SPORTING KANSAS CITY MANAGER PETER VERMES
On playoff implications with the win
âWe knew coming in today, the fact that we had given up four points in the last two games at home, which both games we should have easily gotten six points out of them. We knew this was a huge game for us. We knew that we had to do everything we could to get three points here, because the games are going away quickly and you canât just keep fighting to the very end â because I think what happens in this league especially because of the parity but also, every team has a very high level of pride and at the end, everybody fights at the end. So itâs not like youâre going to get an easy game. So this was a big game for us. We knew it. Getting the three points was ginormous.â
On the pride of the team, missing some core veterans:
âI was a player one day. I played at one time. When I retired, the game kept going on. The game forgot about me, if you know what I mean. It keeps going and so you gotta keep, as time goes on, within the club you gotta keep finding players that are evolving themselves, and they are becoming those players that can close a game out if you will, or step up big in those moments. Itâs great to see that our guys can do that, especially when itâs a bunch of guys who maybe havenât been on the field on a regular basis.â
On Kevin Ellisâ goal:
âWhat a lot of people donât know about Kevin is, through our academy he was a forward. He went to community college for one year, and he played a little bit of central defender and right back. And we were really bringing him in to be a right back. And a couple years ago we had a real big problem at central defender, they were all gone. So I was like, âKevin, youâre gonna have to play there.â I think he is almost maybe like one of the new prototypical central defenders of the future. Because heâs not 6-3, heâs 5-10, 5-11, whatever, but heâs got incredible leaping ability. Heâs got great timing in the air, heâs very agile. And then the other part of it is the fact that he was a forward, heâs got great instincts in the box. He scored quite a few a couple years ago, quite a few set piece goals for us, because heâs got great instincts in the box. I think itâs more because of his forward days.â
On what about going to 5 backs and 3 midfielders locked the game down:
âIke [Opara]. Putting Ike in the center. I think heâs the best in the league when it comes to in the air. And the fact that Dom [Kinnear] and I have had some real battles over the years and towards the end of the game, his guys do it well. He knows how to send the ball into the box, and they know how to get in and around the box for second chancesâĤ They dropped a lot of balls in there. A couple bounced around here and there, but I thought at the end of the day, I thought we were in good positions on all of them. And if we didnât have the extra guy there, thereâs no doubt in my mind I think they would have gotten a goal. So I think Ike really shut that game down.â
SPORTING KANSAS CITY MIDFIELDER BENNY FEILHABER
On picking up three points on the road in the middle of a tight Western Conference playoff race:
âItâs extremely important. Iâve never won personally in San Jose. I donât think Iâve ever even drawn here so it was really, really great to have that finally happen I guess and itâs very important for our team. Us having dropped points at home it was essential that we were able to grab some on the road and grabbing three is obviously huge in this race. Itâs so tight right now and in these last few games.â
On getting an early goal on the road:
âIt shouldâve been more important, honestly. I think we were lucky and fortunate to get that goal. We took advantage of an opportunity, but you know not the way we wanted to end the first half being 1-1. We had to come back out in the second half and continue to defend and we were able to get a goal on the set piece. Thatâs sometimes how you have to do it on the road, but itâs obviously huge to get those opportunistic goals on the road because youâre not going to get very many chances.â
On Kevin Ellisâ no-look goal for his first of the season:
âWell I just got another look at it and I can honestly say that he meant to do that. I just tried to put the ball in a good space there. I know Ike (Opara) was my main target and he made a good run, got a lot of the defenders towards him. I think Kevin was able to fight off his man and he just tried to kind of take the opportunity and just put any kind of body on it and he was able to. Thankfully, he put it in the back of the net.â
On finishing the season with a final match against San Jose:
âItâs always big mentality to be able to beat a team that youâre going to see very soon. Thatâll be the last game of the year. Weâd like to think that we put ourselves in the playoffs before that last game, but having said that we were able to beat San Jose here and hopefully we get that little bit of a mental edge when we play them in three weeks time.â
SPORTING KANSAS CITY FORWARD DOM DWYER
On scoring his 15th goal and what he can attribute his success to:
âObviously fantastic service. Itâs just that you try and find yourself in the right place at the right time. I always said this: âanyone who plays forward for this team you should score goals.â Thatâs my job to try to get myself in good positions and get chances and try to finish them. It was good to get on the score sheet again, but most importantly we got three points tonight.â
On how excited the guys were to pick up three points on the road:
âYeah it was big. Weâre very focused on making the playoffs and getting as many points as we can before the end of the season and weâll see where it goes from there. Obviously itâs a big result for us. Itâs tough to win here so weâre very pleased.â
On if bouncing back to score the game-winner is indicative of the spirit of this team now:
âYeah. If you look back through the season, weâve been very, very unlucky. Last time we were here there were a few calls that didnât go our way so it was very big to get a result here tonight. Obviously we play again in a couple weeks so we should have that mental edge.â
On if San Jose always seems to knock the ball in the back, big battles and if thatâs how it was tonight:
âYeah. I try and put myself involved in those battles and hopefully the ref takes care of the game. Sometimes thatâs not the case. You just have to keep battling and working and itâs tough going against bigger guys, but you know we got a result so weâre pleased.â
On letting leads slip in the last two games and then being able to come back and win:
âItâs big. This group has a lot of character. There were results we didnât get. We were really pushing and we had chances here and there. Sometimes itâs just the way it works I guess in football. Tonight we got the better of them.â
On if Kevin Ellis gets full credit for the goal:
âAbsolutely. Right place, right time. I wouldâve took that one happily so Iâm glad he scored.â
