Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
On how he viewed his team's performance...
I thought the first half we were excellent. I really do. I thought the first half, we really controlled the game. We got a great goal, excellent ball by Soony. Great run by Kei. Good first touch and then a great finish. I think what really ruled the day for us was that our movement off the ball was very good. Now to start the second half, those two goals we gave up were just absolutely horrendous. But what I'll say is - even after we scored the two goals, we lost ourselves for about 5 minutes. We just couldn't, we were wondering what happened and we weren't connecting. But then after that we got back into our game and a lot of credit to the players for the character to come back. I mean obviously it was great for the fans, they definitely got their money's worth but, at the end of the day there were two soft goals. But, excellent for us, scored three goals here at home. I really think that a couple of things: when we move off the ball like the way we did tonight, I think it's very difficult for teams to defend us and we've got to keep having that type of commitment to get forward with many different runs. Then you know the final goal, actually Kevin Ellis started that coming on when he did. I thought he did a great job to serve the ball in the first time and then, you know good ball by Bieler but great finish by Kei. Saw at the end, three points, and I think that puts us in a position to just start riding the wave a little bit and that's what we gotta do. And we've got to bring it home again on Wednesday night.
On the two soft goals conceded...
I don't know what to tell you. I mean they're horrible, they're horrendous. We actually had five guys, one that was already back and the other four were chasing and, you know, it wasn't good. It wasn't good at all. It was terrible, actually.
On Kei Kamara...
I tell him all the time, when he runs off the ball, I don't think there's a player in the league that is as dangerous or there is a player that can stop him. His movement off the ball? I mean, how are you going to stop a 6' 3" guy that's coming at you who can absolutely fly down the field and then if you look at the first goal? His touch? It was a great ball, no doubt, but if his first touch is a little to the left or a little too much to the right... the defender gets it. And that finish just about ripped the net off. When he's moving like that? I'm telling you, nobody can stop him.
On Kevin Ellis...
At one point at halftime I told Chance, I may push you over to the left and bring Kevin in and let him play on the right. I didn't want to change two positions if I didn't have to. So I felt at that time we needed fresh legs and I thought Kevin was actually very good. One of the hardest places to come in as a player is defender. It just is, you know, because everything is just coming at you and you're not in the flow of the game. Up front, you can kind of find your way a little bit and you're not the last guy. He had that play at the end where he actually ran through, played it to Zusi, to play it up the field. He was actually very, very good in the air and excellent on the ball. He did a great job and his dominant foot is not left. So he managed that side very well, and I believe that he helped close out the game for us.
Sporting Kansas City forward Kei Kamara
Comments on the match...
Coach basically said it all already. It was a good first half, good goal, and second half Columbus did well from pounding at a teams' mistake and for us to come in there and have those silly mistakes like that is what a good team's going to do, and that's what they did. It was a good fight for the boys to really finish it off at home and getting the three points. Again, it's part of the game, American soccer, if the fans can see five goals like that, and you're team's winning it, it's really great. Everybody's going home happy right now and it's three points for us.
On his first goal...
It was a great touch, but it was definitely a great ball from Soony. For me, I was focusing on getting my touch to put it in front of me. You definitely want to get that touch put out in front of you and I was happy to get a touch on it because Andy's a great goalkeeper and anything that comes really close to him he's going to get a tip. But yeah, a great ball from Soony, but an even better touch from me.
On the importance of the win after some struggles at home...
We have to get back to the swag that we've had for the past two years, not just here at home, playing anywhere we want to play as a team and keep going. For us, right now it's really just to get back into that rhythm that we've had before and we know that this is the perfect time, the second half of the season, to get going. We blew it last week, but getting these points right now is huge for us, for the confidence, the locker room, and everything.
Sporting KC defender Kevin Ellis
On his debut performance...
Tough question. I mean I think as a team we did good, I just try to do my job on the team. I feel like I did my job in the 25 or 30 minutes, I don't know what it was, but in my mind I did... at least to help the team.
On how it felt to be on the field for the first time in an MLS match...
I mean the adrenaline was definitely going, it's a good feeling to do what you love in front of a bunch of people.
On the nerves of the debut...
I felt I was calm. I had plenty of time to prepare for that situation, you know, coming into a MLS game. I wasn't really nervous at all, I was just anxious and ready to get in and try and help the team.
On how he can help the team going forward...
Just continuing to work hard. Just coming in with a positive attitude and doing what I can with the opportunities that I'm given.
Sporting KC forward Dom Dwyer
On making his season debut...
That's why I'm here. You know hopefully I'll get more time and with that put more points on the board. It's nice to get more time and once you get a taste you want more and more so obviously I want more and I want to get on the board a bit more. It was 2-2 when I was about to go on, but then Kei scored to make it 3-2 so it was a change in tactics, just run around and be a nuisance, so that's what I tried to do.
On looking forward to more playing time...
I'll take whatever I can get right now. I was playing 90 in Orlando, regular time, so I feel sharp and ready to go and whatever they want from me, I'll give them.
Sporting KC captain Jimmy Nielsen
On the two goals given up versus Columbus...
First goal...we have got to give a lot of credit to the guy who scored that goal. That was a pretty good detail. Second goal we all know what happened. We bounced back from that and showed extremely strong mentality after that. It's tough to get scored on twice when you're up and you're excited and everybody could see that we had good control of the game. But you know, they came back, it was 2-2 and it was a big disappointment. But we bounced back the right way and we've been talking a lot about that.
On the team's response to allowing a soft goal...
We have to keep our heads up. Because I thought we did an outstanding job out there today. We played some very good soccer and created some great chances. We just got to keep going.
On getting the full three points...
Huge win for us. We did so many things right today that it would have been one of the biggest heartbreakers if we didn't end up with three points. Fighting hard for each other, we out-battled them, we played some very good soccer and you look up and it's 2-2 and you think "What the hell is going on here?" But you've got to keep going and we got rewarded out there for what we did for 90 minutes.
On Soony Saad's performance in place of C.J. Sapong...
He did a hell of a good job. We all know Soony is a great player. I think he proved today that he can play on this level here. Outstanding. Brilliant. I am very, very happy for him. He's been working very hard for this year. Local kid, you know, he deserves a lot of credit for his performance and the work he has put in for the last 6-8 months. He's been working very, very hard and he's been very, very patient. He's my hero today.
Columbus head coach Robert Warzycha
Comments on the match...
We said at halftime to go win the second half and the next forty-five minutes. Actually the second forty-five minutes was better for us than the first one. You know, Kansas City is tough, coming here and trying to play your game. Kansas City has been a good team over the past couple years and how they try and score as many goals as possible to make the fans happy. They move forward and they take their chances, they play it to their advantage and I think in the second half we also played on the edge. I think that's why we scored two goals and unfortunately for us there was a bad clearance and the ball went to Kei and obviously he finished it well.
On goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum...
That's why you have a goalkeeper, to save some shots. Every single game, whether you play at home or away, your team is going to have your chances and without the opportunities, it would be boring. That's why he's a good goalie, and he proved that he can be very good.
On not getting a result...
Well, that's tough. We played good, especially in the second half and unfortunately Kansas City scored another goal. Now we have to go to L.A. and try to play the same way and try to win the game.
Columbus goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum
On Sporting KC's 3-2 win over the Columbus Crew...
With a high-scoring game, we don't like it that way. We didn't like how open it was, and we got a tough break. A couple bounces didn't go our way. We fought and battled hard, but we weren't dangerous enough offensively. Defensively we definitely didn't do enough. It kind of gets repetitive after awhile, but we've got to refocus quickly because we're on the road again (Thursday at Los Angeles Galaxy).
On Sporting KC's strengths...
They pressure high and try to win the ball back right away, so it's a lot about them capitalizing off your own mistakes. They also have a lot of guys who can fly forward; that opens the game up really well for them and makes you spread out defensively. They're a very dangerous team that can do it on the ground, but then on set pieces they can also play in the air. It's a very difficult team.
On how Columbus can reverse their recent two-game slide...
We just need to tighten up defensively and take advantage of our chances. I'd like to score one without giving one up for a change.
Columbus defender Chad Marshall
On Sporting KC's 3-2 win over the Columbus Crew...
It was frustrating to be able to tie it up twice and not be able to hold on for at least a point. That was just a disappointing result for us.
On Columbus' two goals scored in the match...
Both of our goals kind of came from nothing. We weren't really able to keep possession tonight. Jairo (Arrieta) made a good run to beat their center back and he slotted it well. They obviously gave us one for our second goal, but it was very frustrating not to keep things at 2-2.
On Sporting KC's strengths...
Kansas City is a good attacking team. They have plenty of quality players and interchange well up top. That causes problems for defenses. They were really able to do well in the middle tonight and create space. That opened up chances for their forwards who finished well.
On Columbus' recent struggles...
I don't think it's a back four problem. You defend as a team and attack as a team. We'll just have to look at the video this week and get ready to travel to Los Angeles and play the Galaxy. At this point we just need to eliminate the mistakes in order to get better.
