Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
On what he thinks of the club coming together so early in the season to go 3-0...
We have only played three games so far and one thing we are is well organized. I think the team is disciplined. I think we have been taking our chances pretty well. Everyone is stepping up from different places. I think that is the reason why we are getting results. But it is so early in the season; I can only imagine what is going to come. It doesn’t really matter because we have only played three games. We have a lot more ahead of us. We have an incredibly tough opponent in two weeks and that is what we need to get ready for.
On what he thinks the difference was from the first half to the second...
Credit to them, I thought they were very organized defensively. I think they sat in there half of the field and they did a good job of just trying to clog the middle. If they wanted, they would try and get Giovinco over the top. We had a pretty good idea that’s what they were going to do. We also didn’t want to open ourselves up by trying to get too over zealous within our attack. We would have then left ourselves exposed in the back. We were smart and very disciplined as well. I think in the second half they came to play a little bit more and the game opened up. I think in the end, we got the better chance. I know you asked Brad about the goal he scored, but I thought it was a great individual axis, especially coming in off the goal line. You are running the goal line, running horizontal to the goal, and he does a great job to cut back and hit it early enough. The goalkeeper could not react. Like I said when Brad came here, I didn’t tell him, but I told the staff, he was probably going to get seven points on his own tonight. And then he wound up getting the win tonight with three, so he has four more to get us for the rest of the season. I believe he will. When he does more, the better then.
On Brad's left foot...
I don’t think it is going to be the same all the time, but I think with both, how Brad and Zusi are, they can come inside and have the ability to overlap with our outside backs. I think it works really well with the way they play. You know that Brad can serve the ball on the side with his right foot too, and you know that Zus can serve it with his left foot, but I am not concerned with that fact that when they come inside on their dominant foot, they can be dangerous in both ways. The one thing that didn’t happen today which they both did in preseason was that they find each other cutting in while the other one is running in and they can find the other guy over the top on their good foot. They are pinpoint accurate with that. I think we will see that as time comes, but yeah, it is a weapon that we have for sure.
On how well Chance focused in on handling Giovinco on the side...
I would say that is a good observation from your perspective. Chance just came back in last year, it was kind of his year where he had to get his feet wet again and get back into a rhythm of play. I think since he started this year, you can see each game, it’s not like he is trying to get in there anymore, he is just getting back to his old self. I think this game was a big confidence builder for him and the last two games have been very good games for him. He will keep building off of it. I also think T on the outside did a very good job in his one v one duals. I would add that Mustivar was very good at winning the balls in the middle of the park.
On what he plans on doing to keep these guys fresh within a break these next two weeks...
We have a few guys going away on International duty and we are going to give the guys a couple of days off and then we will come back on Wednesday. We will try to get back into a rhythm. Next week, we will really start hitting for Salt Lake and we always have to prepare very well for that game. They have always been a very tough opponent of ours and we know it will be a battle when they come in.
On Espinoza’s red card and taking some time off after his International duty...
I was really thinking about giving him time off so it worked out great, no..no. Unfortunately, and I haven’t seen the play so I can’t really comment on it, but I can say that Roger gives everything in the game. I don’t think he is a malicious guy, but I think he gives everything in the game. Sometimes those things happen and unfortunately he won’t be available for the next game. Other guys are going to have to jump in and play; that’s just the way it is.
Sporting KC Midfielder Brad Davis
On the first goal of the season...
Dom battled there for us and played the ball. To be honest, I don’t think it was a foul. I think we were just battling there and I got my body in front of him and I was able to take a touch. I was able to come back on my left foot and place the ball in the corner. It was a good little play there and for me, I just wanted to come on and try to make a difference in that second 45.
On the effects of the red card and playing a man down in the last few minutes of the game...
I think they were a good team and a good test for us. They were well organized and you know, I think our group is too. I think that was a good challenge for us to have to finish on a game like that under pressure. We were still able to battle. You know you are going to have a bunch of those games, and those are the games you need to close out. Winning one to nothing, drawing numbers forward, it’s not always pretty, but it was a gutty’s win there at the end. Those are things that build confidence within the team and it was something that was good. We battled there until the end and we held on.
On the atmosphere in Children's Mercy Park after his goal and the crowd chanting his name...
Yeah, I did notice that. Someone was joking with me in the locker room. Usually there are a couple of curse words before my name comes, but it was good. I got some slack for it.
Sporting KC defender Matt Besler
On the success of the defense…
There is a lot of attention to detail. I think our organization defensively has been excellent, when the team has the ball and then when we have the ball as well. We call it active defending when our attacking defenders are going forward with the ball, we are organizing the people in front of us, so when we do lose it, we are able to be in the right spots to cut off plays.
On the significance of getting nine points through three matches…
It’s always nice to get out to a start like this, but to be honest, it doesn’t mean anything other than the fact that we have nine points. We have to continue to get better. We have to continue to take it one game at a time so we aren’t really looking at the standings or where we are at. All I know is we have nine points and we have to get better for next game.
On the reaction of the crowd to Brad Davis...
I’m happy for him. I’m happy to see him get the goal. He deserves everything that comes to him. I also give credit to our fans because he has made it tough on us for a lot of years and for our fans to give him the warm reception that they did and to welcome him to the club as one of our own, they deserve a lot of credit as well. Overall, it was great to see him get the goal and to see the warm reaction from the crowd.
Sporting KC midfielder Roger Espinoza
On how this game makes the team better…
When you are a man down, a position opens and everyone needs to work hard for it. I think it brings the team together. It creates trust in everybody and that’s exactly what happened. Right after the red card, I told everyone to stay strong and keep fighting. That’s the nature of the game. I came in here to watch the game and everyone seemed locked in, helping each other and that’s one of the main reasons we came away with three points.
On the red card…
I was trying to win the ball back. It was so quick so I’m not entirely sure what happened. The reason I didn’t argue is because I didn’t want my teammates to lose concentration on the game. Everybody was locked in. I just walked out to make sure everybody was calm and ready to win the game. I didn’t want anybody to concentrate on the red card. There’s nothing I can change in the red card. It happened and it was a ball I was trying to win. I wasn’t trying to go malicious into the play or anything. It was a ball I lost and I was trying to recover it right away.
Toronto FC Head Coach Greg Vanney
On how the team played tonight...
We were fairly comfortable. We didn’t have a ton of possessions but we were fairly comfortable in our shape professionally, and at that point I think Sebastian had the best look of the game to get the results and it’s just unfortunate. We had a handball last week and a little knick here this week that might’ve cost us the game, really.
On how the first match went in comparison to his expectations...
We had a good sense of what Sporting KC’s objectives were from an attacking standpoint and what we wanted to try and nullify defensively — I thought we did a good job of that. We were organized. We were shutting the spaces and the places down defensively that we thought were coming. I thought the game was played in the midfield third and we were perfectly content with that. We knew that at some point we would have our opportunity, whether it be in transition or through a possession to create something, so we were pleased at halftime with just a few minor adjustments to kind of change the game until we were forced to do so in the second half.
On calls made under review by the league during the game...
Regardless of this play, I’m in favor of anything that is a decisive moment in the game that can’t kill the pace of the game or the momentum of the game, but I think that the technology has come far enough now that in some of these decisive moments they can get a very quick reading and get something correct so that the right call is made at the right time. It has nothing to do with this game or the last game, I just think there’s a lot riding on games now a days, people’s jobs and a various number of things, and championships. It’s easily correctable and used in almost every other sport so why not find a way to make it useful for our sport?
On his opinion of the boys playing better 11 on 11 rather than a man up...
It’s hard to say, when we were 11 on 11 we were down a goal. The urgency to go chase the game changed before that. We were content to defend the goal and were looking for our moment to try and win the game. It’s at that point that you really try to press to get the goal back. It was just the urgency of the game being picked up to another level. Within that we were finding some other opportunities on goal.
In terms of after [the card], some things just weren’t quite as clear. We adjusted our shape, we went three in the back, and added another midfielder to push a bit higher and within that maybe things were just a bit unclear for the guys. We weren’t quite as dangerous but all we really needed to do was find Jozy in the box a couple of times, but he’s obviously a big target. It is what it is, you learn in these early games as a group and we will take away from it what we can.
On Toronto’s defense the first three games...
I’m very pleased, like I said, up until the goal. I was pretty comfortable with the fact that we weren’t giving away much set pieces and were slightly dangerous just because Graham hits an incredible service and it’s just always tough to deal with. Aside from that, tonight was the first running goal we’ve given up this season and it was sketchy at best. Aside from that, we’ve defended extremely well and very comfortably I might say. That’s what you’ve got to do on the road and I’m pleased with that. I’m very proud of the guys' performance today — they deserved more out of it.
On whether Sebastian Giovinco was limited in tonight’s game at all...
Not really. I mean, there have been some instances where we are on the road for eight games and are taking a bit more of defensive posture. At times he ends up as the lone guy up there against two center backs and it’s not easy. But over the course of the ninety minutes, he finds his way to get a chance on goal or set up another player on goal but it’s not an easy task for him, and as great as he is to get his moments in a one versus two, there’s not a lot of space for him. He’s got to be patient and he is. And through the course of the game he figures out where the spaces are to tries to exploit. He’s been very patient these past few games, knowing that as we progress through this we will become more of an attacking team when the time is right and that his opportunities will start to come about.
Toronto FC Forward Mo Babouli
On what was going through his mind coming into the game at such a key moment...
I was just trying to come on and make a difference. You know, were were down one-nil so I just want to come on and do the best I can and create some chances.
On whether he thinks 1-on-1 match-ups are one of his strengths...
That's definitely one of my strengths, and the other guys have made me feel comfortable in doing so. I just go out there and it doesn't matter who's in front of you — you just play the way you do in training.
Toronto FC Defender Josh Williams
On how the tempo changed for Toronto after the red card...
Obviously after a red card everybody sort of gets a little pep in their step. But unfortunately, in this case, we couldn't get the equalizer.
On how he feels playing next to Damien Perquis...
I felt very comfortable next to him. He is someone that I can learn a lot from, and he has a lot of experience. Unfortunately, after Drew Moor went down with whatever he had, I was happy to fill in. I work hard every day at practice to prepare myself for this. Damien is awesome to play next to. He has a ton of experience and he makes the game easy for me.
On whether he feels happy with the defensive structure of the team...
Not tonight, no. We're still losing points when we feel like we should have gained points. When you look back on it, it was a solid performance, but we can't have that one miss happen. We have to stay the complete game together.
Toronto FC Defender Justin Morrow
On how he felt about the second half...
I thought we came in here and we did a good job. We played well and stayed with them the whole game, but we couldn't come up with the result.
On whether he feels the official's calls would have changed the end result...
Yeah, I think their goal was a missed call. We had chances to get ahead in the game. I'd say it was a good game overall.
On whether he thinks replay could be utilized in the league to clarify calls...
I think when goals are getting decided in the moment like that, replay could be helpful.
On how he feels about the performance overall...
I'm really happy with the performance. I think we came in and put it all out there. We worked really hard. We worked solidly as a team. We stood up to them and we played at their home.
