Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes
On Sporting KC's 4-3 comeback victory over Vancouver...
There's no doubt that the third and fourth goal are all because of the crowd. The crowd is what pushed the guys on. They kept the faith and the way they brought the energy, I think there's no doubt that it spilled on to the guys on the field. The 12th man was unbelievable tonight. That's what really got us the 3 points. There's no doubt about it in my mind.
On Paulo Nagamura's late heroics...
I told him, with all the vacation days I'd given him this year, that he owed something back to me. Those two goals were great payback. When we went out to get him a few years back, when I was the technical director, I remember watching him play with Chivas and I saw him prior to that when he was with LA. The best description I can give is he's like a pit-bull. He's got a winning mentality. The guy never stops, never gives up. He's dealt with quite a few injuries this year. A lot of stuff is bad luck, but it's amazing that he can come in and play 90 minutes basically two games in a row here like he has in such a short period of time. He's a team-first guy and he's got a winning mentality. He's a really good player, all those things are givens. He's just a winner.
On Sporting KC's performance early in the match...
I thought we were very poor in the first half, in possession and we gave the ball away in very dangerous areas of the field. We just played right into what they wanted and what they like to do. They like to have an open game, they like to catch you on the counter, and they like to have space to run into. We played right into that by giving up a goal in very dangerous areas. Some of that was because defensively we were in between, we weren't really high and we weren't really dropped off. We were too spread out at that time, we lose the ball in a dangerous area and now we're open. They have one of the best front fours in the league and when they want to go, they can go. But if you give them that, that's when they're dangerous. Credit to our guys in the second half, we made a few little adjustments. And other thing that was very evident in the second half was our fitness level. Sporting fit took over at the end. It was harder for them to come out. Maybe two or three guys would counter, but the rest would have a hard time defensively getting out of back. It allowed us to win the ball and get back on the attack.
On a number of different players contributing to win...
This team has definitely taken goal scoring by committee, if you will. A lot of guys have stepped up at the right moments and found good opportunities. Naga's second goal is great goal, but his first goal was tremendous. What you really have to look at is the ball Chance (Myers) plays him. That's the experience that Chance brings and that's the reason we brought him in at the end of the game. We needed more in the attack and he's very good in the final third. A lot of different guys helped us win the game, no doubt.
On the volume of the Sporting Park crowd...
At one point it definitely felt like we were in MLS Cup. It was very, loud. I think it was actually muffled at MLS Cup because it was so cold.
On Soni Mustivar's performance...
He had his best-worst performance tonight. He wasn't good on the ball. I never doubt his heart. He puts everything into every game. From that point of view, I have the utmost respect for him. Tonight wasn't his game in regards to just playing with the ball and being simple. But it happens sometimes and I make mistakes and sometimes they do, too. As much as I want those guys to trust me, I have to trust them as well. He at least put the work ethic in, even if he wasn't good technically.
Sporting KC defender Matt Besler
On Paulo Nagamura scoring two goals to complete the late comeback...
He's a warrior. He's a winner. I wouldn't expect anything less from that guy. I'm very happy that he was able to get the two goals.
On what it took to complete the three-goal comeback...
We didn't win that game with great soccer or skill or tactics. We won the game with heart and balls.
On the emotion involved in such a dramatic victory...
There's a ton of emotion involved. It's a high -- winning is always a high. But to come back like that on your home field against the first-place team, it's a major win. At the same time, though, we can't get too carried away because we're in the middle of a very demanding stretch physically and mentally. We've got to enjoy this but we've got to get ready for the next one.
On Sporting KC's confidence level...
We should have the confidence to feel like we can win no matter the situation in the game. Tonight we didnt' have one of our best games. Like I said, we played one of the best teams in the conference -- arguably the best team in the league -- and we were still able to find a way to win. That says a lot about the team.
Vancouver head coach Carl Robinson
On his disappointment at the end of the match...
It's about a number of decisions today. Great environment, great place to play, good fans here, unbeaten at home, fantastic. But it can and it needs to be managed and handled by the correct person. Tonight it wasn't. There's so many decisions I'm super frustrated about. But I'm proud of my team. You can't fault any one of that young group I put out today. They are a good team, KC is. I love Peter to bits -- top top coach. He gets them going. Big games need big people to handle them.
On Vancouver's late missed chances to put away the game...
We were 3-1 up; they never let in. Peter's got a team that's drummed in to keep going. Credit to them. They got their result and they got their reward because they played great today. They beat us, and it's not a case of how you play, it's about results. Credit to them to keep going, but I'm so proud of my group. I'm speechless for them. I just want them to keep their heads up. We're a good, young team but we're going to have to do it against all the odds because no one's going to help us.
Vancouver winger Kekuta Manneh
On if the loss was his most disappointing as a Vancouver player...
Probably yeah, with the run we are having right now. The way we played, you can't fault anyone for the effort we gave. We gave everything we had, but we gave that one away which is pretty disappointing. We felt like we had the game.
On creating several chances throughout the match...
We created a lot of chances -- myself and all the attacking players. We should have taken some more of the chances that we created. We didn't take them and that's sometimes how the game goes. They capitalized on their chances and took their chances, so it's just really disappointing we didn't come out with a win.
On the positives to be taken from the performance...
Definitely the way we played up front. Like I said, we put everything we had in the game. We scored three goals -- that's one of the positives. Sporting KC are one of the best teams in the West. Defensively they are a really good team. I think there's stuff we can work on defensively as a team, so hopefully we can sort it out next week.
