Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
On his team’s performance…
I thought that they did a very good job in the first half. It wasn’t so much their possession, it was that they recovered most of the balls in the midfield, which we were a little bit late on. And, at times, they were able to stretch the field and I thought they did a really good job on second balls. I thought that the goal was pretty soft on our part. I thought that we were pretty unorganized in the first half. But the great thing is that during halftime, I said to the guys that in the last 11 games that we’ve played, it is probably the worst half of soccer that I’ve seen us play. And unfortunately, that’s going to happen. The important thing is how you react in the second half. And I thought our reaction was excellent, and we had the last-minute dramatic goal to get the tie, but the amazing part is the fight the guys have to just keep going and going. It was pretty impressive and I’m proud of the fact that we put ourselves in that position to start the second half.
On the insertion of Kei Kamara in the first half…
My reasoning for it was that I just felt that after seeing the way we were playing, from an athletic perspective, I thought that Kei could be a major mismatch over there. I think that it was from the start of when he got in the game. He came in and changed the game some for us, especially the last few minutes of the half. I think in the second half he was definitely a monster, and if I’m not mistaken he got the assist on the goal cause he got up in the air and kept it going. He was very, very good.
On the role of the crowd…
I’ve said this all along, during the 10-game road stretch, you’re the enemy so you never get any applause or ‘good jobs.’ You don’t get anything. At home, that 12th man, it keeps you going because you don’t want to disappoint. I don’t think the guys did that tonight by any means, and if anything, we gained some fans based on the way the guys were able to come back and the dramatic goal to tie the game up. Fans are fantastic, and what’s great is that game after game, we’re growing in numbers. I was shocked at the number of people that were at Wednesday’s game (against Colorado). I played for this team many moons ago, and I don’t remember a Wednesday match having that many people at a game. So, it’s fantastic, it’s a huge help to the players. I just hope that we can continue to be able to reciprocate with the fans for their support.
On Tuesday’s quarterfinal of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup…
We’ve got some guys who need a rest, so we’re going to have to make some changes to the lineup -- a lot more significant than one or two. I don’t think I’m tipping my hand, I just think it’s a reality. We’re going to go to try to win that game for sure, but I’ve got to be very smart about which players I put into the lineup.
On the team giving up the first goal as of late…
You never want to give want to give up the first goal. But you know, we’re alive and well. We have a lot of games left, and we have a lot of games left at home. I feel that we’re starting to come into our own as a team, and we’re going to continue to hopefully get results. As much as you don’t want to focus on everyone else in the league, it’s not like everyone else is taking off in points because some teams are getting beat. Maybe some of the top teams are getting a little further away, but that’s okay as long as you’re still in the mix, and right now we’re in the mix.
On his body language on the sidelines…
I’ll tell you this, that there are a couple times I’d like to run onto the field and do a few other things but unfortunately I can’t do that anymore. But, I have a lot of passion for what I do and for the game, and it’s exciting when you see your team fight through adversity for over 90 minutes and get themselves back in the game. It’s not just the playing, but you win a lot of things within that .It’s psychological game that you win too.
On Omar Bravo scoring the equalizer…
I’m happy for him that he got it. It was a great goal because of his anticipation. That’s the one thing that people don’t see about Omar. The on thing that Omar does better than other players is that he finishes the ball. He may not get the first ball or the second ball but he keeps on going to get the third one because of his commitment to making those runs. His goal was extremely opportunistic and due to his anticipation of where he thought the ball was going to go.
On Graham Zusi’s injury…
He tweaked his ankle again, the same one he hurt here at home. He tweaked it after being tackled from behind. I think it’s probably going to be a for sure that he’s going to be out (against Richmond).
Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler
On the team’s slow start…
Since it’s the second time its happened, it’s kind of bothersome. For some reason, we’ve come out a little bit flat the last two games at home, so there’s no excuse for that really.
On the Chivas USA goal…
We were just a step too late to everything the first half, and that caused us to do a lot of defending and running. It was hot tonight. We’ve played a lot of games, I think our legs were a little tired. We just gave them a little too much space and they kept slipping it through, it was kind of a domino effect really.
On Sporting Kansas City’s second half performance…
(Dan) Kennedy made a couple good saves to even keep it a tie. I think we had a really strong second half, kind of threw everything at them, and in the end got a point.
On contribution to the stoppage-time goal….
To be honest, I think we have a chance everytime I hit that ball. Especially when we put (Birahim) Diop in there. I look up and see Diop, Kei, and CJ, so that’s three not too bad of targets. I felt kind of like a quarterback tonight.
Sporting Kansas City striker Omar Bravo
On ending the night with a goal…
We like to make ourselves suffer sometimes, but in the end the ball went in and we get the tie. There’s a lot of things we need to get better at, but it was important to get the tie.
On coming from behind recently…
It’s complicated, we need to analyze the way we play our first halves. It was really hot and humid, but really important that we got the draw.
Chivas USA Manager Robin Fraser
On the match…
It was a hard fought game. I thought that Kansas City gave us some problems in the first half, but we were able to adjust and create some chances. In the second half, I thought they came out with a lot of energy and really took it to us. I think it’s the first time all year we’ve had to change our formation because a team was giving us trouble, so hats off to them for playing so well. To be 60 seconds from getting out of here with three points, it’s extremely disappointing.
On LIVESTRONG Sporting Park…
It’s fantastic, it’s an absolutely beautiful facility. I can’t imagine that there are many stadiums that are better than this one. It’s a beautiful facility and the owners here have done a tremendous job for the team and the fans are so excited to have this as their home.
About switching formations…
We just felt that their outside players were getting too much time and freedom, so we tried to increase pressure with a new formation. At times it worked well, but I think we’re still a young team that’s growing and there are always decisions that have to be made in tight games and tough situations.
On the play of Nick LaBrocca…
I was hoping somebody would ask me about Nick. I’m very excited about the fact that I feel that we have the best young emerging player in the League. He’s such an intelligent player and he gets himself shots.
On Jimmy Conrad’s role with Chivas USA…
He’s working through his issues with his concussion, and he’s got so much experience for us that he’s able to lend another pair of seasoned and experienced eyes. So, with us, he’s been doing whatever it is that we ask him to do and he’s been extremely valuable to us.
On controlling C.J. Sapong…
It really just comes down to good team defending and knowing what your opponent’s strengths are and being able to adjust. I thought that, for the most part, we did a decent job of putting him in more uncomfortable positions. He’s a tremendous young player and I think he’s got a really bright future.
Chivas USA striker Justin Braun
Overall thoughts on game…
Obviously, it’s disappointing for us. Anytime you give up a goal in stoppage time it’s definitely a letdown. We were expecting to get the three points. We were playing really well and unfortunately in the second half kind of got away from that and came under some pressure and then we broke.
On LIVESTRONG Sporting Park…
It was awesome, this stadium’s great. It’s always fun to see these new stadiums being built and fun to play in such a great atmosphere. It’s fun for the players and hopefully more teams around the League will start to get that type of fan base.
On the humidity…
I don’t think it really affected us. It’s definitely hotter than southern California, but I don’t think we can really blame a tie or the way we played on the weather.
Chivas USA defender Jimmy Conrad
On LIVESTRONG Sporting Park…
It’s amazing. I feel like a played a very, very small part in getting it built. I did a lot of work with the politicians. But it’s great for Kansas City and it’s something the fans deserve. And it’s probably the best facility in this country. I play in the Home Depot Center now and that used to be the premier place to play, but this has definitely raised the bar. It was an exciting game, I wish we would’ve got more out of it but it was a good place to watch a game.
On how the fans treated him…
I was definitely feeling the love. I saw a banner that said I still have a posse in Kansas City. It means a lot, it was great to be showered by their affection, and if I was smart I would probably come back and run for mayor. Maybe in the future.
On the humidity…
I think some of our guys tired out a little more than normal, but we play in a desert in California so it’s not that big of a jump. I think players talk about the weather when they don’t know what else to say in an interview.
