Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes
On the penalty kick awarded to Portland to make the scoreline 2-0...
It wasn't a PK because Collin kicked the ball before the guy went over his leg. But we deserve (the call) only because we let the same guy dribble around three guys. Does it change the game? Yes, it does change the game dramatically. They go up another goal and it makes the game a little more out of reach.
On Sporting KC's performance in a 3-1 defeat...
We just have to be harder to play against defensively. We weren't hard enough tonight, by any means. Defensively we were not hard enough by any stretch of imagination. We were not working. Like I said, when a guy dribbles two or three players, that's not being hard enough, that's for sure.
On why Sporting KC fell short...
Lack of movement and little things on the field, especially defensively. The defense turns the game into the attack. If you defend well, you find opportunities against the other team. We didn't defend well tonight.
On Antonio Dovale's performance...
(He) was good, but we didn't have enough movement in the first half. We had much better movement in the second half when he had the ball. That's one of the reasons we had the PK is because of the movement off the ball. As Toni was playing the balls in, there were more options for him to play the ball. But again, it was a little too late. As much as we had possession, possession is only good if you do something with it, and we didn't do enough with it tonight.
Sporting KC forward Soony Saad
On Sporting KC's 3-1 loss...
It's a disappointing result. We had a couple lapses and Portland had some counters that hurt us. Other than that, we had more chances but we weren't deadly enough around goal. That's what proved to be the deciding factor. We were in the attacking third a lot, but we just needed to do better with the final pass or the final shot.
On playing Portland this coming Friday in MLS competition...
We didn't even think about that game (on Friday) before the game tonight. Our focus this week was the Open Cup and Portland at our place. Now we can shift our focus to Friday's match, but I know for a fact that (Friday's game) didn't play any role in the result tonight.
On scoring his third goal in three games...
I couldn't care less if I scored 10 goals in as many games. The fact is we lost today, and I'm very disappointed. It hurts a lot because we really took the U.S. Open Cup seriously. This one's going to sting a bit, but we have a quick turnaround. There is only one way to get back on track, and that's to go to Portland looking for all three points.
Sporting KC defender Seth Sinovic
On Sporting KC's 3-1 loss...
Our balance wasn't good from the back, and all-around it just wasn't a very good performance. We weren't great on the ball from front to back, we were sloppy, and good teams are going to punish you for that-and they did.
On how Sporting KC must improve for their MLS match vs. Portland on Friday...
From front to back, on the ball and off the ball, organizationally...it's just got to be 100 percent better. This was one of the really bad performances I've been a part of. We know we're better than that, and we expect better than that. We have to take a serious look at ourselves and improve because we have to face them again on Friday.
On being eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup...
It's always disappointing. We want to win every game we play and every tournament we're in. So it's extremely disappointing from that standpoint. Like I said, we expect better from ourselves and we need to improve fast. A huge point of emphasis for us every year is to be in the (CONCACAF) Champions League. Obviously we just took ourselves out of the winning the Open Cup to get into (the Champions League), so now there are just a couple ways we can do that.
Portland manager Caleb Porter
On Portland's 3-1 win over Sporting KC...
From our standpoint, it looked like a tournament-type match. When you're playing in games and it's "lose or go home," it becomes more of a chess match. The conditions also played into that-it was very hot. We knew we had to be organized. We knew Kansas City is a very good team that likes to have the ball. They get a lot of numbers forward and their movement is good. We came up with a plan of absorbing a little bit and then being a bit more lethal on the counter attack, and I think we did that to a tee. We picked our moments to keep the ball and accelerate the game on the break. I think they had a lot of the ball, but that was a bit by design. We didn't let them get us in dangerous spots. For the most part, they didn't get behind us and break us down. They had shots from distance, some of them were blocked, and they had a couple set pieces. Other than that, I thought it was a really mature and professional performance from our group.
On Portland's defensive posture during the match...
You can control the game with the ball or you can control the game without the ball. I thought we actually controlled the game pretty well without the ball. That was by design so that they would get numbers forward and then we would hit them on the break. Overall, they didn't have a ton of dangerous moments. Andrew Weber had a few good saves. We were unfortunate on the PK handball, but we got one, too.
On how to balance the quick turnaround for Friday's match vs. Sporting KC...
You have to figure out what style fits your group and fits the opponent your playing. We knew it would be difficult going on the road and playing against a good team in the heat. We have a quick turnaround, as well-we were thinking a little bit about the next game. We left six first-team guys back home, and now we have them fresh. It's going to make for an interesting second match, seeing how many guys they rotate, what the tactics are, how the teams change. For this game, we felt it was best to keep the game tight and use the counter attack. As this team has shown in games on the road, that has become an effective tactic. We did that at Real Salt Lake and New York, who are very good teams. If you look at the top four teams from last year, we've beaten three of them on the road.
Portland goalkeeper Andrew Weber
On Portland's defensive performance...
They were great. They were blocking shots and putting themselves in front of everything. We kept it compact and organized ... all ten of them were awesome.
On Kalil Alhassan's goal line clearance in the second half to keep Portland's lead...
That's what he is there for. He had a better look at it so why not let him take it and don't put him under pressure. He did great to keep his positioning, stay disciplined and clear it off the line.
On this Friday's match at home against Sporting KC...
It will be another tough match. Both teams are fighting for points. It's a quick turnaround and everyone will probably (give) the same effort, so it would be a good match.
