Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
On starting matches well recently…
I think probably the last three or four games we’ve played here at home I think our start has been very, very good. Really pleased with the way we are putting teams under pressure offensively. We’re putting teams back on their heels a little bit.
On being happy about keeping a clean sheet…
At the end of the day the guys did a great job and got a clean sheet, and what I am happy about is that teams that win championships in this sport have to be able to get a clean sheet, you have to be able to win games 1-0. And the guys locked the game up really well. The team has done a really good job of learning from their mistakes and today they closed the game out really well. So I commend those guys for that.
On progressing through the final third of the season…
Every day we grow, it’s a good group of guys they fight for each other. If you can win games 1-0 over time that builds a tremendous amount of confidence and you learn how to do that. That’s how you win championships.
Sporting Kansas City striker Kei Kamara
On team’s performance…
Three great points tonight. We needed it and it always feels good to win at home. If we keep getting points here, it will be easy for us to get ourselves into the playoffs.
On his goal tonight…
It was a header that came out, and all I tried to do was get behind it so the ball didn’t go too far. After I did that, I knew I had to shoot it. The field kind of gave on me a little bit, but it gave in a good way. After it left my foot, I just knew it was going in. It’s nice to score a goal that gets the team points in the standings.
On the homestretch…
When you have games once a week, it keeps you really fresh. On the other hand, having games closer together allows you to get into a rhythm, and you just have to keep going and you have to just keep playing. Either way, we can play out there. That’s why we have 30 guys on the team. We can always stay fresh and whenever you are called upon, it’s your time to perform.
Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen
Comments on the match…
I think we played a solid game. We played smarter early, and we were very good with possession. I think, overall, we played a very good game. Not our best game, but we did what we had to do.
On the team’s progress throughout the season…
I think we’ve learned so much. You could see tonight that we were playing smart. We were running to the corners, we kept possession…we didn’t just clear it. We just kept coming again and again. We played much smarter, especially after the Seattle game. That was a hard lesson. We watched a lot of video from that game, and I think that today we used that experience to stay focused.
On playing on short rest…
As players, you want to play. Personally, I’d love to play every Wednesday and Saturday if I could. We train to play games. But, sometimes it’s nice to have long breaks so everyone can get healthy and take care of their things off the field. But we’re always prepared to play.
D.C. United Manager Ben Olsen
Thoughts on the game…
It was always going to be a tough task coming here with the amount of rest we had. Chicago, we made that game more difficult than it needed to be. And today, when physically a team is shot, sometimes the mind goes a little bit. I wasn’t very pleased with the way we started the game. We knew what to expect from them and we played into their hands a little bit. We needed to be more active up top, we needed to play bigger balls. It was an ugly game…it was just going to be a battle. They do a good job of pressuring and they are a very athletic team.
It’s one of those days, it was always going to be a tough task to come here and get a point. We had some good chances toward the end, but give them credit. They know what they’re doing at home, they come at you, they punch you right in the face in the beginning and if you’re not prepared for it, they usually get a goal.
On Dwayne De Rosario coming on as a substitute…
He’s not 22 anymore. He’s been putting us on his back for a couple weeks and I wanted to be smart with him and I think he did a good job in the second half when he came in. I think Dwayne will tell you he looked a little tired towards the end too.
I appreciate all of the guys’ effort today, in particular in the second half. I just wish we would have been a little smarter on how we went about the game, a little bit more savvy on what the game needed. I felt we were prepared, but I didn’t think we executed the game plan.
D.C. United forward Josh Wolff
Thoughts on the game…
A sluggish start for us and overall, disappointing obviously. It took us a bit to get in the game and they took a chance pretty well. Early on I think they had the better play. I think at the end of the half we kind of put it together a little bit. All in all, not enough of our guys had good enough nights including myself. It’s disappointing, to come away with a 0-1 loss in an important game.
Going head-to-head with Matt Besler…
It was fun. Besler has progressed as a player, so it’s good to see him getting better at his craft. It takes time, it’s a maturation process, and it’s good to see him putting in some work and seeing the rewards.
On LIVESTRONG Sporting Park…
The stadium is obviously nice. I saw it in the midst of the construction, but it’s good to see in its final stage. Take your hat off to them, they’ve put together a first-class place. Obviously, the field was a little difficult, but that happens with a lot of games. All in all, it’s a very spectacular place though.
D.C. United goalkeeper Joe Willis
Being under pressure throughout the game…
It’s been a long week with playing two games in short time and travel so everyone’s been tired. Kansas City has a high press and it’s pretty tough to break down so that didn’t help our legs at all. The more the game went on they kept pressing and we got more tired, it just wasn’t a good situation.
On his second MLS start…
After the first one, I got the nerves out of my system and had a lot of confidence going into this game and it felt good.
On Kamara’s goal…
He hit it well. I’d like to watch video of it and see how my positioning was, but it was a good shot. Give the guy credit, he hits the ball well.
On LIVESTRONG Sporting Park and how it’s close to his hometown (St. Louis)…
I had parents, brothers, girlfriend, cousins, aunts, and a couple other friends come out. The stadium is unbelievable, it’s the best I’ve ever seen in the MLS. I loved playing here, but unfortunately the night didn’t turn out the way we wanted. It was a cool stadium and a cool experience.
