Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
On the formation and lineup changes…
I think our team actually played well. We were organized. The guys did a great job with us changing the team around a little bit. Obviously, a lot of guys were missing, and a lot of guys were playing in different places today, but they did a fantastic job. I don't think the scoreline justifies it by any means. The guys actually played really well with that kind of mentality attitude, work ethic and competitiveness in the game. It's very positive and reassuring for me as we move forward.
On the penalty call that led to the second goal…
I haven't seen it yet. I'm not going to comment because I just don't know. I don't have enough views on the play. We were in a good place leading up to that second goal. On the third goal, we were pushing forward and trying to get even. I give the guys a lot of credit for that piece of it, I'm not really concerned about that. The aggressiveness, the organization, the guys really having a good understanding of what we wanted to do in the game today was really good. Very rarely do I walk away from a loss and say, that we did some really good things in that game today. I was actually really impressed with the guys, and I told them to keep their heads up. It’s a long season. You got a lot to work for. We've been in places where we had unbelievable starts and then finish off where we don't want to. We got to keep working at it.
On Ben Sweat and Kortne Ford’s performance…
I think they were like the rest of the guys. Ben probably ran out a little gas at the end there, but that's the first time he's played 75 minutes, probably in over a year. He was good in a lot of aspects of the game. Ben's got a good brain for the game, reads it well. Like any player, when you're out for a while, you need to get back in a routine at your position. He needs a little bit of that, but that's only going to come with him playing. I thought he was good. Kortne did a good job in the game. Again, he had not played and had his first game in a changed formation when he's been training all preseason, and up until now with us in a different way. He did a really good job in the game. Defensively, we were organized really well. I give the guys a lot of credit.
On what his message is to the fans after the loss...
I'm not here trying to send a message other than that there are different ways and situations that you have to go through in a season. Unfortunately, we're dealing with six guys being out. They’re regular starters. Sometimes you have to change up the team. Right now, that's what we have to deal with early. If you've been a supporter of the club, then there's no reason why you shouldn't continue to support the club. There are a lot of games left but we have work to do. We’ll get there. I have no doubt that we have guys that are good enough and that we have staff and players that work hard to get better game after game.
On what he saw on the two goals that came from the run of play…
The first one, I'm not sure if it was a deflection or not. I'm watching the game live, and I don't watch every play afterward to try to figure out exactly what happened. I watch it live and there's not much I can do about that play. I don't know if he could have done better or not. I'll see it later.
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza
On his thoughts on the match…
It was a difficult game for us with the weather and with the injuries we have. But I'm very happy that a lot of young guys stepped in. They worked very hard. We got unlucky with some goals, but I told everybody after the game that it's a very long season. I've been here with Sporting for a very long time in losing seasons in the beginning, but we were able to come back and finish first. This is just the beginning and we got to keep working, and we got to keep believing. If we keep working hard like tonight, we can do good things throughout the season.
On the team’s performance in the new formation…
We have guys like Felipe Hernandez and Cam Duke who are in their early 20s and this is a great learning experience for them. I'm happy that they're playing and they're getting up there. In the middle of the season, these guys are going to be helping the team a lot. They played a good game and we played against a very difficult team with guys that have a lot of experience. Everybody was working hard. We made some mistakes that led to goals and that happens. We fought until the end and that mentality goes a long way any season.
On the positives he’s taking away from the game…
We couldn't catch a break in the game. We kept pushing forward but, credit to them, they defended very well. We're a team that likes to possess the ball and there were times when we did that. We need to keep doing what we did that at the end tonight. We needed more of that. When we kept the ball, we created some chances and that was one of the reasons why the goal came. Cam and Felipe, the more they play, the better they get and that's great for us because it's not an easy season, and it's not an easy league. A lot of great players are coming into this league. It's good that these younger guys are coming up and hopefully in the coming weeks we can start doing better.
On the preparation the team had in the new formation before the game…
We didn’t have much practice but we're a team that likes to fight. Our expectations are to win and to make the playoffs so that hasn't changed. We don't go to places to sit back. We go to try to win the games and tonight it wasn't the case. We fought through all the injuries. It made it very difficult for us and we did what we could. Still no excuse but I'm a very positive person. I was being positive because I know how this season goes. You lose some games, and you win some. The most important thing is that we keep working hard and have the same expectations to make it where we want to be at the end of the season, and that's the playoffs.
On Ben Sweat and Kortne Ford’s performance…
I thought they did well. They worked very hard. Kortne hasn't played for a few years and so has Ben. It's not easy. It's great to see those guys out there. Kortne went 90 minutes and Ben went over 70 minutes. That's great to see. Ben is coming from a knee injury and so is Kortne from when they were at Colorado and Austin, so them contributing right now is the type of players we bring to this team. When their name is called, they’ll work very hard. It's just the beginning right now and as the season goes, we got to get better.
Sporting Kansas City defender Ben Sweat
On coming back after his injury…
It's obviously a huge positive for me individually and collectively to be back, have me back fully and put the injury fully behind me. Now we can really push ahead and worry about the season one game at a time. The result wasn't there tonight, but I think we competed and were in the game. We had a really unfortunate penalty call that ruined the momentum of the game. But sometimes that's just how it is, and we have to look to the next thing now.
On adapting to the formation changed…
I've played in a five-back system, whether I'm the wingback or the center back, at every club I've been at. I can adjust to it, and I think we have good enough players where everyone can adjust to it. That’s the expectation. Whether we're playing five in the back, or a four-three-three, we have to be able to adjust because it's going to give teams something to think about, being able to shift your five back to a four back.
On the play from his teammates…
The game plan was to hit these diagonal balls, which I think we did a pretty good job in the first half, with Kortne hitting them to me and Isimat-Mirin and Fontas hitting them to Zusi’s side. That allowed Zusi and me to push up. The main thing with the five in the back was the press, being able to release Felipe to the center back and push me higher to the full back. We were pretty good with the press, and we gave them a lot of trouble with that. It's something I think Peter and the coaching staff will want to utilize throughout the season. Those guys stepped it up tonight. The result sucks but I think if we looked around the field individually, I think we definitely put in a good shift tonight.
On what he’s telling the younger guys on the team as an MLS veteran…
I'm in that phase of my career where I can be a leader and I can help. It's being positive, it's getting these guys going, it's staying on top of them because they got to come in every day, every training, every game and they got to put the work in. How you train is how you're going to play and there's no excuse. Age is not an excuse for me. If Peter puts you in that starting eleven, you need to put in your shift and you need to know your job and role. Us older guys need to oversee that and can definitely help them, but we have an awesome group of guys, an awesome locker room and everyone's really respectful and takes in the right information.
