Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes
On his decision to start Jordi Quintilla over Benny Feilhaber…
I don’t think he had enough in his gas tank to go 90 minutes. Better to use him in the second half and come on and do what he did…It was a decision based off of physical data from the last game, it was based on watching video from the last game, it was based on a lot of different variables. But at the end of the day, for us I know it was the right decision. He did exactly what he needed to do and I love the fact that his attitude was great when he came in the game. He gave a great ball to Dom and that’s what we needed at that time in the game. It was fantastic.
On Sporting KC clinching a playoff berth with the win…
That was very important for us to do that. I believe that we have been a very competitive team over the course of this year, and we deserve to be in the playoffs. I’m glad that we got in on our own accord and not backing in because a bunch of other results had to go our way. We did it because I believe over the course of this year we were competitive, and we should be in the playoffs.
On Sporting KC’s effective approach to the match…
I think it was evident that from the opening whistle we were flying. We were in every play, we were in every roll of the ball. We all know inside our locker room that the [Colorado loss] on Wednesday was not indicative of who we are, but tonight was for sure who we are. I love that our guys had the right mentality to play this game and do it like they did, because LA is probably one of the best attacking teams in this league, especially on the counter. They’ve got a lot of weapons, and we did a good job to put out a lot of fires that they caused early. At the same time, we have some incredible attacking players as well, and Dom’s finish—the way he made his run, his calmness in the box—it was a little like Houston a couple years ago when we won the [Eastern Conference Championship in 2013]. Calmness and experience—everything came into play tonight.
On Sporting KC deserving a playoff appearance…
Over the course of this season we’ve been extremely competitive. I also think that there is a mental toughness in our group that is at times incredible, and at times maybe we’ve been a little inconsistent with it. But I don’t think that piece is different from most teams in this league. What I do think is that whenever it’s time that we have to get something done, we have been pretty good at the plate…we have been pretty good. We haven’t struck out, and that’s the good thing about this group. There’s a good mentality in games like finals, and today was a final.
On the performance of center back Matt Besler…
Sometimes you talk the talk, but he walked the walk tonight. He tried to take a leadership role above and beyond the fact that he was a captain and realized that this was obviously an important game. We didn’t need anybody to tell us that, but he did his job in rallying the troops and making sure everyone was prepared. I think he’s played well, and he did it at a time he needed to. That’s what you expect from your captain.
On the first-half performance of Jordi Quintilla…
The big thing about him is he’s smart. He knew when to press and when to sit in. He definitely got tired—I think the pace of the game is something that he’s not used to yet. It even happened to him in the Open Cup Final. So that’s one of the big reasons we made the change at halftime, but we also knew that Benny [Feilhaber] had at least a half in him for sure. It worked out well. He gave us a good 45 minutes and then Benny came in and closed the game out.
Sporting KC forward Dom Dwyer
On his game-winning goal in the 65th minute…
I knew Benny [Feilhaber] was looking for me. He’s our playmaker; he’s a guy who can find that pass. So I knew I just had to make a good run and try to stay onside. I knew he’d find me a pass and I’d finish it off.
On Sporting KC defeating the reigning champion LA Galaxy…
It gives us a good bit of momentum going into the playoffs now. LA’s the reigning champion and they’re a really good side. So we’re pleased with the win.
On bouncing back from Wednesday’s loss…
Some games, it’s not going to go so well. And that was the case on Wednesday. We came into today knowing that we needed to get a result, and it’s the last game of the season. Us as players, we’re competitive and we’re hungry. Now it’s playoff time for us, so this is business time. We don’t need any extra help to get through these games. I think it was very evident from the first whistle to the last.
On the playoff drama going into the final day…
It was never a doubt in my mind if we were going to make the playoffs or not. Obviously we had to get a result tonight, but I’ve been here four years now and we’ve made the playoffs every year. This was probably the best team I’ve been on during these four years.
Sporting KC defender Kevin Ellis
On clinching a playoff berth with a win…
That’s what it’s all about. That’s where our focus was: it doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing, we knew we had to win this game tonight no matter what and that was the attitude we went in with. I think you could see it from the opening whistle, we were on the front foot we went after the game.
On the second-half performance from substitute Benny Feilhaber…
He gets in good spots. I think that we had that with Jordi [Quintilla] in the first half, too. I think we had it with Paulo [Nagamura] as well. Those guys were getting in good spots and it was allowing [Graham] Zusi to come inside and find those guys and Krisztian [Nemeth] to find those guys.
On scoring a goal to help his hometown club qualify for the postseason…
No matter where you are or who you play for, you want to help the team do well. It’s icing on the cake to be from here and score in this game and help the team win.
On the performance of center back partner Matt Besler…
Playing with all the experience he has, you know you’re going to get a solid performance from him and it’s more of my job to fit in with him not to have him adjust to me. So that was my mindset coming into the game: can we get better every game? And I think we have, and we’ve developed a really great partnership.
On traveling to face the Portland Timbers on Thursday in the Knockout Round…
I expect the same thing; it was the same when they came here. Every time we play against them it’s a war and I know they are looking for it just as much as we are.
LA Galaxy Manager Bruce Arena
On Benny Feilhaber’s impact on the second half as a substitute…
He did fine. I thought the start of the second half we were very good the first 15 minutes. Maybe you could say against the run of play they got the goal. Feilhaber is a good player, so you know coming into the game he’s going to have an impact on the game. I thought he played well. I thought it was a good game. I’m disappointed with the officiating in the first half and the offside call on the first goal. That’s a pretty a obvious call. You don’t want to make excuses.
On LA Galaxy’s Knockout Round match against Seattle on Wednesday…
We’re playing Seattle. It’s always difficult; they’re good team, a difficult venue to play in but it’ll be a good game.
On falling into the Knockout Round game on the final day of the regular season…
It’s professional sports. You deal with whatever the circumstances are, and that’s what it is. If we can’t win our last two games, we deserve to be put in the play-in game. It is what it is. We had opportunities to position ourselves better, so this is where we are and that’s fine, and we’ll go to Seattle and we’ll be ready to play.
On LA Galaxy’s overall performance…
We played pretty well tonight. Our finishing could have been a little better. We could have been a little cleaner in the final third of the field. In a good game like this, both teams had chances. They certainly could’ve gotten another goal as well but we had a few plays where [if] we’re a little cleaner, we should get another couple goals in this game. That part of it, which is our strength, we didn’t do particularly well tonight.
LA Galaxy defender A.J. DeLaGarza
On dropping to the No. 5 seed with a loss on Sunday…
We’ve been to Seattle in the playoffs the last few years. We didn’t win last year, but we got the result that got us through [to the 2014 MLS Cup]. We’re excited. We played well at times today, I thought. We had a good number of chances and if we play like that on [Wednesday], I think we can get another result.
On LA Galaxy responding to the first-half deficit…
Obviously that first [offside] goal was not called was a letdown, but we bounced back and equalized right before half. In the second half I thought we came out well and had a few chances. It was unfortunate we couldn’t finish any.
On losing first place during the final month of the season…
Being in first place with the guys we have, we should be able to close it out or at least finish in the top couple spots. Heading into the playoffs we have a very experienced team—one that shows up for the playoffs.
LA Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez
On dropping to the No. 5 seed and visiting Seattle on Wednesday in the Knockout Round…
What I take from this game is that it was an improvement from our last game at home. Everyone worked harder. It was a step in the right direction. We couldn’t get the win tonight, but if we keep improving the little things, I think we could get a win in Seattle. It’s going to take a lot more effort. Seattle is a great team; they’ve been great all year and they beat us on the tiebreaker for more wins. It’s going to be a good game, but we’ve won there before. It’s up to the guys to show up and make sure that we get the result we want.
On how LA Galaxy can improve…
From top to bottom, we just need to continue to work together for the whole 94 minutes or however long the game is. We’ve got to stay compact and when we have our chances, we have to finish.
On LA Galaxy’s mindset moving into the playoffs…
Once we get out of this stadium and onto this flight, all of our focus is on Seattle. Our first step is recovery and making sure that we’re doing everything we can to get the heaviness out and make sure that we’re ready to go on Wednesday.
