Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
On Sporting’s 3-2 loss to Inter Miami CF…
We were playing a team that right now is in really good form. We scored and they went up at halftime. I think the penalty (awarded to Leonardo Campana) is something that we could have controlled. The second goal—sometimes that happens when someone crosses and someone finishes. That happens in games. It’s not an abnormal goal.
I think two things about their third goal. First, if you’re going to call that a handball, when the player’s hand is down by his side and he has no idea about the handball, you have to understand the laws of the game. He didn’t make himself bigger or put himself in an unnatural position. The player’s hands are down by his side. Because the ball ricochets off his leg, hits his butt and hits his hand, it’s not a handball. At the same time, the referee starts talking to him. And for the referee to allow the other team to play fast in that moment when he’s talking to our guy—and it took him so long to make the call as well—in that situation he should have called that back.
The other thing that bothers me is that we score 10 minutes into the game and we go up 1-0. Then we’re getting forced to play fast—for what reason I don’t really know. We’re not even playing slow. We’re playing the normal game. As they go up, they’re walking everywhere and there’s not the same fervor to try and get them to play fast like there was with us. We didn’t get the same accommodation in the game. On the third goal, the play has to be stopped because of the situation and the way he was talking to our player. I think it changes the game.
On Sporting’s late rally…
I think in a game like this where once they go up 3-1 and the game is back and forth, end to end, you're going to get chances. You're going to get (looks) in front of your goal. And I thought our team actually did some really good things. On their third goal could we be smarter? Sure, we could be smarter. We could keep the ball and get a yellow card. We could do that and not let them play fast. There's a lot of different things that we could do (differently).
I think once all of Miami’s goals were scored, especially when it was 3-1, I think the game was more open than before. But then when we got the second goal, all of a sudden they didn't have the energy to go forward anymore and they were just trying to do whatever they could to try to go on a counter with one, two, maybe at the most three guys. And we were doing a very good job playing from behind to defend and we put some good balls in and around the box. We had a couple of chances. I actually think we did okay. I just don't like the penalty and I don't like the third goal.
On the handball called on Andreu Fontas immediately before Miami’s third goal…
(Fontas) says the ball never hit his hand at all, so I'm going with what he said. It never hit his hand at all. But I go back to it. The referee's talking to the player. There's no way that he should have let the play continue if he's talking to our player. There's no way he should let the play go on. What he could have done is he could have let the play go and then he could have always brought it back and done VAR on it. But he didn't afford us that accommodation.
Sporting Kansas City forward Daniel Salloi
On Sporting’s 3-2 loss to Inter Miami CF…
I think we could have been more patient with the ball and kept it much more in the game. I think we kind of got lost in it. We didn't have enough intensity at the end. We kind of turned it on, especially with that second goal that Alan scored. But overall, I don't think we were good enough today. Yeah, it’s unfortunate. We should have gotten away with a point at least. We might miss this one in the future. But we’ve got to keep going. It was tough, I'm going to be honest. It was very tough today with this weather to really put intensity into this game. I think both teams struggled, so they were just a tiny bit more on the edge.
On the humid playing conditions…
Honestly, most guys were saying they've never played in humidity like this. I'm already skinny, but I think I lost, like, 15 pounds. So it's not easy, but that's not an excuse. It's one of those that just makes it more difficult. But we have to bounce back from it because there are still games left and we have to make the playoffs.
On the handball called on Andreu Fontas immediately before Miami’s third goal…
I need to watch it back. Obviously, I believe (Fontas) didn't touch his hand, but even if it did, the rule is that if it touches your feet or leg and then it touches your hand, it's not a handball. So maybe my knowledge is wrong, but that's what I don't understand—how that could have happened. And then the ref is talking to Fontas and they restart. I don't know. A lot happened in that couple of seconds. I want to watch it back, but it's just one of those things that is not too clear for me. So I want to take a look at it again.
