Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
On Sporting Kansas City’s 2-1 win over San Jose…
I think team-wise it was a good performance. I don’t really think we gave much away in the game. I thought we defended well. It was a rough field tonight, it really was. Normally I wouldn’t say that, but it really had an effect on the game. The field was coming up in a lot of different places. It was hard with the footing, even with the different style of cleats. It definitely had an impact on the game, but the guys managed the situation well. (Erik) Thommy scores a rope of a goal. Alan (Pulido) has great movement up front along the back line and finishes like he can. When he gets balls in those areas, he’s deadly. From that perspective it was good. We were unfortunate on the goal (conceded) because we were completely in control of the game and gave that away. Poor execution on the pass and then we had a fire drill in the box. It was crazy. We deserved a clean sheet tonight, but a good result for the guys on the road, for sure.
On Sporting’s mentality after playing 120 minutes on Wednesday…
We expended a lot of energy in the Open Cup game. On top of that, there’s physical energy and emotional energy. We definitely expended a lot of that. Unfortunately it was hard because we knew we would have to do something outside the box if we were going to change Tim (Leibold) at some point in this game. We didn’t have another left back with Zorhan (Bassong) being out on the red card (suspension). The good news is we get him back for the next game, and we’ll need to keep rotating the roster with this group. With so many games in such a short amount of time, and with all the travel, it’s hard. But their mentality has been good. It was great to get three points tonight. I told the guys before we left Kansas City, it would be great if we could get six points (on this road trip). If you can get four, great. If you can get three or two, OK, but we’ve got to get points on the road here. Getting three here today—this is a massive result for us moving forward.
On midfielder Remi Walter’s return to fitness…
I asked (Remi) at halftime if he could go 45 minutes tonight because Memo (Rodriguez) was struggling a little bit. He said, “Yep, I can do 45.” I thought he did a really good job. Remi has always been really good from a fitness perspective. He’s always been one of the top guys on the team in that regard. When I asked him, I believed him. It wasn’t like he was selling me a bill of goods. He’s pretty honest in those situations and he did a good job.
On the injury sustained by defender Dany Rosero in the first half…
He just said that his hamstring got tight on the header he did when he went off the field. He said it was best if he didn’t push it any further. I thought (Robert) Castellanos came in and didn’t miss a beat.
On forward Khiry Shelton transitioning into a right back role…
I did that as a player myself and I can say it’s easier doing that than going the other way. It’s hard to go from a defender to an attacking guy. It’s a lot easier to go the other way. A lot of times when you’re playing up front, you’re playing with your back to the goal. This way, you’re facing the field all the time. To that point, I think Khiry has done a really good job. I’m really impressed. His mentality has been good and he didn’t give anything away in the game. I actually think he came back and cleared a few things off the line that could have been real chances. He turned them into almost nothing. I can’t say enough. The last few games he’s played there, he’s been tremendous.
On the performance of midfielder Nemanja Radoja…
Taking him out in the last game when I did allowed him to finish the game tonight. That part was good. He’s been pretty rock solid over the course of the season. It was just another performance for him that’s kind of been in his wheelhouse.
On navigating a difficult stretch of matches in recent weeks…
I am (proud). I’m not a huge rotation guy on the roster, mainly because normally our team is pretty high in the table and we’re in a good run of form. You find your main group and your substitutes, and then you go with that routine. Because of all the games we’ve had, it’s been really important for us to actually have player rotation and allow players to get a rest and stay fresh and keep the team fresh on the field. Each time, no matter what their responsibility is—whether they are starting, playing 90 minutes or coming in the second half—the responsibility to come in and make a contribution to the team has taken on a much different effect than it did early in the season. I think we missed that early in the season. It’s also made the (starters) understand their responsibility as well. It’s a credit to the players because they are the ones on the field who have to do the work and make the contributions.
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Erik Thommy
On Sporting recovering from Wednesday’s extra-time win to prevail again on Saturday…
It was a crazy night on Wednesday against Dallas—a long night for us with the delay and playing 120 minutes. I can say we were a little tired today, but over the 90 minutes I think we controlled the game. In the first half, we had more possession and didn’t create that many chances. But in the second half, we were right there where we have to be. We scored twice and (conceded) in my eyes a stupid goal. That opened the game a little bit, but in the end, it was a well-deserved three points here in San Jose. After a really tough week we’ve had good results, and we can be confident and happy moving into the next few games as well.
On scoring the opening goal of the match early in the second half…
I saw (Nemanja) Radoja. I was between the lines with no one behind me or next to me and I received the ball on my right. I got into a nice position to shoot and score, did a fake shot then put it on my left (foot) and just hit it good. Finally a goal for me after a few weeks without one, which is important for me but especially for the team today.
On Sporting’s good run of form over the last week…
It obviously feels good if you win. In the past we’ve had a lot of games where we were unlucky. In the last few games, I think the mentality was right. Today we closed the game and defended well in the last few minutes. It feels really good and it’s important for our confidence.
On closing out the match and holding onto the 2-1 win…
In soccer it’s all about details. I’ve said it always and I will say it now. We defended well. Sometimes it’s the difference of one yard where you have to be closer to your man. When Khiry (Shelton) defended well in the 92nd minute, those are the situations we need right now. Maybe we missed those in the past. We have to build on it because we will need it over the next few games as well. It’s going to be tough—it’s going to be close—but the same mentality we had today is a must-have.
On Sporting overcoming adversity after a slow start to the season…
We fought in the beginning of the season as well, but we dropped so many points at home. I repeat myself every time: it’s all about details. Of course tonight feels really good, and we have to collect the points because we have only (10) games left. We need every point. If you want to keep the chance of going to the playoffs, we need wins like today. It feels obviously very good. If I could change something, I would change the games from the past when we dropped points at home. But that’s something we cannot do, so we have to look into the future and keep working on it.
