KANSAS CITY WIZARDS MANAGER PETER VERMES
On the game and the earlier USA loss
“Obviously I’m upset about the US team but you know you have club and country, and it’s club for us now after that game, and this obviously wasn’t what we expected, but the thing I have to do now is go back to the drawing board, get back to the field and start working at it.”
On Davy Arnaud’s late red card
“I’m not sure I mean I have to go back and see it. I don’t know if he actually hit him because they didn’t show the replay because it was a red card and they don’t show that at the stadium. Other than the fact that he came in I just couldn’t tell.”
On Aaron Hohlbein’s play
“He started out okay, but obviously there were some actions with his one-on-one duels that obviously weren’t good enough.”
On Craig Rocastle’s play
“He was very good for us. I thought he locked down the middle very, very well. We talked at halftime about him losing a little gas because he hasn’t played enough games which is why we had to take him out. But I thought he played very well in that spot on the field and had very good leadership qualities as well
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS FORWARD RYAN SMITH
On losing 3-0
“I'm not happy. It's the last thing I thought would happen especially after the way we started the game. I thought we did really well in the first half. We came in after halftime tied 0-0, and everything was even. We really thought we would go on and win. Little errors cost us tonight. There were a few, and unfortunately, they turned into goals. Obviously we missed out on three points, and it hurts, especially at home.”
NEW YORK RED BULLS HEAD COACH HANS BACKE
On the first game after a two-week break
"I'm very happy with our performance. I would say that our second half was our best half of the year. We created decent chances over all 90 minutes but of course, KC had some good chances too. We were very close to killing off the game rather early in the second half when we had two 100% scoring chances. Also, a key is that we looked strong in the second half even with the heat. We became better and better all the time. So that was the best sign for me in a way."
On playing in the heat
“Yeah, it was difficult, of course. But I thought we played rather smart. We just tried to stay patient and wait for breaks and things like that. We didn't chase the ball too much and just tried to play solid and compact.”
On Juan Pablo Angel's goals
“Yeah, the second one was an excellent goal. Both strikers scored our goals, which is good for the future.”
On Ibrahim's performance
“He's a handful with his size, of course. He didn't get the easiest passes to cope with from the back forward. He's a handful and by himself; he occupied he two center backs.”
NEW YORK RED BULLS STRIKER JUAN PABLO ANGEL
On the game
“I thought it was a great performance from us. It is not easy to win on the road. It seems as the game went on, we got stronger and stronger. I think the second half was brilliant for us. We ended up winning in a very difficult place. We're pretty happy with the points, especially coming out of the break.
On his goals
“The first one, I hit it as hard as I could. The ball seemed to go under his hands, I think. The second one, I just had an open goal for me, and it killed the game.”
On winning after the two-week MLS break
“It's phenomenal. It seemed like we didn't even stop. The break couldn't have come at a better time for us. We had a chance to recover some of our players and get them fit and back in the squad. Today, I thought we played really strong. I'm pleased. We've still got a lot of games to play but obviously this is great for our confidence. We've got to keep playing like this, keep improving, and I'm extremely pleased with our performance and the result.
NEW YORK RED BULLS FORWARD SALOU IBRAHIM
On his goal and Ghana winning in the World Cup
“It can't be better. It's a good day for me and a good day for Ghana too. The young boys today played with a lot of enthusiasm, and they were enjoying themselves and playing for each other. It's a very good win for Ghana. I watched the game in the hotel with a couple of players, and we enjoyed ourselves. I watched with Tony Tchani (Cameroon) and Bouna Coundoul (Senegal), and they're both from Africa. So they were obviously supporting for Ghana. It's a bad day for America, but they played well, so I think they've got a lot to look forward to.”
On what the United States’ run means for MLS and American soccer
“It's a very good thing that the U.S. did very well in the World Cup because respect will grow for MLS, which is very good for all of us. Their future looks bright.”
On the outcome of the game
“Kansas City is a very good team. You could see it from the beginning. The score looks a little exaggerated because if you look at the game as a whole, they played a very good solid game. We had the chances and we finished them, and that was the difference today. We played a solid game in the midfield, and it was a good win for us.
On his goal
“I just took a chance. I definitely saw the ball was very high. I said 'anything can happen,' so I just followed the ball and it was in front of me.”
