Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes
On Sporting KC's effective mix of experience in newcomers...
I think tonight there were seven guys on the field in the beginning of the game that were from the 2013 MLS cup Final. That experience is huge. It took a long time to cultivate that group and I don’t want to say it’s everything, but it’s a lot. And as much as you are a part of the time period where we built that culture. What else is transpired is that they are now the ones that raise in the standard year after year. So when new players come in, there is no flexibility for them to go their own way. They either adapt or adjust to the culture the way it is or they find themselves out pretty quickly. So when the new guys come in, they understand very quickly what the club is all about, what the expectations are.
Something we said right before we were going out this morning, when we had a pregame talk, we were looking around, couple of coaches and myself, we were saying that what’s tremendous is that we have a young group that played against Seattle this past Sunday and they had a great experience there. They held up to what they needed to do to get us in position for this game, and make sure everybody was rested, but they earned a tremendous amount of experience today going through this. It’s one thing to go through and lose but it’s another thing to go through and win. You gain something from that, and I don’t know if all the guys come through that win are winners. All I do know is when the guys get a taste of winning they become that pretty quickly.
On the Philadelphia Union's performance...
In the first half, I thought they were the better team for sure. I thought the second half we were the better team. I would say that we managed the overtimes really well. There is two things, and this isnt any off field tactics or so. It is not winning a championship at home. We have done it twice and we had to learn some valuable lessons on the road. In 2012, when we won the cup at home we played Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Championship the year before and they were more experienced. We were very naive, although we played well, we were naive, and we gained a lot of experience from that, that has been a big help to us, we had to learn that. I think the Union has a very good foundation; I think Jim is doing a really good job and I think their future is bright for sure.
On his progression with Sporting KC...
From when I first came on the team as a technical director, and then became coach, and then both now, my thoughts were never about building a team, it was always about being a part of building a club. There is a big difference between the two things. A team can be built, and you can win, and you can fall apart the next year and be a one hit wonder. The whole idea for us was a club that was going to be connected with a community and more importantly was going to be competitive year after year. That is a very tough thing to do in this league because of the salary cap. We’ve had to sell guys, trade guys away. It’s unfortunate: C.J. [Sapong] played on the other side today, and he is a monster, and I love the kid, we have a great relationship. It’s not something we necessarily wanted to do. [Teal] Bunbury last year played in the final with New England. Another guy, Kei Kamara, he is leading the league in goals right now. I can go down the list of players that have been with the club and incredible servants for the club. At the same time they know and understand what clubs are about and we still have a lot of work to do. We are adding something that are going to be announced sooner than later for the organization. We still have a long way to go. Lets’ face it, there are some super powers in our league that are LA Galaxy, new LA team, Toronto, New Yorks of the world, Montreal, Vancouver, Seattle. Those are some superpowers and we have to be able to do things maybe a little different because of our market and we need to continue to stay competitive because those guys are getting better all the time. It’s not an easy league to navigate form that perspective to stay consistent.
On Sporting KC’s improvement throughout the match…
We didn’t play so well in the first half but I thought we were very good in the second half and managed the game very well in the overtime. Our experience really came out in the game, and that was a big part of it.
On winning a third Open Cup title in club history…
It says a lot about the club. I’ve said from the beginning, I think every team wants to win this competition. It just depends on how you go about it, what teams you put on the field and how well you do. And our guys, we bought into this. We wanted to win. They put everything they had into it, and they got it done.
On 21-year-old Jordi Quintilla converting the game-winning penalty kick…
I’m excited for him because he made a commitment to try and come here. We’ve tried to get him for a while and it all worked out. It’s exciting for him and good for the team.
Sporting KC defender Matt Besler
On winning the U.S. Open Cup title…
It’s hard to put into words what the emotions feel like. There’s something about penalty kicks in championship game with this group of guys. I can’t say enough about our fight and our heart. I’m just so proud of our teammates. We’re bringing the Cup back to Kansas City.
On how the game played out…
We knew this wasn’t going to be an easy game, and it certainly wasn’t. Philadelphia — credit to them — they gave us everything that we could handle. We knew that we were going to have to weather their initial storm and I thought that for the most part we did that in the first 30 minutes. And honestly, I think the rest of the game, I thought we were on the front foot and controlled a lot of the possession. We deserve to be champions with the effort that we put forth.
On Krisztian Nemeth’s goal…
Krisztian is a quality player. In these types of games, the difference between scoring a goal and winning and losing is very marginal. Big players step up in those opportunities. Krisztian is a big player and a quality player.
On the impact the Seattle draw on Sunday had on the team...
The feeling in the locker room after the Seattle game is something that we needed. I feel like after that game the team came together. I was up in the stand along with a lot of the other older guys and I didn’t know it was like that, watching the game, how nervous I would be. Especially the last 10 or 15 minutes, but I think it was probably the fasted that the people watching the game got down to the locker room. It probably took us two minutes to get down there because we wanted to see our teammates and congratulate them on the effort they put forth. We all agreed the performance and the way we went about it is something we can grow off of and it gave us confidence going into tonight.
On Philadelphia's performance...
We did a lot of defending in the first 30 minutes. You have to give credit to Philadelphia. We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy, and they did. They put a lot of pressure on us in our own half and in the 18 yard box. I think we’ll look back on that stretch and the fact that we were able to bend and not break and go into half time 1-0 was a big part of the game.
On winning another championship in penalty kicks...
There’s just something about this group of guys and penalty kicks in championship games. I was a little bit surprised this game went into penalty kicks… Once the ref blew the whistle in the second extra time we had all been there before. I think everybody was very comfortable and confident.
Sporting KC midfielder Benny Feilhaber
On Jordi Quintilla adapting to the team...
I was a newcomer a couple years ago, and it’s not easy. The system that we play, the way Peter manages; it takes a while to kind of get use to it. These guys, obviously goalkeeping is a bit different, and as for Jordy, I think he has done really well to get acclimated to the environment, the way the MLS is played. How our team plays. He is a quality player with a lot of technical abilities, and we I think we were all pretty confident that he was going to get that goal.
On the impact the Seattle draw on Sunday had on the team...
I think it unified the team a little bit with the guys that didn’t get too many minutes. They all had such a good performance, that everybody kind of felt like we have all contributed to this team. You can sense it, as soon as we won that game; everybody celebrated on the field together, as if they had a part in it, which they did.
On John McCarthy's substitution into the match before penalty kicks...
For myself, I thought it was going to happen. I was keeping track of their subs. McCarthy has had two penalty shootouts in Open Cup games, and they won both. I was actually surprised he didn’t start the game.
Sporting KC midfielder Jordi Quintilla
On his game-winning penalty kick…
Actually it was not my turn. It was Jake [Peterson]’s turn, but [Andrew Wenger] missed, and I said, “Jake, I go.”
Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin
On Philadelphia's loss...
Not a ton of words after a night like that. First off, congratulations to Kansas City, Peter Vermes. Very good team, a team that’s lifted a few trophies. We continue to try to find our first. It’s the hardest thing to do in our game and the past two years have been an example of that. I think this year we’re as close, probably even more close than Seattle. The building’s ready to erupt and we came up a little short in penalty kicks. At that stage, it can go either way.
First half I thought we pushed the tempo. We’re sitting on the sidelines saying we need a second goal, we need a second goal. I thought KC was a little vulnerable in that first half. Especially once we scored, it kind of opened up and we had some chances as they pushed. Didn’t make the final play in the box to get that goal, a couple unlucky bounces. On another night it could go our way, but for some reason it just doesn’t. That’s a difficult thing in this building. Our fans were amazing. They stuck with us, like they always do. The atmosphere was all we could have asked for. Again, all I can say is sorry for not delivering something that we’ve talked about achieving…It’s elusive for us right now. No fault of my players, they put everything into the game. [They] emptied their tanks for me, it set up alright in terms of the 120 minute mark getting Johnny in there to maybe finish the thing. It just didn’t go our way. Again, credit to KC. A very good team, a team that has a bunch of winners.
On his decision to bring on goalkeeper John McCarthy in the penalty shootout...
Yeah, it’s some we talked about all week. We were kind of a bit against it because you never know how a game is gonna go. There’s a million different variables that go on. An example would be Kansas City had three guys get injured and those were their three subs. If I had a sub left and it got late into the second extra time I thought about it, early on in the week. That situation came up. All of the guys on the field felt fine at that moment. I told Conor before the extra time started that if it got to around 120 to have a cramp, I guess you’d say. And we got Johnny in there, that part was fine. Andre was excellent in the game it was just kind of a gut thing, where he is special at PK’s. He shows it in training every day and we went with it. Again, on another night it works, but tonight it didn’t.
On how he manages the situation between Andre Blake and John McCarthy...
Andre’s first words when he came off the field were ‘Yeah, we’re in this together. We support each other.’ They have a good relationship. Two young goalkeepers that have a tremendous amount of upside. I thought the goal they had was not save-able, a world-class finish. Kind of stunned us a bit. We had a point in the game where second half looked like a final and that was a little disconnected and rain played a role in that. Guys were slipping around and falling… Johnny’s in there for the PKs and made a save but just wasn’t enough today.
On Maurice Edu's injury late in the game...
Yeah, we talked to him. He let us know he felt okay. It was one of those quick ones having to assess them because it happened right at the end of time there. He tested the knee out, ran on it. He’s a pro, he doesn’t want to come out of a game like that. It would be a tough spot to throw a center back into at that stage… I don’t think it had any affect on his PK. He said he was fine so that’s all hindsight.
On Philadelphia's performance...
I was really happy about how we played in the first half. At halftime we talked about having that killer instinct to get the second goal. I said to them I think there’s going to be more goals in this game. It’s critical to get the next one. Us going up 2-0 or them tying it, which is would up being what happened. It’s a little bit execution a little bit of ball bouncing your way. Their goalkeeper was good on the night. Made a few saves to bail them out. When you have a team –I’m not saying we had them on the ropes- a little bit scrambling in the first half it is critical to take advantage and get that second goal. I’m kind of at a loss for words. I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses or anything like that because Kansas City is a good team.
Philadelphia Union midfielder Michael Lahoud
On his successful penalty kick in the shootout...
Last night I went to bed and I had a dream that I was taking the sixth PK and I won it and obviously that didn’t happen. I felt confident throughout the game and it wasn’t any different going up there. Once I hit it I knew it was a goal.
On goalkeeper John McCarthy coming into the game for the penalty shootout...
John was a key part of this magical ride. It was very unfortunate that he wasn’t able to do some of the things that got us this far. Hats off to him and especially our goalkeepers. It’s been a crazy year with injuries but each of those guys has stepped in when called upon. It’s not an easy thing for a young goalkeeper like John to step into a pressure situation but he’s the man for the job. On a different day, I think he would’ve gotten some of those but I’m really proud of the effort he made.
On Philadelphia sticking together after the loss...
I can’t stress the importance of sticking together in the midst of something like this. I don’t have the right words for it. It doesn’t feel good now and I know it’s going to hurt more in the coming days. For me, I want us to finish the season with our head’s held high. I say this professionally, we kicked their butts. On a different day, we embarrass Kansas City. Today was there day. There isn’t a man in that locker room who would say something different. Though it hurts now, if we keep the group together, it builds character. I couldn’t be proud of a guy like Edu. He’s the leader and captain of this team and even in the midst of the disappointment tonight, I’m proud of what he brought to the table tonight. I hope this experience defines us in a good way moving forward.
