Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
Thoughts on the match…
I think from the very beginning of the game, we were actually very good with the ball. We never really gave the ball in critical areas of the field. I thought we had a great aggressiveness in and around the box. When we got our chances, we finished. Everybody we brought into the game had a lot of energy which really helped the team a lot.
On the team’s performance…
It was a very good game for us tonight. I think we played very well. We moved the ball and we made the ball do the work. The ball never gets tired. We moved the ball and the other team had to run quite a bit. I thought we did a really good job of exposing them in certain areas of the field where they were late because they just couldn’t’ run any more.
On the two goals from Diego Rubio…
It’s been great. He’s played very well in the last two games. Tonight, he was on fire. He got really good balls in and around the box. That’s where his area of operation is – around the goal. Tonight, he had good movement and he was clinical on his finishing.
Sporting Kansas City forward Diego Rubio
Thoughts on the match…
I can say that we controlled almost the entire game. That was great. I said to some guys before the game let’s start to show that this is our place again. It’s like a hell for the opponent. We got it. We won so that’s perfect for us.
On his first goal…
Some guys told me you need to start to shoot every ball. Strikers are like this. I like to pass the ball a lot. I saw the chance and shot to the goal. That simple.
On his second goal…
That was perfect, almost like a counter attack. I saw Daniel and I thought I need to be in the box. I saw the space. All four of the defenders of Portland went to the line to cover so I saw that space and I made a very good touch and then scored.
On the team's defensive play...
We’re running like a team. Everybody’s running. Everybody’s marking. Everybody’s covering his zzone. That’s very important. We know that they have very good players on the attack. I think that our defenders and midfielders did a very good job today.
Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia
Thoughts on the match…
I thought the way we moved the ball east to west was phenomenal. I think this was one of our best possession games. We were calm all over the field. We slowly went back and forth, back and forth and got into the front half of the field. We created a ton of opportunities and got the goals we needed.
On the play of Diego Rubio…
His work ethic is phenomenal. He runs all over the place. He’s checking back. He’s defending. He’s finishing. He’s creating opportunities. He’s been so good for us.
On the team’s three straight clean sheets…
Obviously, very important for us. We always want to build from the back and have a good defensive mindset. We’ve done that in the last three games but we need to continue it in these latter points of the season.
Sporting Kansas City defender Graham Zusi
Thoughts on the match…
A full 90 minutes of excellent soccer from us. We were on the front foot from the opening whistle. I thought we possessed the ball extremely well and created a lot of chances. When they got the ball, we got it back very quickly. We were in very good spots defensively and really gave them nothing throughout the game.
On the team’s defensive play…
I think what you’ve seen in the past three games is a very focused and determined team to not give away chances and goals. Like you said, that’s three clean sheets in a row. That’s very important for us as a team. We’re trending upward when it comes to that.
On the pre-game recognition and winning on his birthday…
That’s all I was wishing for was three points. I’m glad to have both my parents here. It’s a tremendous honor but basically means I’m just getting a lot older.
Portland Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese
Thoughts on the match…
We learned a lot of things this week in the three matches that we played. We tried to do certain things that didn’t work out. As I said, we learned a lot this week for us to make sure that we’re prepared better. Again, I assume responsibility for this defeat. I thought that we were in the game. I thought that we created some chances and then at the end, I think it was tough. It was tough to have to run without the ball so long. Once they got ahead in the game, it became very difficult for us.
On the team’s adjustments…
We tried to get the team more in their half of the field. We tried to be more ambitious, but we didn’t have the right ideas to be able to break them down. We did create but then once we became tired, it became a very difficult match and it could have been more than three.
On playing three games in a week…
This is soccer. This is soccer. And that’s it. This happens. This was a difficult with three matches one after the other. We explored something. We tried to see if we can work with players playing matches back to back and we learned that we have to change certain things. It was a good learning experience these three matches.
Portland Timbers goalkeeper Jeff Attinella
Thoughts on the match…
Obviously, it didn’t go our way tonight. I think if you give a team that many chances, they have good players, they’re going to score and they’re going to capitalize. It’s a week that we can take and learn from. Obviously, it didn’t go the way that we wanted it to. We have a massive game on Sunday. We’ve got to put this whole week behind us and look forward to the one on the weekend.
On the big picture…
You learn more from losses than you do from [going undefeated] 15 games in a row or going on that streak. The streak is well behind us. We’re currently on a streak that we don’t want to be on. At the end of the day, we’ve all got to look in the mirror and figure out what it’s going to take to get the win on Sunday because obviously it’s a massive one.
On the match-up with Seattle…
They’ve obviously figured it out a little bit but this rivalry always kind of finds a way to have extra storylines. It’s just another extra storyline. They’re going to come in feeling pretty good about themselves. We’re going to come in fully focused on the task at hand. I’m expecting a good one. Like always, turn up at Providence Park because it’s going to be pretty fun and we’re going to need everyone’s support.
