Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes
Thoughts on the match…
"Outside of the goals, they didn’t have many chances. I haven’t seen all the goals. I can tell you on the first one, we didn’t rotate to the left which is a simple, simple action in the game. We didn’t rotate left and Boniek [Garcia] was wide open. He gets the ball and slips it through. It’s too easy of a play. The second goal, again, I think we were snoozing. On the third, our poor opportunity in tonight’s game was we didn’t manage the game well enough. We had the game. We were leading three times."
On if one action cost the team on the three goals…
"I don’t think you look at goals that way. We owned the game tonight. We led he game three times. We gave up three goals which we never should have. In those three actions, we were very poor. In the last one, it was terrible management in the game. We have no one to blame but ourselves."
On the final goal…
"We fouled a guy with his back to the field. For what? What was he going to do? We give up a set piece late in the game for no reason. It wasn’t like they were going on a counter attack and we needed to make a foul because we needed to make a tactical foul. There was nothing to do. We gave up a silly foul and then we didn’t do our job in defending the play. You have to be able to do that. Like I said, there is no one to blame except ourselves."
Sporting KC Midfielder Roger Espinoza
Thoughts on the match…
"It’s very frustrating. I feel like it was my fault because it was pretty much the last play of the game. I don’t think I ever should have fouled Boniek Garcia there. We know how good they are on set pieces."
On if the late foul was balanced by his goal and an assist…
"There’s no such thing as balance. It doesn’t make it right. Just because I scored and had an assist, I can then make a foul and tie the game. We didn’t have a very good second half, but we had the lead with a minute left. The foul there should never have been a foul — I should never have committed the foul. The ball landed right on the guys head, he hit it well and it was tough for Alec [Kann] to save."
On the club’s struggles against teams from the bottom of the table...
"I feel like teams at the bottom of the table know who they are coming to play against, so they always tend to play their best games against us. Especially Houston, with the rivalry between the two teams. They always play really well against us and tonight was one of those nights."
Sporting KC Midfielder Benny Feilhaber
On if the tie is magnified at this point in the season…
"Yeah, it’s very frustrating. Every point matters that much more. We know where we stand in the table. We have to win our home games and we had, I don’t know how many opportunities to win this game. We are up 2-0 and 3-2 with ten seconds left in the game. It’s not a good one to let slip away."
On when the game changed in Houston’s favor…
"Well the 2-1 goal was obviously big. I think we played like crap from the 2-1 goal all the way to the 2-2 goal and then we woke up a little bit. The 2-1 goal was one of the easiest goals I have ever seen a team winning 2-0 give up. It was way too easy and after that we followed that with 30 minutes of really bad soccer. We deserved to get the 2-2 at that point. Then we woke up and barely had enough time to get to 3-2. Then we weren’t able to hold on with five minutes to go."
On what he expected from the team coming out of a two week break…
"What we saw in the first 15 minutes, a 2-0 start against the last place team in our conference where three points is vital at home."
Houston Dynamo Head Coach Wade Barrett
Thoughts on the match…
"I was really disappointed with our first half. I thought we looked disorganized. One thing we talked about in the first half was that I never wanted us to look confused and I thought we were just off in the first half. It could be down to multiple reasons, I would have to watch the game again. But I thought we were off in many different ways in the first half and you can’t do that against a team like this, especially in their home where they are very good. They put good pressure and play with a lot of energy. You can’t come out and look like we did in the first half and expect to come out with anything. I thought it was a fair result at halftime. Obviously, we had a lot to say at the half and I was really pleased with the players. These kinds of games can go two ways. The guys fought back. I thought the response in the second half, the fight and the character that we showed in the beginning of the second half, I was really impressed with. The one thing I still think we are missing and it has happened in many games is that killer instinct. You guys saw the game, too. We had some very good chances at 2-2 and when you get your foot on somebody’s throat, when you get on top of a team, you have to get an end result. We got the two goals, but we should have had more. They are a good team. They are still going to have a chance or two at the end. I’m disappointed they got the third goal, but still pleased with the fight the guys showed. It’s happened to us a couple times this year. I know it doesn’t feel good to have that goal go in right at the end like that, but for us, we haven’t had it go in that way for us so it felt good to get that last goal."
On the success Mauro Manotas has against Sporting KC
"Honestly, Mauro [Manotas] has had chances against every team he’s played against. One of Kansas City’s biggest strengths is the pressure they put on, and I tell you what, when they get it right it’s really difficult to beat. We talked about the opportunity to get behind. That’s the one thing, you want to try to use their strength and turn it into a weakness so we wanted to try to get Mauro in behind their defense and we got him in a couple times. He’s had those chances against a couple teams, but for whatever reason they have gone in against Kansas city. I won’t ask too many questions about it. I’m just glad it happened."
Houston Dynamo Goalkeeper Joe Willis
On getting the late tying goal...
"It was nice to see the fight at the end. To see the character that we have, but still the fact that we're celebrating a tie is a little bittersweet, I guess. We wanted three points. I think it could have gone either way. We're a little disappointed, but we're happy with the character that we showed."
On his performance...
"It was alright. We always knew that they were going to be an attacking team, so I came into it knowing that I was going to have to make some saves probably. That's what I'm back there to do, it's my job so anything I can do to contribute to the team is what I'm going to do."
On the character his team showed at the end...
"I think a lot of times earlier in the season when a situation like that happens where we give up that third goal, there's times that we'll just quit, where you can see in guys faces, guys just kind of give up. And that wasn't the case tonight. I don't think there was one guy on this team who thought we were losing. Whether it be a tie or a win, there wasn't a single guy here who thought we were losing."
Houston Dynamo Forward Mauro Manotas
On your first goal in MLS...
"I'm very very happy for the good performance by the entire team and with my first goal. Now we must just keep working to repeat it."
On the game-tying goal...
"It was a very fast play when Boniek was fouled. I am not sure who headed the ball. It was a beautiful goal luckily for us."
Houston Dynamo Midfielder Boniek Garcia
On Manotas' goal...
"We'd been having a lot of movement out of the back and Mauro was able to lose his mark and scored a good first goal and there will be plenty more goals to come for him."
On the equalizer...
"In the second half, we completed more plays towards goal. Good counters from Chaco [Cristian Maidana], Mauro [Manotas] and myself that brought on the goal. And god willing, we were able to tie the game."
