Sporting KC interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin
Thoughts on the match…
I'd first like to congratulate the LA Galaxy on a well-played game. They are the worthy champions. I know their season hasn't been going the way they would have liked it to, but we knew it was going to be a difficult game. They're very good in attack. They have good attacking players and they have a style of play. We knew we were going to have to absorb some of that today. And talking about the back line, Jansen (Miller) and Robert (Voloder) were both individually fantastic, but the collective of the group today showed a grit and a determination of what it takes to win games when you might not be at your best on the day. That's a look that we haven't seen recently and something certainly to build off of, especially as we go on the road having to be in those situations. We've proven today that we can defend the game by limiting them to one shot on goal. We can defend the game. Obviously on the attacking side, we would have liked more today but we have to look at the positives and certainly the positives are that we defended like champions today.
On the shutout for John Pulskamp with his key save…
(That was) an excellent moment. And he was busy. The ball was down there today, so it wasn't like he had a lot of time to relax. His concentration for 90 minutes was tremendous, especially given this is his first real year as a starting goalkeeper. He's handled these moments and he's growing. He's trending in the direction of being a guy that the defense can look back and really rely upon. I think today this only improves his stature within the group and deservedly so because he's worked exceptionally hard at that.
On Pulskamp’s progress…
As goalkeepers mature, it takes them a little bit longer to really get into that zone of being reliable because one mistake and the finger is pointing at you. There's a lot of pressure and a lot of responsibility in the position. For him to do that at the age at which he's doing it is very good for him and very good for us. And really, it speaks about his determination and mentality to be better every day. It's great that everyone can see the goalkeeper transforming right before our eyes because we know what he does behind the scenes to improve himself.
On the performance from Jansen Miller…
We knew it from day one. We knew we had a good person, a good player and a competitor. So that's not a surprise. He's got a great personality, both within the group but on the field he has a presence. And the thing with rookies or first-year players that are playing the professional game is it's hard to sustain the mental capacity you need to sustain yourself over the course of the year. He's at the end of his college season. He's not used to going week in and week out with this kind of pressure. So sometimes that takes a little bit longer. But we're pleasantly surprised that -- just like the goalkeeper is young, he's young – and he's really transforming himself into a quality player for this league.
On winning without any shots…
Our intention was to come out quick. We were at home and in recent weeks we've pretty much started games on the front foot by being a little bit more direct and being more decisive in taking chances going forward. We wanted that within the game. It would have been nice to have the ball a little bit more. We're trying to build towards that and we've shown moments where we can actually possess the ball very well. But possession for the sake of possession really isn't in our mindset at the moment. If we were going to take the ball and go backwards, it was to open more spaces. But a credit to the Galaxy, they made it difficult for us. It wasn't our best day with the ball. We put ourselves under more pressure than we probably could have or should have. But, at the end of the day, the intention of the players was to try to create goal-scoring opportunities. And I know we've made the record books today in terms of not getting a shot and still winning the game. Certainly that wasn't drawn up that way and we don't expect ever to win a game like that again. But when you have a trust, a belief, a commitment and an emotional feeling that you bring to the game, strange things can happen and they end up on your side. That’s what I'm probably most proud of -- that piece, that element was really good today. The defensive set pieces were really good today. And we know we have to get better. We are still a flawed team, right? We've gotten results in recent weeks, but we've had to prove that we can now create better scoring opportunities. We've had to now prove that we can defend well. And now we're searching for a better version of ourselves and trying to put those aspects that we've improved upon and make a complete game.
Sporting KC goalkeeper John Pulskamp
On the victory…
In some weird way, it feels – and maybe this is just because it's a goalkeeper's perspective -- but it feels just as good as those wins that you go out and you dominate and you run over a team because it's a long season. Throughout the course of that season, it’s not realistic to go out and play your absolute best football week in and week out. Obviously, that's what we strive to do and that's what we work towards, but it's chasing that perfection but also knowing that perfection is an impossible goal. So you have to be able to have the ability to win games when you're not playing your best football. That's what championship teams do. Manchester City and Real Madrid, they're not playing absolutely phenomenal every single game. Of course, they're very good teams and they play at a high level, but they know how to win. They're winners and winners know how to win games like tonight when maybe you're not creating the most chances or maybe you're not keeping the ball as much as you would like to but you know how to dig in. You have the versatility and the grit to come away with points. We came away with all three tonight and it's a great feeling.
On seeing out the match…
We've been through so much already in such a short period of time with this group that we've gotten really close with each other. We're in the trenches together or, at least at the start, that's how it felt. And in that hardship you can either turn on each other or you get a lot closer with each other. So in a matter of months, new guys have come in like Jansen (Miller) and Joaquin (Fernandez) and other guys in the back line, and then guys like Manu (Garcia) especially, and Shapi (Suleymanov) and Dejan (Joveljic), (Andrew) Brody, Mason (Toye) -- all of these new guys that we brought in this year, it feels like I've been playing with them for years now because we're working towards that. We're putting arms around each other's shoulders and sticking together. When you have that relationship with your teammates and you're in tough moments like tonight, it's very easy to look to your left or to your right and tell them, ‘I'm going to be playing for you and you're going to be playing for me.’ That will keep you sharper than anything else. And then you talk about focus. I'll add to that. Alec Dufty, the goalkeeper coach, has been just so instrumental and not just this game, but in my career and who I am as a player. It's been something we have focused a lot on this season of just taking it action by action, ball by ball, play by play. Good play happens? Bad play happens? It's next action, next action. I’m always focused in the moment and that's been such a point of emphasis for me and such a point of emphasis for us with all the goalkeepers working. His constant reminders helps me so much. He's the reason for a lot of this.
On the team’s defense…
I think tonight was our best defensive performance. I think sometimes people forget the spine of our field right now in our 11 is a lot of fresh guys. It's me in my first year starting. It's Jansen (Miller) who's a rookie in his first couple months as a professional player. We have (Jacob) Bartlett who's a kid in his rookie year as well as a holding mid. Those are three positions in the spine of the field that are all young guys. To be this early in their careers and to be playing the way that they are – kind of thrown into the deep end in the grand scheme of things and they're swimming. They're not just treading water, but they're exceeding that. They're doing a very good job. And that goes for the rest of the team as well. The more experienced guys as well are carrying their weight and maybe doing a little extra to help those guys. You asked about defensive performance. Every game it's been better. And especially the past couple weeks and especially tonight, we defended phenomenally. I’m so proud of the guys.
On his growth…
To be honest, in all the craziness, I've been quite steady myself. I'm honestly really happy with how it's been going from a personal level. Obviously the results started off the way they did and we're starting to turn that around now, which is great. What have I learned about myself? It just adds to the confidence, I guess. Added confidence, added calmness now. Maybe when I was a bit younger, that confidence led to motivation and excitement which maybe came out sometimes in the not most productive way. But I feel like I'm in a place now where I'm just so steady and calm. I'm using that confidence, but in a more controlled, deliberate manner and it's really helping me out.
On the play of Jansen Miller…
He has had his moments where he goes up and down, which is expected for all players in their first year. I've been there. Everyone's been there. But to be put in the position that he is in a centerback role, which is much like a goalkeeper in the sense that it helps to be a veteran player. It helps to kind of have that experience and that knowledge and that instinct that you develop through time. So the fact that he's just kind of been thrown into the deep end or thrown into the fire and said, ‘Good luck, make the most out of it.’ I think he's been doing a phenomenal job. If this is how he's starting, I talk to him all the time and I tell him, ‘You're being put in a tough position. You're being asked a lot, more than what a usual rookie would be asked of.’ But in the long run it's going to pay dividends because he's getting so much experience right now and he's going to carry on these moments for the rest of his career. You said to talk about his passion and his excitement. I love it. But much like Jake (Davis) here who's yelling at me and much like myself, we are all passionate, fiery guys. I'm trying to now get them to see how I've progressed over the past couple years of controlling that and keeping your head calm in moments. You might see me have a couple go’s at Jansen. I love it. I love it when he's pumping up the crowd. But I'll still tell him, ‘Keep your head, keep focused and we celebrate after.’
