CCL

Quotes: Sporting KC at Central FC: 2-2

Central FC Walkout

Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes

On the result...
"It's good to get a point out of here, but we should have gotten three. We were all over them on the left flank, on the right flank, we had so many chances all night long."


On Kevin [Ellis'] goal...
"It was a good ball in, he made a good run actually. He made a very good run. It comes back from his days being a forward. But he made a really good run in the box, good ball in to him and he has good presence around the keeper. He sees that he's out and he gets around him and just tucks it into the back of the net. It definitely was not an easy finish, but he made it look easy."

On Amer Didic's performance...
"He did a very good job. He learned a lot as the game went on. It's not easy to play against a guy with that strength and power [Kenwyne Jones], but he learned very quickly."


Sporting KC midfielder Paulo Nagamura

On the match...
I think we are a little bit disappointed because we feel that we could have gotten much more than one point.


On the urgency heading into the next Champions League match at Vancouver...
We knew Vancouver had gotten three points here, but to be honest, we are not too concerned about them, we are mostly focused on ourselves. In my opinion, we should have gotten three points today. It was disappointing, but it's still the first game of the group stage. There are three games left and we have another chance to get those points on the road.


On returning to the starting lineup...
I felt all right. I felt a little tired toward the middle of the second half, but it was a good 60-70 minutes and I'm happy with the time. Now, I just need to keep working to gain my fitness back to be able to play 90 minutes. This year has been tough, I have had some struggles with injuries. I just want to get back with the team and help my teammates to win games.


Sporting KC defender Amer Didic

On making his Sporting KC debut...
It was good. I felt nervous at first, but once the game settled down, I thought I found my groove. It was definitely something I tried to enjoy, being my first time with Sporting KC. I thought we were unlucky with the draw, but overall it was pretty exciting, pretty sweet.


On going against Kenwyne Jones...
I knew going in that I would be man-marking him on set pieces. He's a big, physical presence. He holds the ball up every time he gets it. It's just a matter of keeping him in front of you to make him play backward. He's just a very talented player.