SPORTING KANSAS CITY MANAGER PETER VERMES
Thoughts on the match:
"I think it's a big three points because we have a tremendous amount of respect for the Whitecaps. They are probably the top team in the league at the moment, in the way that they play and the different weapons that they have. I think they are very different from front to back, they're an excellent team. For us it's a big three points because of the team we just played and being able to come here. They were the better team, they had better chances if you will and hustled a little bit more, but in the second half we were the better team. We were fortunate to get the goal but I think they are a top team in this league."
Team gaining confidence with three wins in a row in all competitions:
"Confidence and winning always come hand in hand and it's obviously an important aspect. The thing is though is sometimes, and I think in this league that quite often with a couple of teams, they don't value why they are having a few wins in a row and they start to take their foot off the gas pedal and I think every team needs to be aware of that and it's something we need to do as well. This league is very tough, and it doesn't really matter who you play on the weekend because there is so much parity, anybody can beat anybody, that's why it's important wherever you play, you're on top of your game and the biggest thing you have to give is effort. As much as it's good and it's good for your confidence, it doesn't really do much for us in the next game because we have to start all over again."
Is a rivalry brewing:
"Yeah every point matters to all of us. Whether you are playing this team again next week or not, it's a rival now, and I say it's a rival now because it's a conference team. These games are very important to us, try to get some points from those games against our rivals, conference teams."
SPORTING KANSAS CITY DEFENDER KEVIN ELLIS
Second goal of the season proves to be the difference:
"It was a good ball from Krisztian and he put in a spot where only I could get it, so he made it really easy for me to get up and get it."
Thoughts on tonight's defence and on containing the Vancouver Whitecaps FC offence:
"Going in we knew it was going to be a battle up top. Our right back Saad, he was the difference for in the game. He shut down Manneh and I was tight to him, he did exactly what we talked about and what we needed him to do. Credit to [Saad], man of the match for me."
SPORTING KANSAS CITY MIDFIELDER BENNY FEILHABER
Thoughts on the match:
"It's big getting three points on the road, we came in here very focused. Vancouver is top of the table right now. Tough place to play, they haven't played here in quite a while and came out with a lot of energy and I thought we did a pretty good job weathering the storm in the first half and played better soccer in the second half. We are happy for the three points."
On strategy against Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Matias Laba:
"I think Laba is a fantastic defensive midfielder in this league, one of the best. He made it tough, I didn't find as much of the game as I would've liked but, it was a gritty game in the midfield. I think it was a good battle between our three guys and their three, I think one or two plays there made a difference. Proud of all the guys and ecstatic with the three points."
Thoughts on team confidence:
"It's fantastic, obviously our confidence is high right now, we feel pretty good about playing at home then on the road and grabbing points. One thing for us, we have a lot of games in hand on a lot of teams but, those don't mean anything if we cannot get the results. We made of point of coming here and telling everything guy that look, we've got to get it done, we've got to keep moving up the table. We're in sixth right now and crawling up the table, with getting points in the games we have in hand will make the difference."
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC HEAD COACH CARL ROBINSON
Thoughts on the match:
"It hurts, yes. It's one of them where you create a lot of chances and don't score. And sometimes it comes back to bite you in the bum. And it did today, unfortunately."
Thoughts on the pace of the match and how it suited Sporting Kansas City:
"It did. I think from the first minute, they wanted to play at that pace. I think they did and I think they were allowed to do it, which shouldn't be allowed. But they were, and credit to them today, because they weathered the storm, especially in the first 45 minutes. Then, when you don't take a chance, you are open to a half-chance. That was a great ball by the boy Nemeth, and Ellis got in between my two centre backs and scored, really with the first clear cut chance of the game. The dynamics of the game changed but the game playing continued, and slowness and things like that. It is was it is. It's a tough one to swallow today."
Thoughts on the battle between Kendall Waston and Dom Dwyer:
"Both good players. Both super professionals. I don't think it was handled correctly, but they are both good players. Both decided to play a certain way, which is both correct and both wrong. But it wasn't handled correctly."
On whether the last two goals Whitecaps FC conceded is attributed to the left side not closing in:
"No. If you give any player in this league a little bit of time, they can put balls on six pences. We have a number of those players. [Kansas City] had a number of those players. Today, they took a chance they had come into the box. Credit to them. Sometimes when you lose, it's easy to blame people and it's easy to blame things. I won't blame my team, I'll take responsibility today for my team's performance. But there are other factors; we conceded a bad goal, they take the three points."
On the missed opportunity to pass Portland and Seattle in the MLS standings:
"Do you think that Portland journalists and Seattle journalists ask the same question to Ziggy and Caleb? Sure they do. It's going to be nip and tuck between now and the end of the year, without a doubt. As I said to you, we're still building. We know where we are. We need to be better. I need to be better. We will be better. A lot of things need to be better after today."
Thoughts on Tim Parker's match:
"I hated the goal. I said, I don't like goals conceded but Tim played very very well today. He had two headers that could have scored two goals for us. He didn't, and credit to them, they had a ball on the line and the keeper made a fantastic save. But, he got in between our two centre-backs, so if you do that and you're of quality and you have movement in the box, which they did have, sometimes there is nothing you can do. I don't think it's one individual. Any goal that you evaluate, you can always blame two or three people if you wanted to blame two or three people. But I don't blame people, I'll blame myself."
Thoughts on the midfield battle between Espinoza/Feilhaber and Laba/Koffie:
"Well, every game is won or lost in midfield and I think they came out on top, deservedly so. I think they were a little bit better than us in midfield today. In the first half it was a great game to watch. It really was; end-to-end and chances. Our attacking play was probably disguised a little bit, but in the second half, they got a grip of it. They controlled the tempo, which is why I tried to change it up a little bit and it didn't quite work."
Thoughts on the number of chances and not being able to convert them:
"Not as concerning as I would be if we didn't create one chance in the first half, because the game is about taking your chances. When you cross that white line, whoever comes and takes a chance and scores, usually wins the game. Today, we had a number of chances, we didn't take them. Kansas City had a number of chances and they took one of their chances. I'm concerned because we lost, but I'm not concerned because we're creating chances and we need to take them, we need to be better at that. I told the group in there, you can't keep playing well in games and not taking chances. And we did today."
On whether a striker is need in the summer transfer window:
"We're always looking to strengthen. Other teams are strengthening around the league, you see that. We'll continue to try and look if we can do it, then we certainly will. I think we need to. If we're able to so it's something that's an ongoing process for us. If we win 1-0 today, then goals isn't a concern. But we lost 1-0 today, so goals is a concern. We just have to take it on the chin. We have a great game next week against our friends down the road. So we'll get prepared for that and give that one a go."
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC MIDFIELDER MAURO ROSALES
Thoughts on chances lost in the game:
"I think this was the reason we couldn't get the three points. We should score in the first half having created at least six or seven chances to score a goal. We didn't come with the right mentality in the second half and allowed them to score. They made everything difficult for us to come back from. KC is a good team, a tough team. We controlled the whole game but we didn't get the three points. We have to keep working. Take away the positive things about this game. I think it was a very good game. Second half, taking away the goal, we keep pushing. I'm disappointed that we couldn't get at least a point."
Thoughts on slower speed on the game in the second half:
"I think we were tested well in the last couple of games playing on the road. Actually they were smart to slow down the game, to take time and make a lot of fouls. Ref carded the players for most of the game but they had the goal up so they could do it. Fair enough."
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC DEFENDER KENDALL WASTON
Thoughts on the game:
"Well it was a hard one. We play well, had a lot of chances in the first half. We didn't get to score. Second half - we didn't start with the same intensity. They get one goal so everything changed from there. Now we have a next game on Saturday in Portland. This match must give us more courage to strengthen those things that we didn't do well this day."
Thoughts on battle with Dom Dwyer:
"Nothing. It was just football. It was a normal battle. It was good because he fight for his team and I fight for mine. At the end of the game we shook hands and everything stayed on the pitch."
Thoughts on the goal:
"It was a clearance and we weren't tight enough with our guys. I think it was two against three. You know these things are hard. With us we don't want to blame anybody. Maybe if I was one step forward but you know this is like that."
Thoughts on Seattle and Portland losing but not taking advantage:
"Yes we knew that those teams lose and if we had won today we would have had more points on top. This team is about fighting every time. Last season we did it at the end. Hopefully this season we don't do the same. We want to be in the playoff before anything [at the] end."
Thoughts on home record at BC Place:
"Sometimes football is not fair. Sometimes you play ugly and you win, sometimes you play nice and you lose. I prefer to play very ugly and win all the games."
