Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
On Alan Pulido’s performance…
I guess I'm stating the obvious. It's simple. When I originally spoke with him, I remember saying to him that when I sit back and I imagine in my mind how a center forward plays on our team, he fits perfectly. I know it because I'm around them quite a bit obviously. I know that it's been very frustrating for him because he's a guy that wants to play and wants to be on the field. It's his passion. It's what he loves to do. There are players that sometimes they want to try to get out of everything, right? They don’t want to train. That's not him. He's never been that way from day one. When he was injured, obviously very serious surgeries that he had, but he put his head down and he worked extremely hard. I think he's seeing the fruits of that labor that he put in. I think you're also starting to see again the player that we originally had in the beginning. I always knew it was going to take a little bit of time, but he's been building and building and building and he's getting better week after week.
Thoughts on the result…
I think what was good is that it was a different way to win the game and I mean it from this point of view. We conceded a little bit of possession tonight because, again, there was a part of their game that we wanted to try to take away, which I think the guys did a really good job of taking away. I thought in the second half, actually, we were even better at it than we were in the first half. We were incredibly energetic to get out on the counter. I think we put them under a pressure a lot, which then what it does is if you get a couple of really good quality chances -- and obviously where we score -- then all of a sudden what it does is it puts a little bit of trepidation in the other team. So now they're not as confident to send numbers forward and now they start to doubt themselves a little bit. I thought that today we managed the game pretty well. Like always, I wish we would have gotten a shutout because I think we were in a good place, but we lost the ball in a bad place, which then put us in a place where we shouldn't have been. They got a corner kick and now we had to defend that. We didn't. But outside of that, I thought everything else was pretty good by the group. To score four goals is never easy against any team.
On the team’s turnaround…
When a team is missing as many guys as we were in the beginning of the year, what happens is that – and it's never any disrespect to the other players -- it's just that they're key players within the group. So once those guys get into the team and then the team starts to play, not just win, but their performance is good, you have good form within the group. It's the reason why I said that Felipe Hernandez came in the game against Minnesota and scores a goal. It's because the team is in form, and now Felipe doesn't have to come into the game and carry the game. An example was we went to Philadelphia. I said this when it happened. Nobody really gave us too much credit for that result. But that's a really difficult place to go in and play and to get a result like we did. Now, if we had already won one game or two games at that point, everyone would have been like, oh, great point on the road. But nobody was thinking about it that way. And we made changes in that game and the guys adapted and adjusted to that game, and the game plan worked. It's because they executed really well. It's the same thing now. Guys can jump in because the other guys are in form and, more importantly, they're not overcooking it. They're not trying to do too much in their position, which then ultimately affects the whole team. They're being more efficient with their game. They're being more efficient within the group, which then ultimately gives the rest of the guys confidence to be able to come in and do the job. And that's why the guys were able to get the result tonight.
On Khiry Shelton scoring tonight…
It's great. And I think that he should go like this to the crowd because he gets a lot of criticism. But the bottom line is that he's trying. He's been out of form, but he's been working really hard to get back in form. And, at the end of the day, we're not just a team. We're truly a family. Every day, we’re working together and trying to overcome certain things. Sometimes I get a little bit upset with the fact that there's criticism thrown in a way where I know that the guy is working. So I'm very happy for him that he got that goal for the group.
On Daniel Salloi captaining the team…
He's been basically in every game. He's been working very hard. This is the only professional club that he's really been with. And so I just felt it was a good reward for him tonight. As I told him, he's 1-0 as a captain so that's great.
On the team’s mentality…
I think the word is believe. I’ve said that from the beginning. I believe in the group. I said that I was probably going to have to be the most patient person within the organization just waiting for guys to get back and not putting them in harms way. So I think it all comes down to the fact that there is a belief in the group. Everybody believes and everybody believes in what we were doing and working towards the right goals. Our trainings, our gameplans, we were there. We just at times were falling short, but we knew that it was going to come. We still have a lot of work to do. We haven't even come close to where I believe we can be.
Sporting Kansas City defender Robert Castellanos
On his performance…
Obviously we had a couple of injuries throughout the squad, but I feel like the coaching staff and everybody within the institution has treated us well and prepped us really good for any opportunity that comes up. Tonight was the night that I had to show up and just be there for the team. I got a couple of chances that normally I don't get in other games, but it was just good to get the win and the three points.
On his connection with Alan Pulido…
I think, overall, it was a team effort. First and foremost, it comes with the team. The coaching staff always puts in some plays for us. We go week in and week out practicing those. This week we got some fruits out of it. It was just good movement and us following our jobs. Alan, like I said, he's a very sneaky player around the box. He knows where to position himself. I just saw him kind of leaning towards the penalty box and I thought if I put this ball there, we can have a chance to put a goal in.
On the team’s mentality…
I would say we've been at it since the beginning of the season. To add on what the coach has told you guys, we've been at it. Unfortunately, some things didn't go our way. But we have a lot of trust in the guys in the group, in and out, whoever gets injured. Now we have something to prove. And I feel like this group is very special and we're a family here. We know our responsibilities. Whenever our name gets called up, we have got to do our job. I feel like now we're getting ourselves into the rhythm that we need to be in and guys are doing great together. I think we just keep doing our jobs and focusing on the things the coaching staff tells us to do and then just believe in each other.
Sporting Kansas City forward Alan Pulido (translated from Spanish)
On the win and his two goals…
Yes, I'm really happy. Other than scoring the goals, which builds my confidence, it makes me happy. I feel that, and I’ve said it before, the team is most important to me. It felt like a complete victory because we won and I was able to score two goals. I am so happy and there's nothing left but to enjoy the night.
On a national team call-up…
Yes, honestly, I'm feeling the best that I've ever felt mentally and physically. This past year was very difficult for me. I got better, I trained, I made a lot of sacrifices and I believe I brought out the best version of myself. That's why I think you can see the results now. I’ve said it before, nothing is a coincidence. I've really sacrificed a lot and I’ve worked really hard to get these results. Thankfully, that work is being reflected with results. I just have to keep working the way I have and giving my best for the club and I know that those call-ups will come and I'll have the opportunity to be with the national team again.
