Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
On the red card early in the second half…
It obviously put us in a big hole. We do a great job to get back a goal and we're defending very well. The guys were doing everything. In the 86th minute, Khiry (Shelton) has the ball, gets fouled. One hundred percent a foul. I mean, how you miss it I don't know. One hundred percent. Emphatic, 100% foul. He's facing his goal. Guy comes inside, takes both his legs out from under him. I wish I had a video I could show you. One hundred percent a foul and then they go down the field and that's where they get their goal from. The fact that he doesn't call it, it blows me away. But he's quick to throw the second yellow for Uri (Rosell). If you want to call that? Great, call it. You call that then you have got to call the other. A complete miss. Absolutely a 100% miss on the referee's position. Emphatic, 100% foul on Khiry Shelton and he doesn't get it. And I know the difference. The difference is Khiry is not a DP and (Carles) Gil is. And that's the difference in the game. That's the difference on the fouls.
On why he switched centerbacks at halftime…
Because I didn't like the way the goal got scored in the first half and I also didn't like the way we were coming out of the back with the ball. So I made the change and I thought those guys actually did a really good job. We were back in the game and then unfortunately we get the second yellow so early in the half that we couldn't even take advantage of it. I thought the guys did a good job in the second half when we went down a man. The fact that you missed that call that leads to the goal and it's a simple foul. He's already put us in the hole with a second yellow. But the fact that he misses that, it's unacceptable to me.
On SKC rallying after the red card…
I thought we played very, very well. We definitely did not get what we deserved in the game in regards to leaving the game with a point. We didn't get it. And I put the blame on missing that foul. I really do. I put the blame on that because our guys are playing. They're playing the game. That's fair. You've already set the tone of what a foul is and what isn't. Taking both his legs out right there. It leads to the goal. It changes everything. I’m sad for the guys because it's exactly on the 86th minute that it happens.
On Graham Zusi returning from injury…
He played very well. I didn't want to have to extend him as long as I had to. I really didn't. I had a bunch of subs, but then didn't plan on Remi (Walter) getting injured as well. To be fair, we just don't have a lot of guys to put in the game. They're substitutes, but they don't play any of the positions that the guys are going down in. And so now, all of a sudden, it's completely changing things and it's hard to move the guys around. We came into the game without any center forwards. We had to play a false nine with Felipe (Hernandez). We were trying to play the whole first half and then maybe give Khiry 45 (minutes). But to him as well, he had to play way too much today. It’s just tough.
On missing Daniel Salloi and Marinos Tzionis on international duty…
It changes us immensely, for sure. We have guys that play in the positions where we need help right now. We're moving too many guys around. Cam Duke's doing a great job. Everywhere he gets put on the field, he's working and he's dangerous. But for me to have to play Roger (Espinoza) 90 minutes today is too much. Graham played 80 some odd minutes. It’s too much time.
On the play of Cam Duke…
He was very good. I actually wish in the first half he wouldn’t have passed to Felipe and just taken on (Omar) Gonzalez himself because he would have went right past him, no doubt. He would have been one on one with the keeper. He was very good. Excellent.
Sporting Kansas City captain Johnny Russell
On the team’s response after the red card…
It's always going to be difficult when you go down a man, especially when you're trying to get back in the game and it was a little bit hot today as well. We know it's going to get hotter. We just lost ourselves a little bit and gave the ball away in silly situations, and then they used the extra man to their advantage. They had us running a little bit more than we would have liked. We had to sit a bit deeper than we would have liked and what we'd plan to do in the second half. So it was going to be difficult and then obviously getting the goal late on, it's a difficult one to take.
On the play of Cam Duke…
I think he's continuing to get better out there. In the first half especially, I thought he was great and really dangerous for us down there, creating a lot of opportunities for us. And then, like I said, towards the end of the game we weren't getting in any of those positions. We were pinned back a little bit too deep and that's down to them obviously using the extra man and keeping the ball well. It just wasn’t enough and pretty much the same old story. I don't really know what to say anymore. We’re just in a really difficult situation and we're not making it easier for ourselves to get out of it.
Sporting Kansas City forward Khiry Shelton
Thoughts on the match…
It didn’t end the way we wanted. But the boys fought. I'll appreciate that and I think all the guys appreciate the effort. It's tough when you're a man down, but I felt like we actually dominated in a lot of parts of the second half even a man down. So that's a positive and we'll take that from the game and we'll continue to push.
On the no call that led to the game-winning goal…
I was fouled and hopefully the League fixes that. It's a continuous thing. I get fouled all the time and they don't call it and I don't care if I'm a big profile player. I get fouled. It's a foul. They need to start calling that stuff.
On not getting a call earlier in the match…
If Omar Gonzalez doesn't pull me there, I'm gone and then I'm in on goal. So that's an opportunity lost and that frustration builds. He called one, which I was happy for but I was still in his ear letting him know that I'm getting fouled.
On returning from injury…
I felt really good. I’ve got to continue to build my fitness coming back from injury. So I’m just going to continue to build and build and get back into form.
