Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes
Thoughts on game…
I think the big thing is that it was a very good team performance in regards to executing the game plan. I think we were very well organized and really disciplined in our shape which it made it very difficult for us to play through. Obviously they are a very explosive team if you give them some space and we tried to do everything we could to limit the amount of space they had on the field. We had to make a few changes even before the game in regards to Zus (Graham Zusi) having to come out. A couple of guys that started the game, Jimmy Medranda’s first time playing left back and he had a tremendous performance so I am very happy for a few guys that played really, really well. Jacob Peterson playing up top and scoring a goal, getting the insurance goal. And our goalkeeper (Tim Melia) did a tremendous job especially when he made two saves in a row really helped turn the game for us in the right way. But it was a really difficult game because they are a good team and we realize that going forward, these are the types of teams that we are going to be seeing more-and-more and we got to have a way to play them and get a result.
Can you provide an update on Graham Zusi?
I don’t. There are a few guys that are nicked up. All I can tell you is that he tweaked his calf a little bit but I don’t know the extent of it.
Thoughts on the team’s defensive efforts…
I think one of the biggest reasons was that Kevin Ellis was very good. But I also think, as I said earlier, limiting the space for those guys doesn’t make it easy on any player and I think Giovinco illustrated really well against Orlando that when he is given space there is a reason why he scored the goals that he did. Give him an open field and he is just going to find a way. You are definitely going to be in dangerous positions if you give him space. I just thought the guys were good in limiting TFCs space and Keven Ellis was excellent in the way that he decided to step in and drop off, and his decisions in and around when to go to the ball I thought were really good.
Sporting KC midfielder Benny Feilhaber
Thoughts on game…
I think it was a great team win for us. Everyone played a huge part from our goalie to our forwards so we are really proud of the guys and I think it is a big three points. It’s good going into the Open Cup with that kind of confidence.
On stopping TFCs offense…
I think (Sebastian) Giovinco is the best player in this league and he has been proving that game-in and game-out. Any team that wants to beat Toronto has to do a good job on him and I think we did a great job. Obviously he got the one assist but we shut him out of the game for the majority of it and that is not an easy task. That comes down to not only our 4 defenders but also some of the defensive midfielders doubling down on him, some of the wingers, everybody had to do their part and that is the only way you can neutralize those guys.
On the MVP race against Sebastian Giovinco...
(Sebastian) Giovinco is the best player in this league and he is the MVP. For me, I’m playing well because of the guys around me. It’s about our team for us, and without the guys around me I can’t do the things I do. Giovinco you can probably put him on any team and he is going to be a superstar, he is a great player but our team won out today because we all took our responsibilities and we did that effectively. I am very proud of that.
Toronto FC head coach Greg Vanney
Overall thoughts on the game…
I won’t accept fatigue as an excuse for our guys. First Half for me we just got outworked, we were second to everything. As we were second to everything they ended up on the other side of us running at our backline. We were just too slow, we were reactive and constantly on the back foot, it’s like we were surprised by their pressure, we knew it was coming. Kansas City is a team that closes you down, presses you, puts you under pressure and tries to create turnovers and attacks you. We were surprised by it, we were second to second balls and constantly on our heels as a result. We gave away ridiculous goals. Whether it was a PK (penalty kick), I haven’t seen it but in the end they called for a PK, it’s a giveaway of a goal and another set piece. Just unacceptable for me today.
8 times this season Toronto FC has conceded penalties. Is it lack of discipline? Lack of concentration?
Maybe. At the end of the day defending in the box is about being in control of the situation. Managing your guy because we were matched up in the box and not getting yourself into a bad position, trying to control and keep your positioning, your marking position good and being in control of the guy you’re dealing with. Too often we find ourselves in reactive scenarios, the ball comes in and maybe catches us by surprise and our response is to grab or to hold once we end up in a reactive position you’re at the mercy of the attacker and too often we’re finding ourselves in those situations. Our marking has to get better. It’s just not good enough at the end of the day. You can’t allow three goals as we’ve said many times and expect to win and that was the message.
How do you fix it? It seems like the same conversation every week…
Some of it during the run of play can come from consistency of guys in the backline. Introducing new guys especially into a group that hasn’t played a lot together. Sometimes it’s that. The individual bad decisions it’s just individual accountability. If guys can’t make the individual decisions then they can’t be on the field, period. As a defender you have to be mindful and have to make the right play 99% of the time. That’s being a defender. Unfortunately sometimes forwards can get away with not making the right play and it doesn’t kill you in the moment but as defenders we have to do the simple and right thing every time and that comes down to guys being accountable on a very basic individual level.
Toronto FC midfielder Michael Bradley
Thoughts on the match
Disappointing for sure. It was a big opportunity for us to move ourselves into that top group of teams in the league and really make a statement that we were ready going into the run in that we were going to be ready to make a strong push and obviously it’s just one game, we can still do that there is still a lot of games left. We’re still in a good position so there’s nothing lost in the big picture but like I said it’s disappointing because it was an opportunity for us to really to send out a message that we were ready to go on a real run. Now we just have to make sure that that run starts next weekend in New York.
Was it as simple as overlooking your opponent considering the players they were missing?
No it wasn’t a matter of overlooking at all. We knew it was going to be a difficult game. At times games like these become more difficult when some of the “bigger players” are out but others come in and in some ways are more determined to make sure that the team doesn’t miss a beat, they’re more committed to do all the little things to make it very difficult for us. At the end of the day we didn’t have enough guys who really played well and to win big games you have to have six, seven, eight guys that walk off the field at the end who are able to say they had good games and we didn’t have that tonight. That’s part of it, we’ll move on and get ourselves ready for a big game against the Red Bulls.
