Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
On the result
We actually made a good step in the right direction. We played real well. We played more like us tonight than we have in the past. We’ve had a couple performances prior to this that weren’t good at all and there [was] a lot of things that weren’t good about it but tonight played more like us. I think we drove the game. We outshot them, 17-5, you know, and every category we [had] more, except the two goals. We created [a lot] of chances. From that perspective, it was very good.
On turning around the recent losing streak
Doing what we just did [tonight]. We play like that more often – I mean, we could’ve been up 3-nil if we don’t give up the penalty kick, we could’ve been up 3-nil with the chances we had. Yeah, sometimes it doesn’t go in for you but [with] performances like that, you play like that, you’re going to come in on the correct side of the ledger every time.
On needing to gain momentum heading into the playoffs
You’ve got to understand that the whole season we’ve been in first or second place, the whole entire season with massive amounts of injuries, guys away on international duty, we’ve kept ourselves in the mix. In this league, you always run into a rough patch somewhere. The question is when do you come out of it and when you do, how is your upswing? I have all the confidence in the world [with] where we’re at. I really do.
Sporting Kansas City forward Dom Dwyer
Thoughts on the game tonight:
I mean, obviously we’re disappointed. You know we’re never going to be pleased losing a game, but yeah. We’re just disappointed right now.
On Bradley Wright-Phillips:
He played fantastically well, I mean he’s a great player and he’s the best goal scorer in the league right now, and you know he’s in great form and playing well and I’m very pleased for him. I rate him very highly as a player and he’s a good person too. I’m very pleased for him.
On what the Red Bulls goals:
I mean you know you look at the two goals and obviously it was a mistake on our part, the first one, you know. Give away a PK and Wright-Phillips puts it away. And then you know, Henry’s one, I mean it’s a world-class finish. He puts it right in the top corner, but we’d like to close him down quicker, but that’s Henry.
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Benny Feilhaber
Thoughts on the game:
I thought we gave up the penalty early that put us on the back foot. I thought we were doing pretty well in the beginning of the game until we gave up that goal. We had to fight from the beginning of the game to try and get back into it. It’s obviously not easy playing away from home and I thought the guys did a good enough job to try and get back into the game. Obviously with the goal, with Henry’s skill level, that’s a class goal and it’s going to be tough to stop it, but [we] came back into the match, got a goal back and then pressed on. Unfortunate maybe not to get an equalizer with some of those shots that we had, a couple good blocks and what not, but the guys worked hard and unfortunately we got to look forward. We have to look forward to the next game and break out of this funk that we’re in.
On what the Red Bulls did to cause them problems:
Well they’ve got good players. When you’ve got Henry, Bradley Wright-Phillips, who’s on a tear, you know you’ve got a solid midfield and dangerous guys out on the wing. It’s not easy. They’re a dangerous team, they’ve got a lot of quality out on the field, so they pose those threats – the individual battles, the one-on-ones. They’re a good team so. You know obviously we tried to limit them and I think we did a decent enough job the majority of the game. Obviously, I think the first goal we should do better as a team, the second goal, like I said, you know it’s a tough one to find too many mistakes. It’s just a World-Class strike by a World-Class player and I think those are the things they come at any team with that’s so difficult to limit.
New York Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke
Overall thoughts on the 2-1 win against Sporting Kansas City
Much needed win. I’m happy, I’m happy with the result, I’m proud of the guys. We did a lot of talking this week internally. The guys really rededicated themselves, understood where we’re at right now and we need the result. I was saying before the game that we better win tonight, because I would hate to be proud of them even though we lost. The way that they did this week and the way that they started this game and battled this game, I was proud of them. We needed it.
On performance of the back four
They were obviously targeting (Chris) Duvall early with (Graham) Zusi. I think he did well many times and a couple times he got beat by a damn good player. You also have to point out Dax (McCarty) and Eric (Alexander) for really buying into their role tonight, which was to stay in front of them and protect them. I’m happy with the effort.
On Bradley Wright-Phillips continuing scoring form
I’ve said it all along, Bradley’s a guy that does whatever you tell him to. He’s a guy that adapts to the way that we want him to play instead of fighting it and doing things that he’s maybe more comfortable with. Bradley doesn’t want to talk about the record or a record and that’s a credit to him. He just wants to keep scoring goals and I’m glad that he had another one tonight.
On play of Thierry Henry and the formation used in tonight’s win
At the end of the day or early in the week, the staff sat down and said who are our four best attacking players? And we pinpointed those best four and we put them in positions we thought that they could hurt. That’s why Dax and Eric’s whole role tonight was to sit home and be the link offensively from one side to the other, and defensively clog it up and do the dirty work. You add an overlapping fullback and you have five guys going forward that are dangerous. Thierry’s no stranger to playing out on the left and you could argue almost every game this year he winds up there large chunks of the time. He’s comfortable there. So we basically started him there and as always with Thierry that’s a starting point and we want him to go wherever he’s comfortable to go because he can make a difference. But he really did a good job tonight sitting out there. He was a true captain tonight.
On Henry’s discussion with fourth official
I tried to get him away from there because the last thing I wanted was to give the league a reason to suspend Thierry. But he had every right. I think every player on that field, both teams. Every person on the bench, both benches, had a right to voice their opinion tonight. I’m not sitting here crying saying it was the New York Red Bulls against, I’ve not said certain words. You guys probably don’t even know what I’m talking about. You can print whatever you want. Put words in my mouth. I didn’t say anything, but every person in the stadium had a right to voice their frustration and opinion.
I had a long talk with Thierry earlier in the week. Thierry, true to who he is as a person and a captain, he sought me out and we had a long conversation. Together we rededicated ourselves and tried to figure some stuff out. I told him before you showed what a captain is by coming to me earlier in the week and speaking about some things. Now you’re going to show what a captain is on the field and he did. He led the team, he put tireless work in and he capped it off with a Goal of the Year nomination for sure. Everybody tonight had the right mentality. We talked about commitment and discipline before the game. Those two words and I think both of them were evident out there.
On theme of meeting with Henry
My captain is my captain. Coaches and captains talk all the time. I don’t want that to be in the headlines tomorrow. If it is and things get blown out of proportion then the next press conference I have is going to be yes and no answers. I know you guys need stories. I made it a point to say that as a (coach), I had a talk with my captain and he did what a captain should do and he did what a captain should do tonight.
On maintaining intensity going into final eight games
I said it all week in the paper to you guys and I said it before the game, there’s no more talking. Every question I’m asked from now on I’m going to give the best answer I can but its answers that I’ve given all year. These guys really understand that. How do we keep it going? Because we have to, 100%. Philly goes to Toronto today and wins, Houston’s losing right now at home to Montreal, one thing goes our way one thing doesn’t. We have to rack points up and it comes down to the next game which is D.C. on Wednesday at home. I think these guys understand (the intensity) has to stay up. If it doesn’t then we’re going to give ourselves less of a chance to succeed.
On play of rookie right back Chris Duvall
The first thing he did, the big reason we put him in however long ago it’s been now, I love the fact that whenever we have the ball he’s looking to play forward. In a position where many outside backs in this league including guys we’ve had before over the years choose to play backwards first. He was always overlapping, he had a great attitude and he’s continued that. I’m just worried that part of me says he’s played a lot of games. He cramped up last week in D.C. if that was his second game starting for us I don’t think he would’ve cramped up. He’s done all the little things and he has a hell of a lot farther to go, he’s by far not the best right back in the league. He can be it one day. He’s a young kid, he listens to what we say, he’s always looking to get forward, looking to do the dirty work and if he corrects little tiny things here and there he’s going to be a better player for it.
New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry
On tonight’s win
Like I said to you, I’m going to leave it tonight at we defended well as a team. Once you do that, you can win games. All the other times, we give them too much, too many opportunities, but at least you know when you battle, luck goes your way and I guess that’s what happened tonight. We had some chances too, but tonight I will leave it to, when you work hard as a team, then you can eventually win a game. I hope that we didn’t leave it too late to be able to make the playoffs. We’re on a good path, but let’s not get too overexcited or so about the win tonight because we have a difficult game against D.C., but I will leave it to that.
New York Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips (on set of NBCSN)
On the importance of the win over Kansas City
It was a massive victory for us. We knew before the game that they’re a great team, they’re a quality side, and we knew we had to dig deep, keep the ball, and take our chances. I think we’ve done that, mostly, tonight.
On the winning mentality of the team
Yeah, you can see the performance that we can give but I don’t think it’s been enough this season. It’s something that we’re working on and I think everyone in our camp knows that. It’s something that we’re working on and tonight showed it.
New York Red Bulls midfielder Lloyd Sam
On playing against Sporting Kansas City
To be fair, they started off the better team and we just had to whether that storm. They could have maybe been one of to up before we had even woken up, like what normally happens with us, but luckily today we got away with that and then we started playing. So technically I wouldn’t say we got it right or wrong we happened to score first, which was important, and then we got the second goal. Then we gave away a stupid one right after that but we were a frustrated team, so it feels good to get three points
About the cross to Henry for his goal
It wasn’t much of a cross. Peguy gave it to me, I was at the edge of the area and then I cut in. I was looking to have a shot but the left-back had stayed with me and I saw Thierry at the edge of the box and then he did the rest.
On how tough it is to play against Sporting Kansas City
They feels like the best team we have played. Probably our hardest game, very hard three points that was. They were a good team, good rotation. They have got some good players.
On the defensive effort tonight
Yeah we held up but on another day we could have lost that same game. There wasn’t much difference from what we normally do. We haven’t been playing that bad but we give away goals a bit easy. Right before half time Dwyer had a chance to score and he had another chance. It’s like a lot of our games, but we didn’t play bad today we just give chances up, so that’s a problem and we haven’t gotten it right still.
On Duvall’s performance
What can I say, Zusi looks good so it was difficult. Chris just said to me that he (Zusi) was a lot more tougher than he thought he’d be. He’s a well known player in this league so it’s going to be hard for a rookie but Chris is learning all the time and the more we play together the more of an understanding there is, but it was a difficult one for him today.
On the chemistry between him and Duvall
Yeah he has been doing well. We actually work together a bit on the training pitch too. There are certain things we do in certain situations. He has been doing well all the ball today. I have got no complaint for him right now.
On how Henry has been as a leader this week
I have noticed a bit of difference in him, it’s hard to say, but he’s been very positive around the place and I’m delighted that he scored for us and we won the game. But that’s the main difference he has been very positive.
New York Red Bulls defender Chris Duvall
On facing off against Graham Zusi
He got by me a few times, clearly it was a little bit of a learning curve but it was fun, it was a battle. On TV you don’t get to see everything, you get the spectators point of view not the students point of view. On the field you can observe more things, he was definitely a tough assignment but it was fun, it was a learning experience. He very smart payer, you can’t give him an inch.
On frustrating Zusi
Yeah that was what I was hoping to do as a defender, you can pressure the attackers and you’re happy, you’re doing your job.
On playing his first season in MLS
It’s definitely tough to be consistent over this long season. It’s a longer season than I have ever played in my whole life. So it’s tough and if you can stay focused and you get a good group of guys around you it’s a lot easier and I think we got that here.
On making overlapping runs
That’s always been a part of my game. I am starting to gain some confidence. My relationship with Lloyd I know what to expect from him and I’m learning more about our system here. It has been a slow process, I’m starting to get use to this and figure things out.
On teams attacking his side of the defense
I mean if they target me because I’m a young guy I just get my chance to prove myself. All the more power to them.
