a trio of perennial MLS All-Stars in winger Graham Zusi and center backs Matt Besler and Aurelien Collin this will be their fourth straight postseason with Kansas City.

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Entering playoffs, Sporting Kansas City hope to erase rough end to season: "Anything is possible"

It wasnt the game-winner he hoped for to end a 20-career in professional soccer, but Marco Di Vaio still left the Montreal Impact with a goal to remember him by.

The 38-year-old Italian, who finished off a stellar career with three Major League Soccer seasons in Montreal, scored in the 27th minute only to see Fabian Espindola get the equalizer in the 86th as the Impact played to a 1-1 draw with D.C. United on Saturday.

To finish my career is a little bit sad, but this has been a big day for me and my family, so Im happy, said Di Vaio. Scoring goals was my life, and this was the last time I will feel that emotion.

But I received a lot of emotion from everyone in Montreal, inside and outside the stadium. I feel like a lucky guy.

The game meant nothing in the standings to either side.

Montreal (6-10-18) finished last in the 19-team MLS after a difficult season, although they took heart from going undefeated three wins and three ties in the last six home games.

D.C. United (17-8-9), which finished on a six-game unbeaten string, came first in the Eastern Conference and will face the winner of the fourth versus fifth place knockout game in the playoffs.

It poured cold rain throughout the match, but the crowd of 15,242 were there mostly to celebrate the career of perhaps the best player ever to put on the Impacts blue, white and black uniform.

The goal, scored on a solo run up the left side with a low shot slotted past goalkeeper Bill Hamid, was like many of the 34 he scored in 76 games for Montreal.

When he went in, Di Vaio performed his signature goal celebration he kissed the ring on his left hand and lifted his arm to the sky.

Read more:
Marco Di Vaio scores in last career game as Impact draws with United

Oakland University sounding off on alleged "Knockout Game" incident
Oakland University sounding off on alleged "Knockout Game" incident.

By: WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7

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Oakland University sounding off on alleged "Knockout Game" incident - Video

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) A man is attacked in downtown St. Louis and some think it might be a new wave of the knockout game.

According to St. Louis City police a 49-year-old white male was walking with a friend west on Cole. As they crossed Tucker the suspect and another man approached them. That`s when the suspect punched the victim in the face and knocked him to the ground. The two men then ran east on Cole. The homeless victim was found unconscious and taken to a local hospital. Early reports suggest it was a knockout game attack but investigators disagree.

We should clear it up. Some believed it could be knockout game. Except for the fact that its not consistent with incidents of knockout game. Number one, we have not had any incidents of it in the downtown area. Number two, this one there is some indication that there was some dialogue between the suspect and victim.. This is uncommon with the knockout game , they take their victim totally by surprise. said District 4 Commander Capt. Dan Howard.

The suspect is a black male 20 to 25 years old weighing between 140 and 160lbs. He was also wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt. The suspect can face third degree assault charges if caught.

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Police say attack on homeless man not part of the knockout game

By Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBNnews.com

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 3) The National University (NU) Bulldogs imposed their will on the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws to register a dominant 75-59 victory in the winners-take-all Game 3 of the UAAP Season 77 Finals, ending a 60-year championship drought in the process.

Cameroonian big man Alfred Aroga was simply unstoppable on both ends of the court, scoring 24 points while grabbing 18 rebounds and shutting down the paint to power the Bulldogs to an emotional victory Wednesday in front of a jubilant crowd at the Araneta Coliseum.

Three other players scored in double-digits for the Bulldogs, who had an impressive offensive outing, but again leaned on their stingy defense to shut down the Tamaraws in the second half of the contest.

"It's always hard, in a knockout game, and the one week (break) was the longest one week for me and for the team," NU head coach Eric Altamirano said after the game.

"We knew, coming into this season, that we will not have our key players. Except for (point guard) Gelo (Alolino), we lost our starters. We were trying to figure out what's gonna happen to this team," he said.

"We couldn't imagine that we would be champions this year."

It was NU's first UAAP championship since 1954.

The win completed a truly remarkable campaign for the Bulldogs, who played five do-or-die games in the Season 77 playoffs, and became only the first No. 4 seed in the Final Four era to go on to win the crown.

"It was really a long journey for us," Altamirano said. "But I think those playoff games helped us become stronger. The adversity that we went through, nagpalakas sa amin. Lalo kaming nagka-kumpyansa sa bawat isa. It really prepared us for Game 3."

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NU routs FEU to win first UAAP title in 60 years