Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
What did you think of the game?
It was definitely not a pretty game for either team. It was an absolute battle. It's good to get out with no goals scored against. We know what the return match will be. It'll be the final because it's the last game for both teams. What I really credit my guys for is keeping their composure, battling every single roll of the ball, and getting a clean sheet here which is not an easy thing to do here against this team. As I've said quite a few times already, this is a very good team and we have a lot of respect for them. I have a lot of respect for Dom and we go back a long way. I think they do a great job and their guys are always prepared so it's never an easy place to play.
Credit to Houston for limiting your chances?
I don't think either team had many chances to be honest with you. There was a lot of balls in the box but nothing really clean and clear. It wasn't like anybody said 'Holy cow, how did we miss that?' I don't think there was much in and around the box that was any real clear chance.
Did the turnaround affect the game?
I think for both teams it was difficult. I think the biggest thing is both teams had to travel so I think there's no doubt that both teams were tired. There is no momentum anymore. The good thing is that we get a good rest. It may be too long but we'll have to manage it.
How were your guys tonight?
Those guys were good. I can't really admonish anyone for not giving all they had. I don't think they were necessarily all that dangerous, but I don't think we were either. It was a game played between the boxes and it was a battle.
Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler
Who has the advantage?
We look at it like it's us. The reason the higher seed gets the second leg at home is for situations like this. The away team in the first leg can get a result like that and now we get to come home and play in front of fans for the last 90 minutes and hopefully get the win.
Physical state of the team for this game?
It was a grind. We knew it was going to be a battle and that both teams were fatigued coming into the game. Because of that I don't think it was the prettiest of soccer games, but at this time of year that doesn't matter to us.
This season had been different against Houston. Why?
I don't know what it is. It's hard to compare different seasons because each team is different. I will say that this season feels right. We have a group of guys that believe and have the confidence that we're going to win and we're going to do it.
Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen
How do you feel about the game?
It was a great result for us. Both teams came with a very, very good attitude. We had a rough game mid-week and bringing in that intensity, the game that developed today was pretty awesome. There were not a lot of chances in the game, but it was very intense. The referee allowed a lot which I think was awesome. A very physical game.
You weren't called upon much. Was the strategy to make it a midfield game?
We kind of wanted to see how the game developed a little bit. There were moments when we were sitting back and moments when we were pressuring. Most important was that we were all on the same page of what to do and when to do it.
Sporting Kansas City defender Aurélien Collin
How are you feeling after the match?
I'm okay. I'm good. A beat of the nose, the back of the head, the side of the head. When I come to Houston it's always like that so I'm used to it.
Do you need to wear a helmet next time?
I'm sure they received some hits too. I like it when it's physical. I would say the referee was good tonight. Nothing is perfect, but he was quite fair tonight and I'm happy.
Was the clean sheet a good result?
Yeah, of course. It was one of our objectives to not concede a goal and not lose. We could've scored a couple and I could've scored one. Most importantly was that we didn't lose and know they have to come to our place where everyone knows it is difficult for them. The quality of the field today was very, very bad for us to try and play real soccer. We can't wait to be back home and play our real game in amazing facilities in front of our fans. We did a job and am very happy for all of my teammates.
The defense gave up very few chances. How did you play on defense today?
The difference between us winning or them winning was very small. Tonight they did not have a lot of chances. We were very focused and disciplined. One of the main objectives was to be very solid and disciplined in defense to not let them score and we did that tonight. Very proud of the whole team of the way we defended from the top to the goalkeeper.
Houston Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear
Thoughts on the match...
I'm really proud of the guys, the effort they put into today knowing what we've gone through in the last two weeks we easily could have taken the easy way out and complained but they didn't say nothing. They're enjoying the competition, tough game today probably the toughest of the six that we have played and it was jus a very physical game on both sides and we couldn't get a goal, so it's going to be another tough game in Kansas City.
What are you planning for the week with the rest that you have?
We're going to prepare for Kansas City in the best way we know how. These guys have earned some rest. We're going to give these guys a good amount of rest and then obviously we'll gear ourselves up. They deserve a break, usually you get like six games in a month and even that's more than one game a week so six games in less than three weeks is something incredible. We knew it was going to come down to the game in Kansas City anyways, being how competitive and how close these teams are. These guys deserve a break, not only physically but mentally they need to get away and recharge for a little bit so that what they're doing.
What do you think about veterans like Chabala and how important it is for them to step up in these big games?
I think it's everybody, when Jermaine [Taylor] was down obviously it could have created a little bit of a shuffle in the back line and with Corey [Ashe]'s suspension but Mike is ready and probably works harder than anybody here in practice, so it's never going to be a fitness problem. Like Eric Brunner, he's stepped into play these playoffs, Cam Weaver comes on, Andrew Driver comes on in I think the 30th minute. Unfortunately we kind of had to hold on to that last sub for the last 15, 20 minutes because we've done so much. These guys are ready. We tell them in preseason, during the season a couple of times, 'you're going to get a chance to play, just make sure you're ready,' and these guys are professional enough that they are.
Houston Dynamo defender Bobby Boswell
Thoughts on the match...
Just to echo what Dom said, I'm very proud of the guys because it's a war every time you play Kansas City. Forget the importance of the game, it's going to be a battle, this is consistent with what I've said all week, we knew it was going to be an ugly game and it was. But I thought we fought hard, there was no drop off, we had guys in and out and I think everyone played well. The guys who came on gave us a boost. Like I said you can't win it in the first game but you can definitely lose it and I think we've given ourselves a chance going into Kansas City.
Can you tell us how you feel physically after these 6 games?
I don't think I'm necessarily the best gauge for that, my position is little bit different but for those guys around me I always say they put in a man's effort, and that means they have a choice: they could sit there and complain and say "Dom I don't feel well, my legs are hurting, my foot could be broken" or something like that but instead they go out there and they do it. That's stuff you guys don't see. We've got a group of men in our locker room and they go out there and they run through things that maybe other guys wouldn't, guys that would come off and say 'oh, I'll let the next guy do it." We've got a bunch of guys on this team that will say 'I'll do it.' Obviously the six games will take a toll on you. It's not just a regular game, these are wars, these are guys that, if they lose, they go home. You saw Montreal kicking and fighting, New York was pushing to the end kicking and fighting, and Kansas City's doing the same. So we've got to match them and in a way surpass them.
Houston Dynamo forward Cam Weaver
Is this the kind of game you expect to have with Kansas City, especially here?
Yeah with KC and with the field the way it was makes it really difficult to play on. So that makes it a physical game, the ball is bouncing up and its hard to get it under control so its kind of a dog fight, and that's the game they wanted to play here. We tried to match them and the referee let a lot of stuff go tonight so it made it into a very physical game.
How tough it is see a teammate get hurt? Like Ricardo Clark and Will Bruin and with the absence of Corey Ashe?
It's something you have to deal with at certain points of the season with guys going down. It's terrible to see guys walking off of the field hurt and I think the amount of games that we've played is certainly a factor there, we have a lot of tired legs and you're playing that many games in such a short period of time and that is just asking for guys to get injured.
So is there a sense of relief after this long stretch of games being over and with the series of injuries?
Well we'll see, we don't know the status of the guys who had to come off today so we'll see. Hopefully it's nothing serious with them but we will definitely look forward to getting a few days off and letting our legs recover because there is a lot of heavy legs out there today.
