Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes
On if the team returned to their form from earlier in the season by getting a clean sheet...
"I don’t know if it’s ever left us. This is the way we play week after week so it was a good game. It's a great game for us, we played very well, it was a very good team we played tonight. The number of times we’ve played them this year, they played a different formation every time so I thought we played really smart, we were intelligent on the field but at the same time we had good effort and we didn’t give anything away. We maintained concentration for 90 minutes and then we obviously scored in the first half and then stuck one away in the second half which was great. The substitutes that came on gave us a good lift as well."
On Diego Rubio’s performance having scored three since the start of July...
"He’s coming off of an injury and he’s come back here in the summertime, I just think he’s slowly getting back to where he was before he got injured and he’s getting form every time he plays. When you get game-after-game and you play and you get good rhythm like he has, you wind up getting good form. He fits really well into the way we play, the guys have a lot of confidence in him and he has a lot of confidence in himself and it’s not easy from a central defender perspective to try to mark him, just because he’s very shifty. He has a low center of gravity, very good on the ball, can play through him, can do combination play with him so he’s a tough guy and he’s also really, really good in the air."
On limiting FC Dallas’ offense...
"I think that there are certain teams in this league that you play against, and every game’s always hard, but there are different challenges and one of the things that Dallas always – the challenge they always present to us is that – it’s one thing of having a formation change but they have very good players in their team. They’re street smart. They understand the little tricks of the trade inside the white lines and I thought we played very intelligent in regards to that, we never got rattled in the game, but more importantly the fact that we were able to really take everything away from them – I think they had one good chance in the game – Timmy (Melia) was solid, but he was also smart in the game, so all those things helped out. The guys were good all around, again, we played very intelligently."
On bringing Gerso off the bench...
"Honestly, I think Gerso has done very well for us but I also think that as of late, he’s maybe been a little bit tired or he needed a little reset button so one of the reasons I didn’t start him tonight, I told him that ‘whether it’s tonight or the next game or when it is, you’re going to have a moment that you’re going to have to come in and help the team, and you’ve just got to make sure you’re ready.’ He was great about it, he understood and he did exactly what he was supposed to do. He came in, I told him when he was going in, I said ‘listen, we need something to change the game, so you’ve got to go in there and give something that’s going to lift the team up.’ He did it, it’s a fantastic goal, it’s a wonder goal for sure. He needed it, we needed it, worked out great. Great decision on the sub."
On the dynamic of this match being the fourth Sporting KC has played against Dallas in 2017...
"I think you’ve got to credit the guys on this. It’s one of those games where you can’t lose yourself emotionally in the game because at different points, different things happen. They might get a chance and let’s say Matt (Besler) does a slide tackle, blocks the ball, goes out of bounds and now it’s a corner kick. You’ve got to still keep your composure cause now you’ve got to defend the corner and so we did a really good job of keeping our emotions in check from that perspective. At the same time, we also had the right intensity when we needed it, which was hugely important and then the final piece is execution. We talked about a few different things that they might do in the game and we were ready for everything. I think Matt said it well, at the end of the day our concentration was good and we executed at the end when we needed to. That was the difference in the game."
Sporting KC defender Matt Besler
On the defensive performance...
"It was an important game to get three points for us, and there at the end it was great that we got the goal to come away but at the same time, if you looked around the field, everybody was locked in and we were ready to finish the game out 1-0 as well. So three points is all we really care about."
On holding one of the league’s best offenses at bay...
"It was an overall team performance. We respect Dallas, we’ve had a lot of battles with them in years past so we know what they bring. We know that every time they come into our stadium they’re always organized, they’re always a team that’s tough to break and they’re very good at that. We were aware of that tonight going in, I thought we, for the most part, were extremely organized and then on the final play we made the right decision. It’s something we always train and we know what to do, but sometimes you’re not able to make the final play. In games past, if we gave up a goal, we’re right there and we know what to do, but we don’t make that final play and tonight we made all those final plays. A bunch of different guys stepped up, they were in the right position at the right time and I think that’s a product of why we shut them out."
Sporting KC midfielder Benny Feilhaber
On playing well against Dallas because they have played so frequently…
"Obviously playing a team numerous times affects not necessarily how you play against them, but just that you know each other so well. It’s tough to take advantage of any one thing a team does when you know them so well. They are a team that’s very good on the counterattack. That’s something we know and we had a plan going into the game of not turning the ball over, especially in the midfield. I thought we did a very good job - very few times did we turn the ball over in midfield and when we did lose the ball, we got in good spots quickly. That was a big thing and in the first half we had a lot of possession and that kind of tired them out. Even had we not gotten that goal at the end of the half, we go into the half feeling pretty good with how the game was going. That’s a big thing against Dallas, scoring the first goal. If you let them score one on the counter then it’s an uphill battle. That’s one of the big things we did well today and that proved to be a big factor of why we got the win."
On why Daniel Salloi and Diego Rubio combine so well together…
"They are just good players. Good players tend to like playing with one another. Daniel [Salloi], for as young as he is knows the game very well. He knows when to take that opportunity, when to cut inside and take a shot, when to find a next pass and keep the ball moving. He is also good at making the right runs. Playing with Diego [Rubio], who can also hold the ball up well, he can create a shot for himself. He can also open up space for other players. It’s easy for those two guys to develop that chemistry. It’s fantastic for our team. It’s something we haven’t had as much in those positions - that kind of chemistry where guys are really combining up there. With more games together, the better the chemistry will become."
FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja
Opening thoughts on tonight’s match…
"I thought it was a very tactical game for both teams. The game ended up being decided on a couple of goals where we lost concentration and that cost us all the effort that we made. I think we need to keep learning. It’s tough. At this point, you get frustrated because you’re not getting the results. The effort of the players was there and I thought we had a decent game against a good team. Kansas City has a lot of possession in the middle and players who can play ball and sometimes it’s difficult to control and I think we did it in the majority of the first half and in the second half we were much better. The intensity increased in terms of going forward and we created a couple of chances but we were a bit timid in the box. We have to continue and go on with the project and the ideas that we have and I know we’re going to bounce back."
On the short turnaround…
"This is a long season. Sometimes you get in these periods where things don’t go your way but this group of players know and they have been in this situation before. They know they are going to compete on Wednesday, we’ll do it."
On match versus Houston on Wednesday…
We have a responsibility to get points. But at the same time we cannot lose our heads. There are a lot of games coming up and there is a lot still to play in front of us. Despite the urgency to get points, we have to keep our heads and our balance and see that the points are going to come especially ones that are at home against our rivals."
FC Dallas defender Walker Zimmerman
On the team’s road struggles…
"It’s difficult playing on the road in a tough environment. Teams that play at home tend to press a little more and are more aggressive. I thought we competed well tonight. I thought we gave ourselves many chances to take the lead or stay in the game. At the end, they got that second goal and that was the icing on the cake for them."
On getting back in the lineup…
"It feels good to be back and playing 90 minutes. Obviously, I’m disappointed with the result and giving up some goals. I think it’s something we can build on. We just have to immediately move past this one because we have a midweek one at home. We have to take care of business there and start getting ourselves back in the win column."
On takeaways from the match…
"We take away that we competed. We were in the game against a very good opponent in a very tough place to play. We were in it and gave ourselves chances. At the end of the day, we couldn’t get it done but I think it was a gutsy performance to come out here and compete and we are looking forward to getting back on track on Wednesday."
FC Dallas forward Tesho Akindele
On the team’s road struggles…
"I think it’s just been a little bit frustrating. I think the latest run has ben problems with scoring goals. Our defense has done all right, but we just haven’t been scoring goals and that’s been a strong point for our team. We need to get back to that."
On the challenge of defending set pieces…
"It’s just a one-on-one battle. If you slip a little bit, a professional soccer player is going to take advantage and that’s just what happened. We slipped a little bit and they took advantage."
On takeaways from the match…
"I think we are at the point where everybody knows we needs a win. I think next game at home, we are going to be so focused that everybody is going to give 100% because we need that win."
