Sporting Kansas City head coach Raphael Wicky
Thoughts on the game…
Of course the first half didn't go the way I wanted. But overall, I have to say. I can take positives from this performance. I told this to the players. They don't see this right now, but as a coach, I can do something with this performance. On Tuesday, I couldn't do anything with that performance. And in certain other games, we had performances that were way worse than tonight. We knew this is a tough place to play. We knew they're a top team of the league. They are one of the best teams I've played so far. We knew it was going to be tough. I think even in the first half, there were spells where we were there, but then in those important moments we obviously give these goals away and we hurt ourselves. I saw a very young team -- some guys with their first start in MLS and first minutes in MLS -- I saw the team who wanted to apply what we wanted to do. And then, obviously, it's tough for them that in 30 minutes you concede three goals. That's always very tough mentally. But I didn't see a team giving up. I saw a team who kept working, who wanted and the message at halftime was, let's try to win the second half. I think the team went out there and fought against again a very, very good team. And I thought we looked good. We had good possession. We had an idea. We had some chances. So that's how I see this game. Obviously no one likes to lose. I'm the first one and the players as well. But again, I try to look at it a little bit different. And with this performance, I told the team I can build.
On Kwaku Agyabeng…
Kwaku has convinced us since the first week of preseason in any aspect. We all believe very highly of Kwaku. He's a young boy and I believe that there will be many more games for him. He played in lots of different positions and he never disappointed. He never let anyone down. And today, he struggled a bit in the beginning. That was his first time really starting as a left back against a very good team with very fast wingers. He struggled a bit, but he fought in this game. The way the game evolved for him was very, very positive and I agree that he became more comfortable. He's a player who is not scared. He doesn't show fear. He has character, he has mentality and he has quality. So I believe that he is a very bright player for this club for the future.
On Cielo Tschantret and Capita Capemba…
Obviously Cielo had his first minutes and his first start. I think beside the mistake of the bad pass, I think Cielo did well. It's not easy to have your first start here in Vancouver against one of the top teams. I think he showed character. He didn't hide after that and I think that's what we want to see from a young player, right? How do you react after a mistake? Do you hide or do you keep working? Do you keep showing up? And I think he did that. I think there is positives for him. Unfortunately, he got kicked in the first half and then was in pain and I had to sub him out pretty early then. I wanted some fresh legs from the Tuesday game and that's why we changed some players, but I think this was, beside the mistake, this was a performance where Cielo can also build.
Capita has to grow into our team. It's not an easy moment for a player to come in. Obviously, the results are not there. We're having to change players every game, every week. We're having to change shapes all the time, so it's not easy for him. But I think you can see that he's a player with quality. He has speed. He has 1v1. He needs to get used to us and we need to get used to him. We need to get our team together and then I think Capita will help our team in the future for sure.
On the early subs in the second half…
Cielo was in pain and I think Justin Reynolds had some little issues with his hamstring. Hopefully it's nothing bad, so that's why I made these subs.
On changing tactics…
That's a good question. I think today it's not going to be, for example, pressed all the way all the time all high and open us up. Obviously, they're good. That's why we're also a bit deeper. In possession, actually, I want our team to be brave in the right moments because we played a lot long against San Jose, for example, and we then don't win the balls. We don't win the second balls. But I think you have to find the right balance and that's what I want. I don't want to be the extreme and always play. But I think we have to make the right choices. When do we play and when do we try to chip a ball or play in behind? Because just putting the ball long, I don't think that is going to help us. I think we need to find the right balance and we're going to work on that. That's what I believe in.
On the team’s progress…
Obviously, I'm not happy. I'm not happy with how the season is going. Of course not. But it's a new team. It's a very young team. It's a team who will take a while to come together. That's not excuses, that's just facts. We've had a lot of injuries. We've had players out and they have to come back. You have to reintegrate them. We've had new players to integrate. We're a team who has to find themselves and grow together. I believe 100% that we will get there where we want and we will go to the right direction. Today, like I said, there were moments of this game where I saw a team who tries to play, who has character, who has personality, and not just kicking the ball long and hoping for the best. Now there is still obviously a lot of things which we have to do better because we make mistakes in the wrong moments and we hurt us. But I'd rather have a team showing up and playing with character and personality than being scared. That's where we have to work on.
On the young players…
When I was hired, this was part of the hire as well. This is a club who wants to build young players, academy players, and help them develop and help them grow into the first team. That's a part I like, but I don't think right now we're in the best place because I always believe that when you put in one or two young players, they should be surrounded by something which works. And right now, it is not the case because of various reasons, so it's not easy for them to be on the field because obviously the team is not complete yet. Then we had all these injuries and we always have to change and then you have to put young players in. That is not always easy. But on the other hand. since preseason, this is an opportunity for all these young kids to grow. We had a lot of young players in preseason. We have a lot of young players in this team right now. A lot of them are getting minutes. They have to take this opportunity and grow and gain experience. But normally you would like not having five or six together on the field, because it's difficult. You would have maybe two together and surrounded by something and that would be the ideal. Right now it's not, so it's an opportunity for them to grow and some show up really well.
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Manu Garcia
Thoughts on the match…
It's a 3-0 loss. So it's difficult to take positives from it. Of course we wanted a reaction after what happened the other day in the cup. I feel like you could see some bright moments of the team, some good things to take on, but again many mistakes that in the end killed us with many chances that we give away very easily. At least today we can see something to work with and some positive to take.
On his knee…
I'm feeling good, no problem at all. The knee was hurting a little bit last week. I forced it a bit too much during training and it was giving me some problems. They were also concerned about the two games on turf, but it feels fine. Everything feels okay. I just took a couple tackles today but it's part of the game.
On opponents punishing mistakes…
We're in that moment where when something bad can happen, it is happening. I've been here before. I think everyone is feeling better than last year, but I've been in this situation before where things are not working out and we just need to focus. Look at yourself in the mirror and focus on yourself and on the team. Try to keep the heads up and try to do the things that we work on during the week. We came with a game plan. We had mistakes. We followed the game plan I think mostly for most of the game and for some moments you could see a team that was playing decent. Again, it’s difficult to take positives from a 3-0 loss, even though it's a difficult pitch to come. But today I feel like we have some courage and we have some heart that we should show tonight.
On finding a rhythm…
I'm getting old, but I don't consider myself an old player. I've got many, many years already playing professionally so I feel like it's a bit of a lack of experience in the team and knowing what you are capable of. This game is about confidence. A big, big part of this game is about confidence and of course when results are not coming and when bad things happen, it's normal that the confidence comes down. That reflects on the game and the way the team plays. So I think we've shown today in many actions, when we had the courage and the desire to play and to really do the things that the coach asks. I think we can do it. We've shown it already this season in some games. The thing is, we have to be a lot more consistent and it cannot be like flipping a coin during the games. It has to be a bare minimum that we need to play and I really hope we really learn from what happened this week and we move on.
On the response from Tuesday…
In other leagues where I played, I've been in the cup. What happened this last week, it happened to me a couple times. In Spain, for example, playing against a lower division team -- not even second division, like even a third division – and playing for a La Liga team, and they took us out from the cup. So it's not something crazy. It's something that can happen. It’s the way it happened, no? I think it's why everyone was so upset and so sad. It's what I said. I feel like for me, we need to have a minimum of confidence because there is some talent in this team. There are very good players in this team and we have to show it. I don't care about the age. When we play with confidence, you can feel it and I really hope we start showing it week in and week out.
On the midfield battle…
They're a very good team. They know their patterns. They know where they are at all moments. And now with the addition of (Thomas) Muller, I think you can see that it’s having another coach in the middle of the field. They're a good team all the way around. They have a bit of everything, that's why they are fighting for everything. I congratulate them on the win. I'm glad that in the second half, we gave them a bit of fight. I'm glad we did it and I’m just disappointed, because even though I know they had they had many chances, I think the goals that they scored we could have managed not to give them away because it was big mistakes. But again, I think they are a great team and I'm sure they will be there the whole season, because they deserve it.
On the development of younger players…
I think it's great for them. This is very personal. I've been lucky that growing up. I made my debut at a very young age and I've never felt that pressure or if I felt that pressure, it helped me because for me it was something exciting to be playing out there. I know for some people it's different. Every mind is different. It is a difficult game because of the head at times. I’m trying to help them. When results are not going well, when things are not going well, I’m trying to make them feel confident. I think today, the young guys did great. I talk a lot with Kwaku today. I think there are big things coming from him. We liked him since preseason. He just needs time like some of the guys. I know for professional football, it doesn't wait at times. But there are very good things and very good spells, so I wish them the best. I hope I can support them and help them.
